Page 22 of Deadly Wolf Bite

Every patron in the place is watching us, and reporters are already standing at the window and snapping pictures through the tempered glass. It’s mildly annoying, but nothing I can’t block out for the duration. Lexi isn’t so practiced, and her gaze is drawn that way over and over again.

“We’re happy to see you, Mom,” I lean in to press a kiss to her cheek.

“Are you sure?” My mother turns to Lexi. “Vincenzo mentioned you’d be here, so I decided to surprise you. But if you’d rather be alone, I can go.”

“No, please, Mrs. Diavolo,” Lexi says, gesturing to the chair my mother rose from. “Join us. We did promise you a dinner.”

“Yes, you did,” Mom agrees warmly. “And call me Serena.”

We all take our seats. I tuck in close beside Lexi, fighting the urge to run my hand over her thigh beneath the table.

“I ordered us some wine,” Mom says as the waiter appears and pours for us. “I figured you both might need it after running that gauntlet.”

“I’m grateful.” Lexi picks up her wine glass. “It was quite an entrance.”

“You looked like you handled it well,” Mom tells her.

Lexi’s cheeks flush a little at the compliment. “Thanks. I tried to give them enough information to take the edge off.”

Mom laughs. “A pro already.”

“I don’t know how you guys live like this all the time,” Lexi says, her gaze darting toward the window again.

“You get used to it,” Mom says, but I know better. She hates it as much as Lexi does, which is why she spends most of her time at the lake house or the spa, where the iron gate keeps the vultures away. Not to mention my father.

“I hope not,” Lexi says. “I think that might mean I don’t value my privacy as much as their flattery.”

My mother gives Lexi an appreciative look. Then, to me, she says, “This one has her head on straight.”

“She does,” I agree. “I hate to ruin that about her.”

“Nonsense. She has you to help her navigate. She’ll be fine.”

Her words are meant to reassure me, but they also make me feel guilty. Mom should have someone too. But my father’s never been a source of protection or support. She’s gotten through this life all by herself.

“Now, what fun things have you been able to do so far?” Mom asks.

“Um.” Lexi hesitates.

“We haven’t exactly had time for fun, Mom.”

“That’s unacceptable,” my mother says. “You could at least show her that this city has some redeeming qualities.” She launches into a list of places Lexi should visit.

I remain silent, watching, listening, reading between the lines of Lexi’s body language, and tuning into the conversations happening around us. I’m not overly worried about an ambush from Franco, but Dom’s behavior last night—grabbing her off the street, if their story is to be believed—means I can’t afford to let my guard down anywhere. As instructed, my security team is seated at the bar to keep an eye, but I know better than to rely entirely on their protection.

If I’m going to earn loyalty and build a pack, it’d be smart to start with the men hired to protect us. But I’ll need to be careful. Not show my hand unless I’m sure they won’t go running to my father.

After dinner, Mom turns the conversation to Lexi’s life. “And what hobbies were you interested in?” she asks. “Theater? Sports? Grey played lacrosse in high school, which didn’t leave much time for anything else.”

Lexi hesitates. “Um, no theater for me.”

“Sports then?”

Lexi’s gaze shifts away. “No.”

“Academics? Scholastic clubs? Debate?”

She smiles, but it’s more of a grimace. “Nope.”

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