Page 45 of Deadly Wolf Bite

Mia doesn’t even look over at us as she tosses her hair for the paparazzi. Beside her, Charlie Reyes looks past everyone like he’s above it all. Including Lexi and me.

I let him stride by us before leading Lexi toward the doors.

Behind us, Mia pauses to give an interview. I don’t hear what she says, but the reporters all roar with laughter.

Inside, the air is cool, the sounds from the street muted. Everything about GV Industries is clean and white and perfectly polished. I’m not surprised or fooled by it. The blood of Franco’s sins isn’t here; it’s on his hands.

Lexi sticks close as we enter the building’s auditorium just off the main atrium. Inside, several others have already arrived.

I nod at Ramsey seated beside his father. He gives a quick raise of his chin, his gaze sliding from me to Lexi. His brow quirks at the sight of her. It’s the only indication of surprise or concern he offers.

We won’t speak here.

Not in front of so many witnesses.

With Lexi’s hand in mine, I climb the steps toward the higher rows, choosing a seat where I can look down on the crowd rather than have an enemy at my back. Lexi settles in next to me, and my leg warms where hers presses against it. It’s a comforting feeling, having her touching me, but I don’t let myself look at her. Instead, I scan the rows of seating below, taking inventory of the players.

My father is seated up front, as usual, his back to me. He and Alvaro have their heads bent in some private conversation. Suddenly, my father stops talking and looks up—directly at me. His eyes narrow when he spots Lexi beside me. His mouth hardens. It’s an angry look I don’t understand, considering he’s the one who suggested she come today, but he finally turns back to Alvaro and resumes his conversation, effectively shutting me out.

I exhale and tear my eyes from the asshole to look at the others nearby.

My mother sits in the third row beside the other generals’ wives. Even from here, she looks stiff and closed off. She hates these things almost more than she hates being married to my father.

Franco made attendance mandatory for alpha’s mates and their offspring right around the time I began spying for him. He can’t take it back now without looking weak, which leaves me with enough gray area to have Lexi here today. If he balks at it, he’ll only look like a fool.

Or that’s my theory.

It could go the other way, and he rejects her as his heir and names Dom instead. But I’m banking on the element of surprise working in my favor.

Slow and quiet.

Chipping away at them from all angles until their authority is gone.

That’s how we’ll fight.

Even as I think it, the alpha in me stirs.

“Are those Franco’s generals?” Lexi asks, pointing.

I nod, looking at the trio of men all seated in the second row on the right. “That’s Santiago on the left with the gray hair,” I say. “And beside him is his brother Conrad. They’ve been with Franco since they were kids. The one with the tattoos is Toros. He used to be the leader of a street gang here in Indigo Hills called The Bane, who fought against the corruption of the alpha regime.”

“Seriously? How did he end up as Franco’s general?” she asks.

“When the gang became powerful enough to be a threat to Franco’s status quo, he made Toros an offer to join him or be destroyed.”

I don’t tell her what a fucking disappointment it was to learn Toros had turned. Or how close Dutch and I came to reaching out to The Bane to form an alliance right before Toros switched sides. That would’ve been a fucking mess.

It’s also the reason I can’t count on anyone else to help us do this. We have to do it alone—which means we have to do it right. As a bonded pack.

“Who are the women seated in the row behind them? And the ones next to your mother?”

“Gloria is next to my mom,” I explain. “She’s Alvaro’s wife.”

Gloria turns to glance behind her at the back of the room. Lexi studies her, saying, “Razor’s mom? Wow, he looks just like her.”

“Don’t tell him that,” I warn her. “They’re not close. And beside her is Sonesta. She’s married to Rocco.”

I don’t know either of them very well as they’ve managed to remain firmly in the background of their husbands’ lives over the years. Probably more for survival than anything else. But they always attend these meetings and keep to themselves when they do.

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