Page 36 of Broken Wolf Heart (Mafia Pack #3)

LEXI

W e return to Franco’s mansion—or as I’m determined to call it, the estate, mostly because it sounds only slightly less pretentious—for a quiet reception open only to pack members.

No media. No rival families. Definitely no one from Vincenzo’s side.

Not when Alvaro’s name is in a missing person’s report and my name is listed alongside it.

Despite my doubts to the contrary, the Giovanni pack shows up.

Not just the security teams and their families, or the lieutenants whose presence is required, but regular citizens too.

They bring casseroles and hugs and wary glances.

They offer condolences for Franco, yes—but mostly, they come for me.

They come to meet their alpha.

I shake so many hands I lose feeling in mine. Smile so many smiles my cheeks hurt. My wolf stays alert, pacing under my skin. Watching for signs of betrayal, or challenge, or both.

I’m beginning to realize those are the moments she’ll take me over. Part of me wants to appreciate the protection she offers, but the other part, the one whose will is taken over if that happens, would rather not .

“You looked good in that interview yesterday,” someone says. “Strong.”

I nod, murmuring an automatic thanks, but then the person smiles, and recognition strikes me.

“Bobby, right?” I ask warily.

He nods.

The bartender from Altobello’s. One of Franco’s most trusted…associates. If anyone’s going to be pissed at how things have gone, it’s him.

“What can I do for you?” I ask warily.

“Well, since you brought it up, what are your plans for the restaurant?”

I blink, absorbing his words for longer than necessary. Mostly because it’s not the I-want-to-kill-you vibe I expect. “What do you mean?”

“Well, the place belongs to you. So, I guess it’s your call, but it’s a community staple, you know?”

“What’s my call?”

His brows knit. “Whether to open it or keep it shut down. It wasn’t you who gave the order to close?”

I shake my head. “No. Honestly, that place hasn’t even been on my radar yet. Lots to figure out.”

“Yeah, I get that.” But he still looks confused. Or suspicious. I tense again, trying to decipher how much of that is a preamble to declaring himself my enemy.

“Well, I guess we’ll just wait and see,” he says finally before sauntering off toward the kitchen.

I watch him go and can’t help but mutter, “I guess we will.” In more ways than one.

After that, more pack members come to offer their well-wishes. Joan Balistrieri stops to tell me she’s proud of me—as if she had some hand in all this—along with her husband, Fortuna, who apparently is now my financial advisor .

“Come by the office or call me when you’re ready to meet,” he says. “I’ll make room for you whenever’s convenient.”

“I’ll do that.”

“Of course, Franco and I used to meet over whiskey and cards.” Fortuna laughs hoarsely, and I wonder how many cigars are included in those “meetings” he’s had with Franco over the years. “But you get to do things any way you want, boss.”

Boss.

I don’t come up with a response to that before they get distracted by Andy, and Joan rushes over to gush about her new promotion.

“Aunt Joan…” Andy meets my eyes, and I bite back a conspiratorial smile. Joan’s only a loyal pack member to me. To Andy, she’s an aunt who thinks she’s a mother hen.

More guests come to tell me I did well to land my new position and have handled the opposition impressively so far.

At first, I think they mean Vincenzo, but enough comments slip for me to realize they’re talking about how I took out three generals in one meeting all by myself.

That’s when I realize the compliment is code for: You survived what should’ve killed you.

It’s impressive. Terrifying. A little unnatural.

And I don’t blame them. I feel unnatural too.

Though he stands far enough away to avoid speaking to anyone, Grey hasn’t let me leave his sight. He’s stiff and silent, his gaze locked on every single person who gets too close to me. I can feel the way that dark creature inside him pulses under his skin like static, just barely contained.

It’s getting harder for him to hide it. Harder for me to pretend it doesn’t scare me. But we’re still no closer to figuring out how to stop it. I’m hoping, after today, things will quiet down long enough for us to go searching for answers.

I’m grabbing another glass of wine from a server’s tray when my phone buzzes in my hand.

Andy gave it to me this morning when she had to learn I’d spent the night safely away with Grey from Dutch.

She wasn’t happy that I was unreachable, and I can’t blame her for it.

The phone she gave me—or forced on me—is already programmed with “all the important numbers,” according to her.

Grey watched the entire lecture she gave me—and approved.

Now, the caller ID flashes with Security, Front Gate.

I answer immediately. “Yes?”

“Alpha Giovanni,” the man says, voice clipped and tense. “We’ve got Diavolo visitors.”

My heart stutters, “Turn them away. No one from that pack is allowed through the gate. You already have your orders.”

“Yes, ma’am. Thing is…” He clears his throat. “You might wanna come see for yourself.”

I glance at Grey. He’s already watching me, jaw tight, and I have a feeling he probably heard everything the guard just said.

“Fine,” I say. “We’re on our way.”

I tell Andy where we’re going and then slip away from the guests, heart pounding at the thought of what kind of attack we’ll face. At the door, Grey pauses to nod at Mia and Dutch, who stand chatting with Claire. They take one look at their alpha and break away from Claire to follow us outside.

“Where’s Razor and Crow?” Grey asks them.

“Patrol,” Dutch says.

“I’m texting them now,” Mia adds.

After that, we’re all silent as we round the curve and get our first look at the visitors standing just beyond the checkpoint.

I stop dead.

Charlie Reyes stands front and center. His red hair gives him away even from this distance.

And behind him stand a dozen other Diavolo wolves. None of them wear colors or family insignia. They’ve shed their uniforms, their armor. But I know enough of the faces.

Elio. Cruz. Darius. One of them guarded my suite when Vincenzo held me hostage at his home. Another drove Grey and me to our engagement party.

What are they doing here?

“What the hell,” Dutch mutters.

“Dad,” Mia says, increasing her pace.

The surprise in her voice tells me she didn’t know he was coming. Dutch says something to her, and she hangs back rather than closing the distance to where her father stands.

Charlie’s eyes find mine. He steps forward, hands visible, no weapons, no challenge in his posture. “Alpha Giovanni,” he says, “we’ve come to pledge our loyalty.”

“What do you want to do?” Grey asks.

“Let’s hear him out,” I say.

Grey nods and motions at the guards to let Charlie through. They open the gate far enough to allow him entry then shut it again, their weapons still aimed at the rest of the Diavolo pack members. Charlie approaches us warily, but he doesn’t seem hostile. Just unsure.

Grey glances at Dutch, who takes Mia by the elbow and steers her out of range. She doesn’t look happy about it, but she lets him. I turn to Charlie, arms crossed.

“Why are you here?” I ask him, keeping my voice low.

Charlie inclines his head toward the gate. “Because it’s not safe for me out there anymore.”

“Does my father know you helped us?” Grey asks.

“He’s close to figuring it out. He’s ordered interrogations for me and Rocco, which means he knows it was someone close to him.”

“Word will reach him that you’ve come here, and then he’ll know for sure,” Grey warns.

But Charlie’s expression doesn’t waver. “Yes. ”

He’s clearly already made his decision.

I study him. “Are you sure about this? I can’t guarantee your safety here either,” I tell him honestly. “Not with so many here who will only remember you as Vincenzo’s general.”

“I’ve got a little money saved up,” he admits quietly. His gaze flicks to Mia. “I think it might be best if I leave the city. I’m just asking for a safe place to stay until I can get through the wards.”

The wards. Another thing I haven’t had time to think about since becoming High Alpha. Grey said only the alphas had access to them, but I have no idea how it works. And now Charlie wants to get through them. To leave.

“Have you talked to Mia about this?” I ask.

“Not yet.”

I bite my lip, wishing there was an easier way.

Charlie’s not a direct threat. He proved that when he got us the records we needed to expose Vincenzo’s laundering.

But him showing up here isn’t part of the plan.

Giovanni pack won’t accept him without knowing what he’s done for us, and I won’t call him out as a rat without his permission.

But the fact remains that he stood by while Vincenzo had me kidnapped and held prisoner.

He did nothing while I was forced to be a puppet caught between two men vying for power over this city.

And he allowed his daughter to grow up in a city where her life was threatened daily if she didn’t comply with whatever orders she was given.

Charlie isn’t a threat, but that doesn’t mean I trust him. I hope Mia can understand that.

In the end, I nod. “You can stay here until you go.” I glance past him to the dozen or so others. “What about them?”

“It’s all I could gather on short notice,” he says. “They want to swear loyalty to you.”

I blink. “They’ll renounce Vincenzo as their alpha?”

Charlie’s eyes spark with something like hope, and he speaks loud enough for everyone to hear. “They want a new leader. A better future for their children.”

For some reason, Grey snarls at that.

I glance at him, and my chest tightens.

His pupils are blown wide, his wolf too close to the surface. His hands shake at his sides, and his entire body vibrates with the kind of rage that only comes from too much buried power.

“Grey,” I say quietly.

“They are … my enemy,” he says in a strained voice.

Shit.

He’s not going to last long with this many of his father’s pack members breathing his air.

Behind him, the others nod at Charlie’s words.

“We swear our loyalty to the high alpha,” the woman says, voice shaking.

The others echo her words.

It’s great news. Exactly what I wanted. For the city to turn. For the ones hiding in Vincenzo’s shadow to see the light and choose differently. Choose good .

But Grey is unraveling beside me.

His fingers dig into my arm suddenly, breath ragged.

“Don’t trust them,” he grits out.

“They’re not lying,” I say. “I can feel it.”

The alpha power inside me swells as they declare themselves my pack. Their intentions are pure, their words true.

But Grey’s wolf is beyond reason.

“I need to leave,” he grits out. “Lex?—”

“I know,” I whisper. I turn, cupping his face, forcing him to meet my eyes. “Go home. I’ll meet you there when I can.”

His gaze flickers at the word “home,” and at least I know he understands my meaning.

“I can’t leave you alone,” he says.

“I’m not alone. I’ll have my pack and yours. ”

Charlie makes a sound of surprise at that, but I focus solely on Grey.

He hesitates.

I can feel everyone’s eyes on us, on him. Trying to understand what’s happening. Dutch presses in close, and I know he’s preparing to put himself between us like he did at the warehouse.

“You need space,” I say. “I’ll be okay. Besides, there’s someone waiting for you there.”

Or I hope there is.

His lips crash into mine—rough and desperate. A promise and a plea all at once.

Then he’s gone. Shifted into his wolf and running so fast for the trees that he’s nothing but a blur by the time he vanishes through the tree line.

“Do you want me to follow him?” Dutch asks.

“Just…make sure he gets there safely, but don’t stay.”

He nods, and then he starts jogging toward the woods.

Partway there, I see Crow intercept Dutch, and my shoulders sag in relief. Between the two of them, I know Grey will be in good hands.

I turn back to Charlie.

“You’re not coming inside. Not until my guests are gone.”

He nods like he expected that.

“But there’s a guest house in the back.” I hesitate, wincing at the irony of my next words. “I’ll have to put guards on you. For your safety.”

“I understand,” Charlie says.

“I don’t trust you,” I tell him plainly. “Not entirely. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry about that.”

I motion to Mia, who approaches us with enough relief that I know she was listening after all. “I’ll get him settled,” she says .

“And assign Donahue and Camila for watch.”

She flashes me a look of gratitude. “Done.”

Later, after the defectors have officially sworn loyalty and Andy has found a safe place for them to go where Vincenzo can’t find them, I finally let myself breathe.

Kind of.

Andy finds me on the back patio where I’m nursing a glass of wine and hiding from any remaining guests.

She sits in the chair beside mine and holds out a piece of cake.

“It’s got rum in it,” she offers.

I take it without hesitation. “You’re a goddess.”

“I know.”

We sit in silence for a minute.

Then she says, “Dutch asked me out.”

I choke.

She pats my back, smiling ruefully.

“What did you say?” I ask when I can breathe—or talk.

She shrugs. “I haven’t given him an answer.”

“Why not?”

“I was waiting to see if we survived the day.”

Fair.

I glance sideways at her. “Are you going to say yes?”

She shrugs, expression softening. “I don’t know. Maybe. He’s hot. And weirdly sweet for a guy with permanent murder face.”

I laugh. “He’s not that scary.”

“You’re right. I mean, out of that entire pack, he’s the least scary one. Mia, on the other hand…”

“Yeah. ”

As if summoned, Mia appears in the doorway, arms crossed.

“If you tell him I said this, I’ll deny it with every breath in my body,” she says dryly. “But Dutch is one of the good ones.”

Andy smirks.

“And you’re not wrong. I’m definitely the scariest.”

With that, Mia disappears again like a cryptid.

Andy and I both share a look and then burst out laughing.

In the silence that follows, I get to just sit and eat my cake.

It’s nice. Not relaxing, exactly, considering how many ways the world is currently on fire.

But everyone I know is safe. Even Grey. Dutch texted me to let me know he’d made it to the house after a long run as his wolf.

No sign of the darkness in him at all. So, for now, we’re all still ourselves.

Andy leans back in her chair, head tilted toward the darkening sky. “I don’t know what we’re building here, Lexi. But it’s starting to feel like something good.”