Page 114 of Broken Wolf Heart
Her smile wavers. The dark circles beneath her eyes are suddenly more pronounced. She’s afraid.
Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. “Wait, you left the pack?”
She nods. “It was the only way, right?”
I swallow hard, knowing how much pain her wolf must be in without an alpha to ground her. “Yeah.”
As a kid, I’d begged her to do it. But she could never bring herself to take that final step. Like it was too painful. But I realized what she’d meant was it would be too permanent. And now…
My legs finally start working again, carrying me forward. I grab her shoulders, squeezing. “You’re safe now. He can’t reach you here.”
“I know,” she says. “I’d like to join your pack. If you’ll have me.” Her lip wobbles.
“I would be honored,” I tell her.
I fully intend to be the one to hug her. But then she opens her arms, and I step into them like I’m ten years old and my father has just finished a tirade and stormed out. Like we’re both just trying to pick up the pieces of ourselves after he’s gone. Like, even though she’s the one who bore the brunt of it, she’s still the one comforting me. But this time—finally—we’re the ones who left him.
25
LEXI
The funeral reception seems to last forever, the last guests lingering so late I wonder if I’m supposed to offer them a room or kick them out. Elena makes the choice for me, not-so-subtly shooing them out. Finally, sometime after nine p.m., the house is empty again.
In my room, I sit on the edge of the bed and kick my heels off, trying to work up the motivation to shower. A quick glance at my phone reveals Grey still hasn’t sent any new updates since the last one two hours ago, when he texted: She’s here. Settling in. Thank you.
I set the phone aside and try not to give in to the urge to ask when he’ll be back. He deserves this time with his mom. She needs him more than I do right now.
My phone vibrates on the nightstand, and I grab it only to deflate when I see it’s just another text from Andy. She and Mia have sent a barrage of updates over the last hour, including a schedule change for the patrol unit on duty tonight, a written report from the gate guard about all activity over the last three hours (none of it threatening), and a heads-up about Charlie’s guard assignments.
I ignore them.
For one second, I want to pretend I’m not the high alpha.
That I’m just Lexi Ryall, a girl who isn’t struggling to survive but also isn’t in charge of anyone but herself.
The door clicks open, and I already know it’s him. I feel it before the sound. The way the air thickens. The shift in gravity.
When I look up, Grey stands in the doorway like he’s braced for war. But his eyes… fuck, his eyes are soft. Tired. Hollow.
“Hey,” I say.
He closes the door behind him and crosses the room in three long strides.
I stand just in time for him to catch me. His arms come around my waist, and I bury my face in his shoulder.
“You’re back,” I whisper.
“I’ll always come back, princess.”
We stand like that for a long time. It’s the first time I’ve felt steady all day.
He pulls back just enough to look at me. His thumb brushes my cheekbone.
“How’s your mom?” I ask.
His throat works once before he answers. “Safe. She’s staying at the house until we can find something more permanent. She left his pack. Said she’s not going back to him.”
“Good.” I press my forehead to his. “I’m glad she got out.”
