Page 19 of V for Vengeance

I mean, of course it would be. He’d worked under Eros for so long that he’d gotten plenty comfortable in that world. Or maybe he was comfortable long before he crossed paths with the sick fuck who killed everyone Phillip loved.

But even that wasn’t a deterrent for me.

Despite the cat-eyed bastard being there when my parents died, I couldn’t hate him. Something in my gut told me to give the asshole a chance. It bothered me how much I enjoyed being around him, though I often blamed boredom and limited choices. So, for now, I’d just roll with the punches and focus on my main goal.

Revenge.

From how it was explained to me, Three, better known as Theo the Savage—the lamest name ever next to Blood Slayer—was the alpha for the entire western side of the continent. So, not just Nigel’s alpha, but thousands of wolves’ alpha. I’d expected formidable players, seeing how they were recruited to Lux’s boyband, but I hadn’t considered I’d be up against a whole fucking society of them.

Jo and Phillip didn’t seem the least bit worried, and I tried not to let it show that I was. We were powerful together and our ranks were growing. I wasn’t alone anymore. I reminded myself that every time I thought about the daunting odds stacking up against us.

Six, who Cash argued was a real bitch and a half—hilarious, really, seeing how it came from the Queen Bee himself—could possibly be an easier target to take out. Or so I wanted to believe at first, but the dark look everyone adopted when the blonde-haired Fae muttered the dark witch’s name, Harmony, meant I’d spoken too soon. A worse name couldn’t have been uttered by the way they acted.

Guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Revenge wasn’t meant to be easy. Up against someone connected to the worst of the worst, it’d be ignorant to think his evil boyband wouldn’t be the cream of the crop.

After tonight’s rendezvous, we’d decide where to go next. Either way, I suspected my next few months would suck major balls.

Story of my life, right?

Chapter 11

The Apologetic Wolf

Itook slow breaths, centering myself so I could patiently wait for the man I’d left behind after destroying his pack. Every look at Phillip and his sword was another reminder of the moment when I took two wolf heads in a frozen pocket of time.

But, of course, the self-absorbed jerk mistook my little sideways glances as flirting. The saucy Hunter winked at me and dipped his head closer to my ear, full of the usual charm with his eyeliner application always so on point. “You look hungry, meine Liebe.”

I glared at him when it was clear he did it in full view of Grams—and really anyone else with eyes.

The older Hunter had ditched the usual jacket, opting to wear a torso-tight black shirt that exposed the tattoos along his collar, neck, arms, and hands. The usual deconstructed brass knuckle was in place, but this time in all gold. He probably put on each ring with a sleazy smirk, knowing it’d be making its home on Nigel’s face if the wolf even looked at him wrong. But unfortunately, Phillip never failed to look delicious everywherewe went, and being back home where it all started was already doing something to my thirsty brain.

This was the same field—the same prickly bush—where I first discovered my new substitute Biology teacher was a top-tier Hunter and my new mentor. It was a weird feeling in my stomach knowing that I now laid claim to that criminal-passing jerk who once posed as my high school teacher.

The Austrian’s snake-bite piercings glinted in the midday sun, his head doing a little tilt, and I fought the urge to lean in and drag them into my mouth. I couldn’t do anything when there were people watching us—a weird threesome decked out to the teeth in weapons.

I could practically feel Sloan’s gaze as I clicked my tongue and leveled a glare on the oversharing playboy next to me.

Phillip did it on purpose, no doubt. Everything he did was to get a rise out of me, and I rose to it every time. I hated how much I did. It wasn’t clear what had been shared between the two after I woke up with the thirst of a genetic monster after using way too much power, but I wouldn’t put it past the asshole to brag about it to Sloan to get one over on the Brit.

Don’t rise to his challenge either, V. Now’s not the time.

Before I could utter a word, Sloan gently cupped my face and redirected my narrow stare back over to him. “Maybe I could help out tonight instead, yeah? I’m proper convinced I’ll taste better.”

Whatever deity is listening, grant me the fucking patience to deal with one and not drool over the other, thanks.

Then the light-eyed beauty added, “I don’t drink like a bleeding sailor when no one’s watching.”

Whoop, there it is. Now Sloan’s starting, too.

They might be sharing me like promised, but that didn’t mean they didn’t taunt and tease each other like damn kids every chance they got. You’d have to wonder which one of us was justout of high school by the way these two acted around each other. No surprise, the main instigator wasalwaysPhillip. Beefier kids didn’t exist. Though, thankfully, it all seemed to be more in play than genuine hatred and distaste, so I didn’t say anything about it.

Wouldn’t matter if I did.

No matter how powerful and long-living these two Hunters were, they still acted like they were straight out of a frat house. I didn’t have the patience or headspace to navigate the complicated bro-ship they shared. For all I knew, it was their way of bonding.

“I’m good,” I snapped angrily, jerking my face out of Sloan’s grasp and stepping away from both with a resigned huff.

With the beasts stalking in the brush—my wily old fox of a grandmother among them—I could count on several sideways comments about ourbehaviorout in the field. If anything, I looked forward to it. Both dudes turned into different people when Grams lectured them. I didn’t mind taking friendly fire to watch these two get beaten down by her lethal grandma rage.

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