Page 100 of Broken Wolf Heart
It’s her.
Lexi stands at the back of the church near the main entrance, a vision in black. Her shoulders are stiff, her expression solemn. It’s not the broken kind of mourning that comes with losing a loved one. She wears her grief like armor—fitted, sharp, and tailored to draw every eye in the room. She looks like pure power.
She hasn’t spotted me yet. Good. I don’t want her to see the way my hands won’t stop flexing. The way my wolf paces just beneath the surface, agitated and alert. The way I’ve already marked every possible exit and every armed man in this building. And it’s not just my wolf I’m wrestling with.
The creature inside me is awake.
I can’t stop thinking that this public arena is the perfect place to make some kind of move against us. I’m not sure my father will come at us so directly in front of witnesses, but if it were me, I would. So I can’t let my guard down. And I can’t let her out of my sight. Not even to fight off the darkness inside me.
The pews are nearly full. Family. Pack. Civilians. Reporters. Enemies dressed like mourners.
And my father.
Front row. Polished shoes. Custom suit. Snake-oil smile.
He sits like he owns the place, like this church exists for him alone. Like Franco’s body is his final prop in a show designed to smear Lexi and manipulate the crowd.
But he’s not the only one with theatrics up their sleeve.
I spot Dutch and Mia halfway down the left side. Razor and Crow flank the aisle, eyes sharp, shoulders stiff. Andy stands close beside Lexi, her gaze watchful for any kind of threat. A few of Lexi’s lieutenants line the wall in the vestibule, Donahue and Camila among them. Dutch says they’re the most loyal so far.
She’s protected. I keep reminding myself of that since it’s the only grip on control I have left. Lexi is mine to protect.Mine to keep safe. As long as I do that, I stand a chance of holding onto my sanity until this thing ends.
And then?—
My mother walks in.
I’ve been calling her since the wedding with no answer. My worry for her is only second to my need to remain at Lexi’s side. But I scan the sight of her, looking for evidence of harm.
She’s in a knee-length black dress with a matching jacket. The cut is conservative with long sleeves and a high neckline that doesn’t show much skin. Something in her posture is off. Slumped, worn, not like her usual queen-on-her-throne elegance. When she finally takes off her large sunglasses, I can see that she’s pale with dark circles under her eyes. She bears no visible bruises, but I’ve seen what my father can do.
They either healed already, or she’s hiding them well.
The anger flares white-hot.
My mother was once mine to protect too. My failure to do so drove me from this city once. Seeing her now brings it all back. I clench my fists and force myself to breathe through it.
But it’s getting harder to hold the leash.
I can feel the alpha power in my blood like static under my skin. A yawning darkness that threatens to swallow me up. To take me over. To rule everyone, including me.
I shake my head to clear it.
This is not the time to lose control.
And if it slips the leash here, in front of all these people? There will be blood. I might not have control over whose.
Lexi’s gaze sweeps the church. Our eyes lock.
And the chaos inside me stills.
Fuck, she’s beautiful.
Not just in the way that makes people stare. But in the way she carries the future of this city on her shoulders like it belongs to her. Like, no matter how many knives are pointed at her back, they won’t pierce her.
And I’m lucky enough to be married to her. Not just married. Mated. The realization steals my breath and evaporates my worries.
For one perfect second, I forget where we are. Or what dangers lurk.
