Page 16 of Broken Wolf Heart (Mafia Pack #3)

One by one, the others kneel again.

But this time, it’s not a formality.

“I pledge to my alpha,” someone murmurs.

Then another. “To the alpha.”

And another.

The sound swells like a wave, crashing against the walls of this house, reverberating through me like thunder.

Power slams into my chest.

Magic howls inside me.

It’s a rush of heat and pressure and connection—so much that I stagger.

I feel them.

All of them.

A hundred threads snapping into place. Emotions that aren’t mine, thoughts I didn’t form. The press of lives against my mind, against my skin. Every heartbeat echoing like a drum inside me.

They’re mine.

My pack.

My wolf revels in it. She throws her head back and howls with delight, her joy electric and wild.

I nearly lose myself in it.

But I can’t.

I dig in my heels and push her down, grinding my molars together until the room comes back into focus.

Clifton Jones is still standing .

“The choice is yours,” I tell him.

“This is bullshit,” he mutters and then turns and makes his way out the door. “Franco is rolling over in his grave,” he says as he walks out.

A few others follow him.

I don’t let myself focus on the ones who choose to leave. Instead, I look out at all the faces who’ve stayed. Knees bent, heads bowed. They chose me. So, I choose them too.

I draw a breath to steady my voice. “Rise.”

They obey. My chest expands with hope.

Grey stands beside me, slipping his hand into mine.

“Nailed it,” he whispers, and my shoulders lighten as some of the tension releases.

I turn to Andy. “I want a full list of departments and current leaders by morning. Start preparing the review schedule.”

She nods. “You’ll have it.”

“Everyone is dismissed,” I say—and then quieter to Andy, “Will you stay for a moment?”

She nods.

The room begins to empty, murmurs rising and fading as pack members file out the front door. Some glance back at me, some at Grey, but there are no more challenges.

I watch them go, my heartbeat finally slowing as the foyer empties out.

Through the thinning crowd, Grey motions at Dutch, Razor, Mia, and Crow, who are stationed around the room as subtle but formidable sentries. They make their way toward us against the tide of exiting pack members.

When the last stranger disappears around the corner, I exhale—and nearly collapse from the adrenaline release.

Grey presses in close. “You okay?”

“No,” I whisper. “But I’m getting there.”

He squeezes my hand .

Dutch winks at me. “Nice speech, boss.”

I can’t help but smile at the nickname he has only ever used on Grey. “Thanks for keeping an eye on things.”

He shrugs. “You know we’ve got your back.”

“I do,” I say and realize it’s the truth. I feel it now—deep in my marrow.

“You did well,” Mia says, and the compliment ripples through me.

“Thanks.”

Mia eyes Andy. “I don’t think we’ve formally met. I’m Mia Reyes.”

“Andy Balistrieri.”

“Wait, but you’re Toros’ wife. Wasn’t he a Campbell?” Razor asks.

Andy looks unfazed as she says, “Yes. But I’m not.”

“Damn straight,” Mia says.

Razor frowns like he doesn’t get it.

Dutch simply stares at the blonde beauty like she’s a puzzle he’s trying to put together.

Andy ignores all of them, glancing between me and Grey.

“Did you need something else from me tonight?” she asks.

“No, I—” I start to tell her to get some rest.

“Wait.” Grey interrupts.

“What is it?” I ask.

Dutch clears his throat, shooting a pointed look at Andy. “Maybe we should talk privately.”

Andy crosses her arms. “If this is about the fact that Grey’s an alpha and you’re all members of his pack, don’t worry about censoring yourselves in front of me.”

We all stare at her, stunned.

“Well, it’s not like I can’t read his alpha power. It’s practically yelling in my face,” she says.

“You can’t tell anyone,” Dutch tells her with narrowing eyes .

Andy rolls her eyes. “Relax, I’m bonded to my own alpha, your high alph a in case you forgot, genius. I’m not going to spill anything she hasn’t allowed me to.”

I bite back a grin at the way Dutch stutters.

“We can trust Andy,” Grey says.

“How do you know?” Razor asks.

“Because she’s already risked her life for us once,” Grey says.

Mia’s eyes widen. “She’s your source.” She looks at Andy like she’s seeing her in a new light.

“Source for what?” I ask.

“When you were brought in for your alpha vote,” Andy explains, “I knew no one was going to bother texting Grey about the meeting, and I thought he deserved to know when it was happening so he could be there for you.”

I blink at her. “You did that for me? You didn’t even know me.”

“No one deserved to go through that alone,” she says, and while I can’t feel her emotions through this new pack bond we share, something tells me she’s speaking from experience. My heart aches for whatever she went through with Toros.

“In that case,” Mia says, “I’ll say it.” Her gaze swings to Grey, and she’s suddenly no-nonsense. “We need to know where we stand with you, and we need to know it tonight.”

I glance at Grey, remembering what he said about pack hierarchy.

“Effective immediately,” he says, “you’re all generals. Dutch is my enforcer. Razor’s my executioner. Mia is my strategist. Crow is recon. Now, I might be your alpha, but Lexi is your high alpha. You follow her orders like you would mine.”

A new kind of connection snaps into place.

Not as strong as what I feel with Andy, but it’s there.

Grey’s pack is now my pack too .

“Fuck yeah,” Dutch says, breaking the silence and earning an eye roll from Mia.

“So professional,” she tells him. And then to me, with a smile, she says, “We’re behind you both. All the way.”

Razor claps Grey’s shoulder. “Hell yeah.”

I blink hard. The pressure behind my eyes builds, but I shove it down. Not here.

Dutch grins at me knowingly. “You good, alpha?”

“It means a lot,” I admit. “Your friendship.”

“We’re family now,” Mia says softly. “And get used to it.”

She shoots me a smile that I manage to return.

“We’ll plan our next steps tomorrow,” Grey says. “Tonight, find a guest room. No one goes home until my father and the generals are dealt with.”

I blink at him, but Mia nods. “He’s right. If Andy sensed it on us, everyone else will too. We’ll need to stay under the radar until we’ve dealt with”—her eyes flick to Grey—“everyone.”

Despite the mention of the man who terrifies me even now, I stifle a yawn. I have no idea what time it is or how many hours I’ve been awake, but even my wolf isn’t stirring anymore. We’re both exhausted.

“Let’s save that problem for daylight,” Grey says, squeezing my hand knowingly.

“I can show you guys where you can sleep,” Andy offers to the others.

“Thanks,” I tell her. “And then feel free to head out and get some rest. Tomorrow will be a long day.”

She leads the others up the stairs toward the guest wing where Grey and I are staying. We follow then slip past them when Andy points to the guest rooms along our hallways.

With one last murmured good night, we slip into our room and close the door. When we’re alone, Grey reaches for me.

“How’d I do?” I ask .

“You were perfect,” he whispers, brushing his lips over mine.

“I don’t know about that, but at least, no one else tried to kill me.”

He pulls me into his arms. I rest my head against Grey’s chest for a beat, letting myself pretend—for just this moment—that everything is okay. That I’m safe. That this house isn’t soaked in blood and betrayal.

But I know better.

This house is full of the pain of the past.

And some things don’t stay buried.