Page 41 of Deadly Wolf Bite

Then again, he’s not walking her in. I am. And she’s not an outsider. She’s Franco’s granddaughter, which, technically speaking, means she has a right to attend.

Or that’s what I tell myself as I shower and put on a suit. In the mirror, I check for any imperfections—if I don’t fix them now, they’ll be used against me later. Inspecting myself carefully, I straighten my tie with a quick tug. And even though I don’t spot a single wrinkle, I smooth the fabric out of habit anyway. I make myself a promise: when I take over this city, I’ll never wear a suit again.

It’s a small comfort.

There’s nothing to be done about the darkness that lingers in my eyes or the circles beneath them.

Fuck it.

Even monsters can look tired, I guess.

My phone buzzes with a text.

Crow’s message is quick and to the point, as usual. Nothing to report from Greece.

He’s texted me the same update ever since I had him start following Ramsey. Maybe there’s nothing there.

Maybe I’m just being paranoid.

If he was bound to me, I’d know for sure.

I think of the blade stashed inside a hard case in the warehouse but dismiss the thought as quickly as it comes. Using it would mean giving myself away as an alpha. Am I ready for what I’d have to do next?

When I emerge, Lexi’s standing in the kitchen in nothing but my t-shirt, holding a mug of coffee. She looks rumpled from sleep and so damn fuckable. I walk right over to her and weave my hands into her hair so I can tilt her head back and kiss her deeply.

She melts against me, offering up whatever I want to take from her. Which is everything. Starting with bending her over the counter right here and now.

She’d let me. I can feel it in her already hardened nipples and the way she’s rubbing herself against me. And maybe I should. Burying myself inside her would probably go a long way toward helping me prepare mentally for today. But we can’t afford to be late. Not for this.

I reluctantly let her go, adjusting myself.

“Good morning,” she says, smiling up at me with swollen lips.

“Morning,” I say in a voice that’s probably not as warm as she deserves, but it’s the best I can do right now. My stress is always higher on meeting days, but bringing Lexi into the mix has me tenser than usual.

“You look nice,” she says as her gaze slides over my suit questioningly, and my balls tighten at the compliment. I shake off my fantasies of stripping us both down to nothing and force myself to refocus.

“I’m headed out for a meeting.”

“Oh.” Her expression falls, which makes bringing her even easier—and more torturous.

“Would you like to come with me?”

She brightens. “Do I need to dress up?”

“It would be best. The generals will be there. And my father. It’s an official mafia pack meeting, and my father requested you join us.”

“I see.” Now, her excitement is tempered. That’s smart. She sets her mug aside, her chin lifting with a bravery I’m sure she doesn’t even recognize in herself. “I’ll go get ready.”

I don’t move as she walks past me. Her scent washes over me, but my control is absolute. It’s not until her bedroom door shuts that I make a beeline for the living room, where I put on music to drown out the sound of her running the shower. Anything to keep from picturing her naked on the other side of that wall.

Since our trip out to the ward line last night, the mate call has grown stronger. My desire for her—along with my hunger to bite and claim her—is almost unbearable now. The only thing holding me back is her safety. If I bite her, and she doesn’t survive it… I couldn’t live with that.

My phone rings. When I see who it is, I answer quickly. “What’s up?”

“We need to chat about what happened last night,” Mia says.

“Which part?”

---