Page 27 of Broken Wolf Heart (Mafia Pack #3)

LEXI

E ven after we return to Franco’s and I’ve showered and changed, I still smell the blood. It’s there every time I inhale. Or blink. Or lick my lips. My wolf revels in it, but the human me is a little sick over the smell of copper that lingers or the grisly scene I see every time I close my eyes.

Grey hasn’t left our room since we got back.

He’s not hiding exactly. More like—he’s isolating.

A predator caged in silence. He says we’re safer if he stays away from us for now, and after seeing what he became earlier, I can’t argue with him.

Not until we have some answers. Dutch has positioned himself outside the door, keeping watch like a sentry.

I hate to admit that I feel better knowing someone will be there to stop Grey if he tries to attack again.

I check in when I can—offer a touch, a kiss, a whisper through the door. Sometimes he answers. Sometimes the silence growls back.

He’s not gone. But he’s fighting with whatever inside him is threatening to break free.

And I don’t know how much longer he can hold it in.

Mia returns from her meeting with Charlie as I’m sitting down to lunch. Elena is like a drill sergeant about making sure I eat. “It’ll help you heal faster,” she insists in a voice that I don’t dare argue with.

Mia smirks as she sits down across from me, but her smirk vanishes when Elena points a finger in her direction. “You too, missy. You’re too skinny for a general.”

She stalks out with a threatening, “I’ll be back with your plate in a minute,” tossed over her shoulder.

“That woman scares even me,” Mia admits when we’re alone.

I snort, silently admitting the food is helping. Not that I’ll ever tell Elena that. But I can finally feel my wounds from yesterday beginning to ease slightly.

“How’d it go?” I ask Mia when Elena has delivered her food and left again.

“He’s in,” she says just as Andy walks in.

Mia goes silent at the sight of my second, but I wave her to go on. “Andy’s caught up,” I say. And she’s trustworthy, I don’t say. Because even I sometimes waver, but I know that’s only my own insecurities coming out.

“What do you think about getting information from my father?” Mia asks her warily.

“I don’t know him, so I can’t vouch for his loyalty, but I know you wouldn’t endanger your pack for anything. I think it’s smart,” Andy says with a shrug. “We have to play offense. The sooner the better, especially with an enemy like Vincenzo.”

Mia nods like Andy’s just passed some kind of test. “I agree.”

“So, did he give us any insight into where to hit first?” Andy asks.

“Well, yes, but to be fair, we’ve already hit first, technically speaking.”

Mia’s voice drops low, and I know she’s aware that Razor and Crow are somewhere inside the house. They’ve been subdued since they got back from disposing of Alvaro. I’ve been giving them space, but only because I don’t know what to say.

What do you say to someone who just killed their father in cold blood, knowing he deserved it?

“Until Vincenzo knows about it, I don’t think we’re going to count it,” Andy points out.

“Yeah.” Mia sighs and sets her fork aside.

I noticed she didn’t do much more than push the food around. I, on the other hand, cleaned my plate. I make a mental note to ask Elena about the recipe—at some point when I’m not terrified of her. The food here has been delicious so far.

“I have intel about Vincenzo’s plans, but you’re not going to like it,” Mia warns.

I can’t help arching a brow at that. “The asshole’s trying to kill me and the people I love. I didn’t expect to like it.”

“Fair,” she says. “I guess what I’m saying is we can’t handle this on our own. We need your pack to step up.” I start to respond, but she rushes on. “I know you wanted to wait until their loyalty was more certain.” She glances between me and Andy now. “But we don’t have that kind of time.”

“Yeah.” My shoulders sag, but I know she’s right. “We’ll call a meeting for this afternoon with the patrol leaders and lieutenants.”

I glance at Andy, who nods and pulls her phone out. “I’m on it.”

She’s not even out of the room when I hear her start talking to whoever’s on the phone.

Mia looks at me, softening. “How are you?”

“My ribs don’t feel like they’re stabbing my organs quite as badly,” I say.

She grins. “That’s always a plus.” But her smile vanishes quickly. “I meant about Grey. About earlier. ”

My stomach tightens. “That wasn’t a normal wolf thing, was it?”

“No.”

“It has something to do with killing Franco, doesn’t it?”

“I think he took in too much alpha power,” Mia says.

“Dutch said it was because he was resisting fully accepting it.”

“Could be that. Or maybe Franco’s power has the same boost yours does.”

“The LAG gene,” I realize.

She nods. “I think Franco would have experimented on himself.”

“Even though he thought it didn’t work on me?”

“The bastard was aging. He would have hated that.”

I focus again on the dark energy pulsing through our bond. It’s a constant now. A shadow that eclipses the connection I felt the night we claimed each other. My wolf doesn’t like it and has been snarling about it all day.

“Severin couldn’t help us,” I say, defeat creeping in. “Or wouldn’t help us. Unless there’s another gene expert in the city, I’m not sure where that leaves us.”

“Unfortunately, there isn’t.”

“You say that like you’ve checked already,” I half-joke. The look she gives me says it all. I lean forward. “You have?”

“Of course. We don’t have time to waste.”

“But you didn’t find anyone?”

“Not in Indigo Hills.” She sounds just as deflated as I feel. “I’m going to do some research and see if I can find any other packs who’ve done gene research or have a pack doctor that might be able to help shed some light.”

“How can I help?”

“You can start by leading this meeting,” she says pointedly.

“Actually,” I say slowly, “I was thinking you should do that. ”

“Me?”

“You’re the strategist,” I point out.

She shakes her head. “But they’re not my pack. They aren’t going to listen to me, much less trust me.”

“And they never will if we don’t show them what it looks like.”

She meets my gaze, and I can see her considering it from all angles that I’m sure even I haven’t thought of yet.

“Okay,” she says finally. “But be warned, I’m not taking anyone’s shit.”

“I would never expect you to.”

Pack members begin to arrive within the hour. Grey still hasn’t come down, though when I go up to check on him, he seems much better. He reassures me he’s feeling more like himself again and will be down soon.

I take my place in the foyer just like Andy and Elena did when I first arrived as alpha.

Beside me, Andy is a steady presence, greeting our visitors with me while whispering the names of pack members as they arrive.

Donahue and Camila, two top lieutenants who also happen to be mates, are the friendliest and actually offer their help “in any capacity you need.” It’s a pleasant surprise and one that makes me hope today’s meeting topic won’t be met with resistance after all.

As the last few pack members find their seats, Dutch saunters in, hair damp from a shower, rolling his shoulder like he’s trying to shake off tension. His shirt says Ask Me About Real Estate.

“Nice shirt,” I say.

He glares. “I don’t know why Mia got you nice clothes but sent me thrift-store cast-offs.”

My smirk fades. When Grey’s pack pledged themselves to him, they lost their homes, their belongings, and their families in one swoop. It sucks.

“Hey, how are the ribs?” he asks, standing against the wall with me. It’s more comfortable than sitting for my aching body.

“I’ll live,” I tell him.

“And your wolf?”

“She’s pissed I didn’t let her participate.”

“Can’t say I disagree. Maybe next time let her participate a little more, okay? You gave me a fucking heart attack, you know.”

I glance over and find his expression more serious than I’ve seen. No humor. Only genuine concern.

I nod. “Okay.” I turn to face the room again.

“Shouldn’t you be up there?” He nods at the table in the center of the room where Mia sits at the head.

“We need to learn to trust each other,” I explain. “Besides, I want to be able to observe. To see what they really think of this new regime.”

He gives me an approving look. “You’re not so bad at strategy either.”

“Thanks. How’s Grey?”

“Getting dressed.” He glances over the assembled faces as he adds, “He’ll be okay.”

“How do you know?”

He shrugs like it’s a foregone conclusion that we’ll all be fine. “Because he has you.”

I don’t bother to remind him that I’m not exactly fit to be someone’s anchor in the storm right now.

His eyes flick toward Andy. Then to me.

“So,” he says under his breath. “What’s her story?”

I give him a look. “You mean the woman who didn’t flinch when I slaughtered her husband right in front of her and thinks emotions are just the thing that get in the way of doing her duty? ”

He lifts a brow, intrigued. “She sounds like my fucking dream girl.”

“Be careful, Dutch,” I murmur. “If you break her heart, I’ll break your jaw.”

He grins, but there’s a flicker of something more serious behind his eyes. I shake my head, biting down on a smile I shouldn’t have time for, and focus on the table.

Everyone’s here—well, almost everyone. Grey’s absence is one I can feel like a sore rib. But we can’t wait any longer.

When I give her the nod to begin, Mia doesn’t waste time.

“We’re here because Vincenzo has officially declared war on both our packs.”

No preamble. No pleasantries.

“And you’re here because your pack isn’t big enough to ride in the HOV lane together,” one of the lieutenants calls out. I don’t remember his name, but his taunting expression suggests he’s not exactly an ally just yet.

At his comment, a few others snicker.

Mia’s head snaps toward the one who spoke up. Her eyes narrow.

I can feel a few people glance at me, but I don’t intervene. This is Mia’s to handle. As I have no doubt she will.