Read Wolf from the Past: Salvation Pack, Book 4 for Free Online Page A

her feel safe, gave her the strength to push past her fear.
    Jacque wouldn’t hurt her. None of them would.
    She stared into her cousin’s golden-brown eyes and answered him. “Your mother.”
    Jacque’s eyes widened in shock and Louis muttered under his breath. “How did you manage to contact our mother? And why her?”
    There was so much more to their mother than they knew. They saw only the face of the downtrodden woman who was mated to their cruel father. But her Aunt Elise was so much stronger than any of them could ever imagine.
    “I have to go back to the beginning.” Gator’s arms flexed and tightened briefly around her before dropping away. She missed his presence as soon as he withdrew it. Which wasn’t smart. She couldn’t afford any entanglements. Didn’t want them.
    “Fine.” She could sense Jacque’s patience growing thin. So could his mate. Gwen placed her hand on Jacque’s arm and some of the tension drained out of her cousin. Sylvie was grateful to the other woman. Gwen offered her a smile of encouragement.
    “Just before I was mated to Andre, your mother came to me. She gave me a phone number and made me memorize it. Nothing written down for anyone to find.” Sylvie could still remember her surprise.
    She reached for her coffee mug only to find it empty. Gator jumped to his feet, strode to the kitchen and returned seconds later with the coffeepot. He refilled her mug and topped up the others around the table before returning the pot to the kitchen. It still shocked her to see Gator and the other men performing household chores. Andre would have never lifted his hand to help, let alone pour her a cup of coffee. That was women’s work in his world.
    “Thank you.” Such little kindnesses were rare in her world and she appreciated them.
    “No problem, chère .” Gator slid back into his seat beside her.
    “Why did our mother give you a phone number?” Louis asked. She could sense his growing confusion. “It wasn’t hers. No way could she have a phone without the old man finding out.”
    “There’s an underground movement in the Louisiana Pack involving a small, select group of women. They help one another when they can. Secrecy is paramount to their survival. If any of their mates found out…” She shook her head, not wanting to voice what would happen if the women were discovered.
    “He’d kill her.” Jacque shook his head and blew out a breath. “I don’t know whether to be amazed by my mother’s bravery or scared to death.”
    “What exactly do they do?” Armand asked.
    “They help where they can. Sometimes it’s little more than someone to listen to, but whenever they can, they actually help. Some of them have managed to start saving accounts of their own, working to get enough money stockpiled in case they ever have to run.” No way was she telling them about the many times Aunt Elise had helped Sylvie after Andre had beaten her.
    “But how are they able to use a phone. Their mates would know about it. No way could they hide something like that.”
    “You’re right, Jacque. The phone belongs to one very special woman with an equally special mate.” Sylvie turned to Cole. “Your mother is part of the network.” She hesitated and added, “So is your father. He’s the only male I know of who is part of it. The phone belongs to them. He’s the one who started the saving accounts for the women and does their banking.”
    Cole looked thunderstruck but then he slowly started to smile. “I always wondered why my mama and daddy never came with us when we left. I thought he was too afraid to leave.”
    Sylvie shook her head. “ Non , he is incredibly brave. So is your mama. They ferry messages from one woman to another. I wouldn’t have known to come here if it weren’t for them.”
    She took a sip of the fresh coffee Gator had poured for her. It tasted extra good. “When a man answered the phone, I almost hung up.” It had scared her to death. “But he put your