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“You good?” He eyed me like he always did when he knew there was something wrong. It was his superpower. If I didn’t already know, I would have wondered if he had an extra ability to mind read or sense emotions. But if he did, he certainly wouldn’t be allowed to waste his time in the gym when the Pack could put him to better use.

No, he just knew me well. Probably the best of anyone in my life.

“Family dinner.”

It was all I needed to say for him to nod once and turn, heading back to his office with the unspoken expectation for me to follow.

Once the door shut, he sat on the corner of his rusted desk and waited.

It was always like this. A standoff between two of the most closed-book individuals around.

“It was nothing. The usual bullshit.” I caved and sank into the plastic chair in the opposite corner of the small room. If I hadn’t spoken, we’d be here all night.

He nodded.

“Have you heard anything new?” I was already desperate for a new assignment, especially after Rod’s tease. I needed something to keep me busy. Distracted.

He pulled his phone from his pocket and showed me the screen. “Got this while you were busy making that kid wet himself.”

A message from the Alpha’s assistant.

Angie: Send her in.

He hadn’t replied. There was no need to ask for clarification.

“You don’t have any ideas?” I asked as I stood.

“No.” He went to the door and opened it, ushering me to the back door. “If there’s anything I can do to help le––”

“I know.” I shot him a grin, hoping it came across as more confident than I was feeling. The Alpha rarely gave out assignments except for classified missions. Something too dangerous for one of his men to handle.

Could this be what Rod was talking about? But why wasn’t he the one calling me in? He handled the majority of my missions. He met with the Alpha, then delegated the tasks.

I’d only had a handful come directly from the Alpha.

This had to be good.

Angie led me down the hall to the Alpha’s office when I arrived.

El Lobo and Rod were waiting for me. Angie shut the door behind me, giving the three of us privacy.

The Alpha was an intimidating man, known globally by his alias. Humans and supernaturals both whispered “the wolf,” out of fear of accidentally summoning the terrifying beast. His distinct, bouffant hair and trimmed beard gave him a sexy, silver fox look. El Lobo was suave and charismatic, but also deadly.

“Hello, sir,” I greeted, and he gestured for me to sit.

“Emilia, you’re doing well?”

“Yes, thank you.” Despite meeting El Lobo dozens of times and sitting in this exact position, my nerves still jangled just under the surface.

He wasn’t just the Alpha of the Velez Pack, an honor in its own right, he was the boss of the family business. Outsiders liked to call us the Velez Cartel, but that was a misnomer. Cartels work in groups, but the Velez didn’t play well with others. By definition, we were a mafia, but those were human terms that didn’t concern us.

The most important part was the world, supernatural and human, knew better than to get involved in anything we claimed.

“We have a problem, one we think you can take care of,” El Lobo started. One thing I admired most about him was how direct he was. No pleasantries or wasting time. Get in and get out.

I glanced at Rod for only a second to confirm this was the mission he hinted at a few days ago.

“A foolish man sees himself as a competitor. He’s stayed off our radar until recently, when he reached into our territory. He runs in Cuba and southern Florida, but sent his men into the Yucatan.”