Page 70 of Dark Wolf Soul
It takes me a minute to understand what he means. And who. But then I realize he means to take punishment for Lexi too. In his eyes, she’s just as much to blame as we are for what happened with Franco, and I volunteered to pay for everyone’s mistake. All I can think is that, by forcing my shift, he’s decided to leave her alone. Relief makes my shoulders sag heavier than before.
Suddenly, even more than the pain, I feel exhausted.
“Fine,” I say. “It’s done.”
He turns to walk away, and I reach for my wolf, ready to shift back again so that I can begin to heal. These wounds need the power of my wolf form before they become a risk for infection with the way I’ve just rolled around on the ground. But my wolf remains out of reach.
Panic stirs inside me as I struggle to access it and come up empty.
My father shifts back to human form. I don’t bother acknowledging him, but then he leans over me and speaks.
“Your wolf will be inaccessible for a few days. I suggest you get up and dress those wounds properly. You’ll need to look the part for tonight’s event.”
He turns and walks away, and I lift my head enough to watch him go.
One of his security detail walks up and hands him another set of clothes. I watch from my stomach as he disappears into the house along with his entourage of generals.
For a moment, I can only lie here, letting his words sink in and absorbing the shock of what he’s done to me. An alpha has complete power and dominance over his pack—including overriding our own access to our beasts. But no alpha has ever used it before. Not like this.
Never, in all of Franco’s years as alpha of this city, has he ever suppressed another shifter’s wolf.
Neither has my father—until now.
Until me.
The shock doesn’t last long, though, because, of course, it would be me he’d inflict this on. I defied him once, and he’ll never forget that. He’ll never let me stop paying for it either.
Suddenly, my decision to step up earlier is even more important. Because, in this moment, I realize I only ever had two choices anyway. Continue to live under the dominance of my father, or challenge him once and for all. Even if it kills me, I can’t live this way forever, which means I never really had a choice at all.
Getting up is harder than I expect. The wounds on my body burn and scream at me as I slowly pull myself to my knees. Without my wolf to help dull the pain and strengthen my body, I feel slow and weak.
I feel human.
From here, the house looks like it’s miles away, and I suppress a groan as I push to my feet and start limping toward it. Out front, a car starts, followed quickly by doors opening and closing. I relax a little, knowing the generals are departing.
Hopefully,heis too.
A moment later, the rest of the cars start up, and one by one, they all drive away, their tires crunching over gravel. My father’s car is the last to go, but when it does, my knees buckle. Exhaustion and pain overwhelm my senses. My chest aches with every single breath.
I grab the low wall near the firepit, disgusted with how slow my progress is and how easily my body is giving out. The back door opens, and a figure comes out. I don’t have to look up to know who it is. Even without my wolf, I can feel her.
Lexi doesn’t say a word to me as she steps up beside me and slides her arm around my waist. I inhale sharply, but she’s careful to keep her hands away from my wounds, and I realize I’m reacting to her soft touch rather than to any pain she’s caused me. She doesn’t give me a chance to pull away, though. Her other hand grabs my wrist, and she slings my arm over her shoulder, letting me put my weight on her as she slowly walks us toward the house.
Her body against mine is heaven.
This isn’t like the lap dance. There’s no lust. Well, maybe a little, as evidenced by my dick stirring at the way Lexi’s hands press up against my bare skin. But mostly, there’s comfort. The feel of Lexi flush against my hip, helping me when I’m at my weakest, stirs a strange feeling in my chest. It’s a sensation I haven’t felt in years—long before I left this place in search of peace and freedom. And it’s so foreign I can’t name it. One thing I do know: the cruelty, the pain, the “payment” as he calls it—none of those things strip me bare like Lexi Giovanni with her soft, slender arms holding me upright.
And then I know exactly what this strange feeling is. Having Lexi here beside me feels like home.
23
LEXI
The moment Vincenzo follows Grey out the back door, I press myself against the kitchen window, but Mia pulls me back.
“You don’t want to see this,” she tells me grimly.
“Yes,” I say, pulling out of her grasp. “I do. I have to.”
