Page 96 of Deadly Wolf Bite

He shoves his hands into his pockets, and for a moment, he looks less like a mafia general than I’ve ever seen him. “Can I give you some advice?” he asks quietly.

His tone is the same one he used on the balcony, when he dropped the drunk act to tell me about that file.

“Sure.”

“Don’t trust Vincenzo or that serum he’s offering. It’s not worth it. And it’s not what you think.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, my blood chilling.

“Your wolf isn’t worth being controlled by someone like him. Find another way.”

“How would he control my wolf?—?”

Someone knocks, and the door’s shoved open. A guard pokes his head in. “Boss is asking for you,” he tells Charlie.

“I’m coming.” Charlie takes his hands out of his pockets, his expression hardening as if he’s donning a mask.

He starts for the door, the guard pushing it wide to give him room. I bite my tongue as he leaves, knowing better than to expect more answers from someone who just risked his own life to give me the warning in the first place.

When he’s gone, I sink to the floor and stare at the twist-tie around my finger, wondering if it means anything at all. Or if I’ll even live long enough to find out.

31

GREY

It takes me longer than I’d like to get back to the city and longer still to lose Elio in traffic. Dutch, Mia, Razor, and Crow are all waiting at the warehouse when I finally arrive. From the looks of it, Razor’s nose is broken, but otherwise, he seems fine. The rest of them are red-faced and tense.

“What happened?” I ask, walking up to where they wait by the door.

“He pretended his leg was broken,” Razor says. He’s holding a bloodied rag, and his nose is crusted with dried blood. “After that last round I went on him, I thought it was. So, I untied his ankles so he could piss with some dignity. Ugh, dammit, I’m such a fucking idiot.”

“This isn’t on you,” Dutch says, but he and I share a look.

This won’t remain contained. Not with Ramsey out there saying who knows what.

“What do you want to do?” Mia asks.

Her tone is sharp, her gaze piercing. She’s shaken—more than usual. And Mia doesn’t rile easily. Guilt twists inside me. I fucked this up by going after Dom. Otherwise, I could’ve challenged my father and been alpha right now. We’d have one less threat at our backs. Instead, we have to worry about how guilty we all look. Because I already know Ramsey’s betrayal will affect us all. If Franco doesn’t come after us, my father will. He’ll never believe Ramsey acted alone. Not with how close we’ve all been.

“Should we go look for him?” Razor’s tone borders on panic.

“No. We’re going to my house,” I say quietly.

“For what?” Crow looks wary. Like he can’t decide between wanting to fight and knowing it’s futile.

I can’t blame him.

But I refuse to give up. Five years ago, my plan failed, but that’s not the part I regret. When it was over, I left. Licked my wounds and convinced myself I didn’t owe anything to anyone, including myself.

I won’t walk away again.

This time, I’m all in.

“The hex blade,” I say. “It’s time we took the oath and became a real pack.”

“Your father will know,” Mia warns.

“It’s the only way we’ll be strong enough when he comes for us,” I tell them. “But the choice is yours. You don’t have to do this. There’s no going back if you do.”

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