Page 17 of Deadly Wolf Bite

Grey’s gaze is a thousand pounds heavier than it was a moment ago, but there’s no suspicion, only regret. Finally, he nods, his shoulders sagging even though we all just pledged to die for our cause if necessary. Or maybe that’s what he was hoping to avoid when he fought against taking on this war in the first place.

“All right,” he says finally. “We’re all in this, equal shares.”

There’s a collective exhale. And I realize the others were worried he wouldn’t agree to this. Suddenly, Grey’s decision feels like a big step for this group. One they’ve been waiting for a lot longer than I’ve been here.

“This war won’t be easy.” Grey sounds tired. Like he’s seen the future and is already exhausted by it. “We’re going up against two powerful alphas. Neither of which has ever been even remotely threatened by anyone who tried to take them down, which means it’ll take all of us working together if we’re going to beat them.” He pauses then adds, “Like a pack.”

Dutch’s eyes go wide. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

Grey glances at Ramsey then back at Dutch as he nods. “I think so. I’ve been feeling it for a few days now.”

The others all exchange glances.

“Seriously? When?” Razor asks.

I listen intently, trying like hell to figure out what they’re talking about.

“I think it started when we met at the lake house,” Grey says. “We made an agreement as a group, and something changed.”

“I don’t fucking believe it,” Dutch says with wonder shining in his gaze.

He looks at Mia, who grins. “Fucking finally.”

“Holy shit,” Razor mutters.

Ramsey and Crow both look stunned.

“Sorry, um, what exactly are we talking about here?” I finally ask.

“Grey’s an alpha,” Mia declares.

“Sshh,” Razor shushes her.

“What? No one can hear us,” she says, her joy undimmed.

“Becoming an alpha,” Grey corrects.

I look back at Grey, trying to understand the implications of this development. “You’re an alpha…like Vincenzo?”

“Not quite,” he says. “My wolf’s still transitioning so I don’t have the same level of power. Besides, hopefully, I’ll never be an alpha like him.”

“Right, sorry,” I mumble. “I just… Is this common?”

“No,” Dutch says, grinning like he just won the lottery. “It’s been a long fucking time since this city had another alpha in it.” Then his expression clouds. “Wait, do you think the others can sense you?”

Grey shakes his head. “No, I can barely sense it myself. Look, it’s not something we can use in our favor—yet. I need time. We need time—to bond.”

“Right. We should do a pack run.” Razor nudges Crow. “Isn’t this crazy? A pack run with just us.”

Crow leans forward, clearly interested. I ignore the pang in my gut at knowing I’ll be left out.

Grey nods. “We’d have to find a way to do it without the alphas knowing.”

“We could really use a hex blade right about now,” Razor grumbles.

“We wouldn’t need to do a run if we had one of those,” Crow says wistfully.

The others murmur in agreement.

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