Wolf's Pack (Wolves Next Door #3) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,148

He gave her every chance to run, but she wouldn't."

"We can't!" the girl snapped.

"Ok," I said, soothing her as much as I could. "I get that. We're also not going to hurt you. What's your name, anyway?"

"Evelyn," she mumbled.

And the girl couldn't have been more than twenty-three. She looked younger than Sheridan, in my opinion, but I was just guessing at that. Her hair was just a little dirty, her clothes looked ready to fall apart at the seams, and she trembled. No matter who had sent her, this young lady needed help, and I was going to give it.

"Sit down, Evelyn," I said as I caught her shoulders.

She flinched, huddling into herself even more, if that was possible. "Damon said you'd kill anyone who stepped foot into this territory. He said that's why we need an army."

"And you're safe now," I promised, guiding her into the closest chair.

"Elena..." Ian warned.

I just looked back at him. "This girl is scared. She's not much older than some of our pups, so don't you 'Elena' me. Whatever she has to say can wait until she knows we're not going to hurt her."

"And when she tries to attack you?" he asked.

"Then I'll get out of Lane's way," I promised. "Back off, Ian. If you want to help, brew her one of those cups of hot chocolate."

"Yes, Alpha," he said, moving to do just that.

Evelyn's eyes went wide. "I thought he was the pack leader?"

"He is, but a smart man knows when his mate has been pushed too far." I took the chair beside her and leaned closer to gently rub her shoulder. "Why did Damon make you come here if he said we'd hurt you?"

She moved her hands to her lap and clasped one over the other. "I'm his least favorite mate. He said I could be replaced."

"And you still came?" I asked.

She nodded. "He has my baby. Our baby. Said that if I don't come back, he'll give him to Karen."

Pax just growled, turning away to slap his palm against the wall. "Pax!" I snapped when the girl flinched.

"Sorry," he told me. "I just hate that bitch."

"But she's from the old families," Evelyn reminded him. "We have to respect that."

He tapped his own chest. "Romero." Then he pointed at Lane. "Blackwood." Trent was next. "Powell." And finally to Ian. "Langdon. Honey, old lines are running around this place and baring our throats to Castillos."

And then the door chimed again. Ashley stepped in with Scott right behind her, but they both paused at the sight of us. The girl whimpered, making both look at her.

"Shit," Ashley breathed. "Where are you from?"

"Hidden Forest," I answered for her. "One of Damon's mates, sent to give us a message."

"Here," Ian said, passing the little paper cup to Scott. "Maybe you'll be less terrifying to her than I am."

Scott took it, but only moved close enough to hand it to Ashley. Immediately, the girl began pushing back, trying to get away from him. "Bear?" she asked.

"A little bear," he promised. "Sweetheart, there are enough wolves in this room to make me run if I tried anything wrong. Not gonna hurt you. I'm actually kinda fond of wolves."

"Uh..." Trent just flicked a finger at her. "She's with the pack that jumped the kids the other night."

"Yeah, that kinda changes things," Scott admitted. "Why did you people go after our pups anyway?"

"We didn't!" she said. "Damon sent us to leave a message. Thanks to all of you, our pack is suffering. Our members are being hunted by humans. People are suddenly very interested in wolves now - because of your children! Damon says we have to stop you before our kids are the ones paying for it. He knows where they go to school now, thanks to that little stunt." She finally opened her hand. "And we can fight fire with fire."

On her palm lay a class ring. A boy's. I held out my hand, silently asking if she'd let me see it, and she passed it over. A quick look proved that it belonged to Gabby's high school. The graduation date on it was for this year. The symbols on the side were the school mascot and a football player.

"Whose is this?" I asked.

"The more of us who die, the more of us we have to make," she said, pausing to sip her cocoa. "Damon said that if we want to stop living like animals, then we have to take what we deserve."

"You know he's lying, right?" I