Page 11 of Broken Wolf Heart (Mafia Pack #3)

LEXI

G rey’s brows pull together. “What?”

I look away, my uncertainty making me nervous. “I mean, the ceremony got interrupted, and I got accused of murder and then was basically kidnapped, and there was a lot of snarling and blood and murder today—so… did it count?”

The corner of his mouth lifts, and that one stupidly crooked smile somehow makes my heart squeeze harder than all the chaos ever could.

Losing Grey would be the single worst thing that could ever happen to me.

And the harder I fall for him, the more painfully aware of that fact I become.

I need Grey Diavolo to love me like I love him: obsessively, unendingly—forever.

“You’re seriously asking me this right now? After we’ve just claimed each other as mates?”

“I am,” I say, trying to sound light, but I can’t quite hide the nerves threading through my voice.

“Claiming is between our wolves. But being married to you… I don’t know.

Maybe it’s just me being a human, but it feels more like a public declaration.

A different kind of promise. And I want to know if you ac tually want that.

If it still means something, or if it was just part of the plan to keep me safe. ”

He’s quiet for half a second; then he exhales like it physically hurts that I even have to ask. His fingers slide under my chin, lifting my face to his.

“You’re my wife, Lexi. My mate. My alpha. You’re not just part of the plan I have for the rest of my life—you are the plan. You and me. Forever. That’s it.”

My throat tightens, but he keeps going.

“And to be clear, human, wolf, I want every part of you. The Fast and Furious movie binges, the wolf who shreds her enemies to ribbons, the girl whose body I can’t keep my hands off of.

I want to spend the rest of my life being driven crazy by you and loving every second of it.

So yeah. We’re married. And no, I don’t regret it for a second. ”

My lips part, but no words come out.

My wolf huffs softly in agreement.

Grey’s hand trails along my own before he winds his fingers through mine. The touch reminds me?—

“I lost the ring,” I realize, looking down at my bare hand. “It must have fallen off when I shifted.”

“We’ll find it,” he assures me with a shrug, but I have to blink back tears at how careless I’ve just been with the symbol of our commitment.

I shake my head. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. I told you, my father picked that ring?—”

“No, I know. I meant the twist-tie,” I say softly. “The one you gave me.”

I run my fingers over the bare spot on his hand, noting that the one I gave him during our ceremony is also gone.

“It’s a hazard of shifting,” he says. “Trust me, don’t get attached to clothes or jewelry from here on out.”

“I’m only attached to you,” I tell him.

He leans in, brushing his mouth over mine like a vow. “ That’s a good fucking thing, wife. Because I’m never letting you go.”

I smile, breathless and aching and stupidly, deliriously in love with this man. “I like hearing you call me that,” I whisper.

His answering grin is pure hunger and heat and heart. “Then I’ll say it every fucking day of forever.”

“That sounds nice.”

His answering kiss is light, playful. But I can’t stop the heaviness from returning when I try to picture the “forever” he’s just referred to. “Grey?”

He grins. “Yes, wife?”

“What happens next?”

His amusement fades to concern as he sees my expression. “What do you mean?”

“This whole alpha thing… I didn’t kill Franco.” His concern turns to guilt, and I have my confirmation of what I suspected from the moment Dutch interrupted our ceremony with the news. “But you already know that since you killed him.”

His gaze snaps to mine. Whatever he sees there, he doesn’t bother trying to soften it. Or pretend I don’t already know. “Are you pissed?”

“I was at first,” I admit quietly, “about telling them I had power that I didn’t have.”

“But not about me being the one who did it?” he asks warily.

“No.” I sit up, still bare but not particularly shy about it. We’ve both seen too much of each other—good and bad—for modesty to matter anymore. “Franco was never going to change. And I don’t think for a second you did it without a good reason.”

His shoulders tense. He looks away.

“I had to,” he says. “He threatened to hurt you.”

The way he growls with each word spoken is more proof that, when it comes down to it, Grey will let a lot of things slide.

Almost anything, really—except someone threatening me.

It’s the only thing he’ll never show mercy for.

I saw it with Dom. Even when Grey thought I’d betrayed him, he killed Dom for hurting me.

I saw it with his father too. A man he’d never intended to go up against again—until Vincenzo tried to use me.

And now, with Franco, there was never going to be another outcome once my safety became an issue.

And I can’t possibly be angry at that. Not when he’s the first person to ever protect me that way. And not when I’d do the same thing for him in a heartbeat. Hell, it’s the whole reason I made the deal I did for my wolf. Not to protect myself, but to protect him.

Grey deserves someone to fight for him the way he’s fighting for me. I’m determined to be that person.

“You could have just told them the truth,” I say. “You’d be the high alpha by now.”

But he shakes his head. “No, they wouldn’t have voted me in unless I also killed my father. Too many questions of loyalty otherwise. They’d think my dad put me up to it as a consolidated power-grab.” He grimaces.

I don’t argue because he’s right; that’s exactly what his father wanted him to do from the start.

“Can I ask…what’s stopping you from going after your dad?”

“Nothing, believe me.” Murder swims in his eyes, a promise that he won’t break for anything.

“But this way—with you getting the credit—the pack sees you as strong. That’s the only way you survive this.

The only way they don’t tear you apart. For you to be on the throne, calling the shots.

I won’t go to war with my father and his pack until I know you’re safe. ”

He looks back at me, pain and regret reflected in his eyes. He didn’t want to do this to me, but he saw no other way. And when he puts it like that, neither do I. Still… .

I nod slowly. “I get it. But next time, don’t make that decision for me.”

“You were locked up. I was losing my fucking mind when my father took you, and I…” His tortured eyes meet mine again, and he blows out a breath. “I swear. No more playing savior behind your back.”

“Thanks,” I say.

A beat of silence passes, and then his tone changes as he says, “I’m glad you’re not mad because that promise goes both ways.”

“What do you mean?”

His expression shifts—sharp, wary. “Tell me the truth. How did you access your wolf?”

I freeze.

The moment stretches too long, and my silence is its own confession. But he gave me the courtesy of an explanation, so I do the same.

“Your father gave me a serum to trigger the change.”

“A serum.” He huffs, and I brace myself for anger, but his tone is gentle, and instead I feel guilty when he adds, “It could have killed you.”

“You’re right,” I admit. “But he had files from when I was a baby. That fever I told you about… the records showed they gave me something called Aconitumex.”

“Wolfsbane,” he murmurs.

“My mom gave it to me to suppress the LAG gene Franco activated,” I tell him. “But the dose was so high it suppressed my wolf.”

“And the serum was the antidote,” he says almost to himself.

“Wolf venom for the change, a gene booster to activate the LAG gene, and, yeah, the antidote.” A beat of silence passes. “Are you pissed?” I ask, stealing his line.

He sighs, running a hand through his tousled hair. It’s a move I recognize for when he’s stressed. But he doesn’t look angry as he says, “I’m disappointed you didn’t wait for me so we could figure out your wolf together.”

“I was so tired of being weak, Grey. I need to be able to fight, to protect myself.”

“I would have?—”

“Don’t say you would have protected me.”

His smile is rueful, but it vanishes quickly. “Okay, I get it. But I do have to wonder what exactly you promised him in exchange for such a thing?”

I wince. “Two things. He wants a blood sample from me so his researchers can access my wolf’s gene code.”

His cheeks flush, and I know he’s doing his best to hold his temper. “And the second thing?”

“Relinquish my title to him.”

He flushes red. Okay, definitely pissed now.

I rush to say, “At the time… my title was nothing more than an unnamed heir. It seemed like a small price to pay.”

His brow lifts. “And now?”

I blow out a breath, despair and worry leaking in again.

“I know it was only my first shift, but my wolf was so out of control. She feels… wild. And I think that’s because of whatever Franco did to me.

I worry she’s too powerful. And if there’s one person who shouldn’t have access to more power, it’s him. ”

“At the risk of sounding like a broken record, spending a few days out of town would?—”

“No.”

“I’d come with you,” he counters. “We could use some time to ourselves.”

“Jericho Grey Diavolo, are you using the idea of a honeymoon to manipulate me into running away from a war with your father?”

“Depends. Is it working? ”

I punch him on the arm, and he grins, but we both sober quickly. “I can’t run away,” I say quietly. “I have to face this.” I can’t bring myself to say my pack, even though I think that’s what it is now.

He frowns. “Lexi, you don’t have to do this?—”

“Yes, I do.”

He looks pained. “If anyone finds out you don’t have Franco’s power?—”

“I don’t need it,” I say.

Mostly because I can’t imagine being much stronger than I already am. My wolf seems pretty capable already of taking out our enemies.