I bit my trembling lip and gave him a curt nod.

  The reality of what he was asking made my head spin and blurred the room.

  Pull yourself together.

  Mark and Brandon weren’t ready to be alpha or didn’t want it. Erica was much too young. If I didn’t take the lead, then our pack would be gone. The home I fought for would belong to another man.

  My dad might be giving me a choice. But the way I saw it, I didn’t have any choice at all. I would have to say yes.

  Me, an alpha.

  I wasn’t ready.

  Twelve

  Sloane

  The trees whirled by in a blur as we sped down the back country roads.

  I pushed on my stomach as I laid my head against the window and let my eyes slide shut. It didn’t stop the butterflies from scurrying through my belly.

  I wasn’t sure if the nausea had to do with my trip or what my father had asked of me. Maybe a little of both.

  Lincoln reached across the backseat, took my hand, and gave it a squeeze.

  I glanced over at him and forced a smile.

  His brows drew together in a frown. We hadn’t had a chance to talk about what happened earlier. I knew he and Sawyer would both support me, regardless of what I chose.

  Brandon turned around in the passenger seat and peered back at us. “About how much longer do you think it’ll be?”

  Lincoln raked his hand through his hair and looked out his window. “Not too much longer. The road we need to turn on is just up ahead.”

  Mark shook his head and moved his right arm from the steering wheel to point at the GPS in the middle of the center console. “You’d know that if you looked at the car.”

  Brandon rolled his eyes as he turned back around in the front seat. “Too quiet in here. It’s making me antsy.”

  Mark made a noise in the back of his throat. “You know you didn’t have to come, right?”

  Brandon drummed his hands on the dashboard. “I know I didn’t have to come. I wanted to. Besides, the more people, the better, right? Safety in numbers. That’s what Dad is always saying.”

  Mark made a face as he shook his head. “Not if you drive everyone else in the car crazy first.”

  I sighed and scooted forward between the front seats. “Stop. Both of you. We’re all nervous and showing it in our own ways. Picking fights with each other isn’t going to help the matter.”

  My brothers both mumbled an apology. I slid back into the seat and crossed my arms over my chest. Sometimes my brothers could be like children. Their fighting was only driving me closer to the edge. I felt like I was barely holding on. If I couldn’t handle the pressure of being on a mission with Lincoln and my brothers, how could I manage the pack?

  I could feel Lincoln’s eyes on me, and I turned to look at him. He had a small half smile on his face.

  Lincoln reached out to me through our link to speak in my head. I think your dad is right. You’re a natural-born leader.

  I grabbed my biceps as I hugged myself tighter. I don’t know, Lincoln. It was supposed to be Darrin’s job. I’ve never really thought much about it.

  My big brother was supposed to be the alpha. Not me. He would’ve been great, and not just because Dad had been training him his whole life. Darrin had a way with people. He always knew what to say to make them feel better. My brother could light up a room just by walking in.

  I mashed my lips together and squeezed my eyes shut as tears threatened to fall.

  God, I missed him.

  Lincoln scooted across the backseat, pulling me into his arms and holding me. It’s a big responsibility. And I’ll support you regardless of what you choose. Sawyer will, too.

  I let my hands fall limp and rested my head on his shoulder. I know you will. I just don’t think I’m ready for it, and I hate that I don’t feel like I have a choice.

  Lincoln kissed the top of my head and stayed in that position. There is always a choice. You’ve had lots of choices in the past few weeks alone. Your dad is right about that. Every choice that you’ve made has been to keep your pack safe.

  Tears blurred my vision. You really think that I have what it takes to be an alpha?

  Most people don’t know what they’re capable of until they’re thrown into a situation that’s out of their hands. You’ve been dealt several of those recently. All of them you’ve handled brilliantly. You’re stronger than you know.

  Lincoln skimmed his arm up and down mine. No alpha is perfect. But with the right group of people to help you and guide you, I think you could be an excellent leader.

  His words made my heart swell, and I smiled.

  The GPS’s automated voice belted out through the car that our right turn was a mile ahead. We were almost there.

  Lincoln lifted his head off mine and cleared his throat as he pulled away from our link to speak out loud to Brandon and Mark. “When we get there, I should be the one to do the talking.”

  Mark flexed his hands on the wheel. “Please feel free to take the lead. I don’t want this to go south any more than anyone else does.”

  Lincoln placed a kiss on my temple and then pulled away, moving back to the other side of the car. “The idea is for us to get in and out as quickly as possible. My dad usually doesn’t stick around for chitchat, so it won’t be out of the ordinary for us to get our product and leave.”

  I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear. “What about the wiretap? Did you have any time to do that yet?”

  He had been on his computer, but that was to get the address for our dealer, or that’s what I thought he was doing.

  Lincoln looked over and gave me a warm smile. “Trust me, I didn’t forget that. Everything is set up already. I did it while you were in the shower.”

  I rolled my eyes and stifled a laugh. “It can’t possibly be that easy or fast, right?”

  Lincoln chuckled as he cracked his knuckles. “It is when you know what you’re doing. It’s something that I’ve already been looking into for a while.”

  Brandon turned around in his seat and looked back at us. “I’ve been telling my dad for a long time that we need to up our tech game.”

  Lincoln swallowed and nodded. “Yeah, tech makes a big difference. And thankfully, my dad has no idea what he’s doing with it. Most of the men there don’t.”

  Mark exhaled and flexed his hands on the wheel. “I guess that’s one thing for us, and we need everything we can get to get a leg up on your father. It’s something I think we can exploit when we have a chance to think about the best way to do it.”

  Brandon cracked his knuckles. “You know, I know a bit about coding.”

  Mark made a pfft sound as he shook his head. “That’s not the same thing.”

  Brandon’s expression fell, and he looked out the window. “It is.”

  Lincoln shifted in the seat as he glanced at me. “What sort of coding do you do?”

  Brandon leaned his head against the window. “I’ve been building my own video games and host them on my own server.”

  Lincoln’s brows lifted. “Really?”

  Brandon didn’t get the chance to respond before the GPS told us to take a right.

  Mark flipped on his blinker and made the turn. “We’ll be there in two minutes.”

  I ran my hands up and down my pants as I tapped my foot lightly against the worn floorboard. I puffed out my cheeks and then let my breath out slowly, but it didn’t stop the pounding in my ears.

  The car slowed. I blinked and flicked my gaze to the dash. We were still about three quarters of a mile away from the house.

  “Don’t slow down. Don’t do anything that draws unwanted attention. Drive the speed limit.” Despite the incessant roaring in my head, my voice came out calm and even.

  Lincoln put his hand on the back of Mark’s seat. “She’s right. We want to slip in and out with no incident and no attention.”

  Brandon tapped his hands on his thighs as he moved his head back and forth like he was jamming out to a song, except there was no music playing. “Are we all getting out of the car?”

  I pursed my lips. Brandon was a nervous ball of energy. Not that I was one to talk. I couldn’t sit still either. Mark had a fine sheen of sweat on his brow, but he knew how to stay collected under pressure.

  I wrung my hands in my lap. “Brandon, I want you to take the driver’s seat. We all know you can maneuver a car quickly and safely should we need it. Mark, Lincoln, and I will go up to the house. Be ready to go if we need to make a hasty retreat.”

  Brandon nodded. “Got it. I’m the getaway driver.” He let out a nervous laugh.

  I reached forward and gripped his shoulder. “I’m hoping it won’t come to that.”

  He continued to bob his head up and down.

  Out the front window, large family houses lined the endless street. They were well kept with immaculate lawns and garden beds. A few kids played outside in the yard.

  I focused on the house numbers slowly creeping by. This was taking forever.

  A glance at the speedometer told me Mark was going twenty-five, the speed limit. I swore we were only going ten, maybe less.

  The GPS chirped, “You have arrived,” and Mark eased us over to the curb and put the car in park.

  I peered out my window. The driveway had a few junker cars in it, and weeds grew in all the flower beds and the unkempt yard. The lawn hadn’t been mowed in a while and would probably hit about my ankles.

  His neighbors probably hated him, considering everyone else’s yard looked clean and welcoming. If they had a homeowners association, they were probably constantly nagging. This place was atrocious.

  My fingers trembled as I put my hand on the door handle. I blew out a breath and exited at the same time Lincoln and Mark got out.

  They walked around the car and joined me on my side. Together, we walked up to the small green house. Lincoln went ahead of us, jogging up the stairs and knocking on the door.

  Music blared from inside like the guy was either having some sort of midday party or playing a video game. We waited a few seconds, and when no one came, Lincoln pounded on the door hard enough to make it rattle.

  The music cut out, and footsteps stomped toward the door. A lock clicked, and the door cracked open. A guy with greasy hair and a five-o’clock shadow stuck his head out. “Can I help you?”

  Lincoln stuck his foot in the door and put his hand on it as well. “My father sent me to collect the wolfsbane from you.”

  The guy’s brows knitted together into a frown. He shifted his gaze from Lincoln to me and Mark. “Dane told me he’d be here tomorrow morning. I haven’t gotten everything all set up yet. You’ll have to come back then.”

  He lifted a cigarette and then puffed the smoke out into Lincoln’s face.

  Lincoln blinked slowly but didn’t flinch. “Well, we’re here today to pick it up. It’s been a long drive, and you’ve worked with my dad long enough to know he isn’t someone who takes kindly to being told no. It’d be in your best interest to just get it ready for us now.”

  The guy took another draw from his cigarette. “It’s going to take me a few minutes to gather everything up. You can tell your dad I’m not too fond of unannounced visits.”

  Lincoln chuckled. “My dad pays you a great amount of money for this stuff. Do you want to get an attitude about it? I’m sure there’s someone else he could find to help us out.”

  The guy laughed and held up both hands. “’Course not. My bad. There aren’t a whole lot of people asking for this stuff. Might have a hard time finding another dealer.”

  Lincoln growled low in his throat and shoved his foot against the door hard enough to push it open farther.

  The guy frowned and took a step back as he held up his hands in surrender. He raked a hand through his hair. “Can’t complain about the money, though.”

  Lincoln put his other hand on the doorframe and leaned in so he was almost in the guy’s face. “You’re right. You can’t complain about the money. Now, we’re on a bit of a time crunch, so if we can move things along, I’d really appreciate it. The last thing you want to do is make my dad angry.”

  The guy took another puff from his cigarette and then motioned us inside. “Come on in. It’ll be just a few minutes, so you can have a seat on the couch. I have to go down to the basement to get everything put together.”

  He swung the door open, letting Lincoln in first. I followed after him, and then Mark pulled up the rear. The house smelled like an ashtray, probably because there were ashtrays all over the place full of cigarette butts.

  I did my best to breathe through my mouth, but the stench was making my eyes water and my nose tickle.

  The guy motioned to the couch, which was home to an array of empty chip bags and other trash. “Make yourself at home. It’ll be just a few minutes.”

  He ducked through a doorway, his footsteps thudding through the house as he made his way down the hall. Another door creaked open and then slammed shut, and it sounded like he was going downstairs.

  Lincoln rolled his shoulders and rocked his head from side to side. “This shouldn’t take too long.”

  I ran a hand through my hair as I surveyed the room. Music played from the TV where a video game was paused. An open bag of chips and a pop can sat on an end table by a grungy chair that looked like it had been used as a napkin one too many times.

  I scrunched my nose up. “Do you think he bought it?”

  Mark tapped his foot on the floor. “Why wouldn’t he?”

  Lincoln narrowed his eyes and shrugged. “He’s a drug dealer. There’s always a risk when you throw something out of the ordinary at them. What he does is illegal. He’s probably cautious, and no one wants to piss off my dad.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “He did try to send us away. How long do we give him?”

  Lincoln opened his mouth like he was going to answer, but the faint voice of the guy downstairs filtered up through the vents.

  I cocked my head to the side and closed my eyes, doing my best to listen. Thank goodness for wolf hearing, but it was really hard to make it out anyway.

  I only picked up a few words, the most important one being Dane.

  Lincoln darted forward. “He’s calling my dad!”

  Thirteen

  Lincoln

  I darted down the hall, my shoes thumping against the floorboards. I skidded to a stop and yanked the door to the basement open, then took them two at a time. I leaped off the last three and landed in a squat at the bottom.

  The guy pulled the phone away from his ear, his mouth open and eyes wide. He hung up and dropped the cell on a table before holding his hands up in surrender.

  He gulped as his eyes darted from me to Sloane and Mark, who were now right behind me. “Dude, it’s not what you think.”

  My lip curled, and I stalked toward him. “Oh? Then who were you calling?”

  The guy’s back hit the table, and he leaned away as I encroached on his space. “It’s…it’s not like that.”

  His putrid breath hit me in the face, making my stomach curdle and my nose burn.

  Ugh, when was the last time he brushed his teeth? Or washed, for that matter?

  His gaze darted around the room as he trembled. “Dane told me he was coming himself. He said this order was exceptionally important and was paying me extra to…”

  I narrowed my eyes and gripped his shirt collar. “Paying you extra to do what?”

  He shook his head, his gaze darting around the room like he was scoping out the best exit.

  Sloane put a hand on my shoulder as she came up next to me, her gaze on the dealer. “You need to tell us. Please, it’s important.”

  The guy mashed his lips together. “I can’t. He’ll kill me. You aren’t supposed to be here. I’m not stupid.”

  I gave the guy a shake. “No, we’re not. My dad’s hours away. Tell us what you were making and give us the wolfsbane, and you’ll have plenty of time to run before my dad ever makes it here.”

  Sloane moved toward him. “We won’t hurt you. I can’t say the same for Al… For Dane.”

  The guy’s bottom lip trembled. “How do I know you won’t kill me once you get the wolfsbane? I don’t know what you all are mixed up in—”

  “You don’t want to know.” I let go of the guy.

  He wiped at his mouth with his palm.

  I took a step back and crossed my arms over my chest. “Tell us what we need to know and give us the product, and we’ll all be able to get out of here before my dad arrives. All of us.”

  The guy jerked his hand through his grimy hair as his gaze shifted between Sloane and me. His hair was so dirty that it stood up all on its own.

  Sloane sighed. “Hey, we’re losing time. We won’t hurt you. I promise.”

  Her voice came out soft and smooth.

  He pursed his lips and then pointed at a table in the corner. “Your product is there.”

  Sloane touched my elbow. “Mark and I will get it ready.”

  I met Sloane’s gaze. “Be careful with it.”

  She pressed her mouth into a thin smile. “We will.” She turned to her brother. “Come on, Mark. There are some gloves over here.”

  I turned back to our dealer as Sloane and Mark went to work. “What were you making for my dad?”

  The guy swallowed and did his best to avoid eye contact. “He wanted about a quarter of the product to be injectable and the rest of it as an aerosol.”

  I gritted my teeth. He intended to take people alive and use the wolfsbane as a method of torture. It wasn’t surprising.

  The dealer wet his lips. “You guys figure out a way to get high off that stuff or something? I tried to smoke it a few times and…nothing.”

  This idiot tried to smoke it?

  I lifted a brow. “Or something. Have you made any of it injectable?”

  The guy nodded and pointed to a bin on the far end of the desk. “Some. The syringes are all in there.”

  “Thanks. I’m going to need some extra syringes and the directions on how to make it injectable and an aerosol.”

 

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