Page 121 of Broken Wolf Heart
I can feel my claws again. The darkness whispering that I was too slow, too merciful.
They didn’t come here to win.
They came todistractus.
And it worked.
27
LEXI
Andy’s gone. The realization hits me hard, standing in the blood-soaked clearing, breathing in the aftermath of the attack. Bodies litter the ground, but all I see is the empty space where Andy should have been standing with us. My hands shake, adrenaline burning through my veins, twisting into guilt and panic.
She’s my second. I was supposed to protect her.
“Lexi,” Grey’s voice is low, careful, like approaching a cornered animal. “This isn’t on you.”
I whip around, eyes wild. “Then who the hell is it on? She trusted me.”
Mia steps up beside me, jaws clenched, eyes blazing with fury. “Fuck that. This is Vincenzo’s doing. It has to be. Revenge for what we did to Alvaro.”
My heart pounds. Mia is right, but it doesn’t make the ache any easier. Andy was taken because she was mine—my responsibility. My pack. My friend.
“We need answers,” Dutch says, voice sharp with tension. He looks at Mia. “Charlie might know something.”
“Fine.” My voice cracks, bitter and raw. “Let’s go.”
Mia, Grey, and I drive back to the mansion in silence. Razor remained behind to run the clean-up with the security team we dispatched. Dutch and Crow opted to shift and run back. Said their wolves needed to blow off steam. I already know nothing will make my wolf settle, not until we find Andy.
Back at the estate, the three of us pull on clothes and then head straight for the pool house. Donahue is standing at the door. He takes one look at our faces and snaps to attention.
“What happened?” he asks.
“Come with us,” Grey says, and Donahue follows us inside.
In the small living room, Charlie sits in a plush chair, but the comfort is wasted on him. His face is pale, exhausted, the eyes of a man who’s played every wrong hand.
“Hey, Dad,” Mia says softly.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, gaze darting between our faces.
“Andy’s missing,” I say flatly, not bothering with pleasantries.
Charlie sits straighter, his jaw tightening. “Vincenzo?”
“We think so,” Grey says.
“You tell me,” I snap.
“Lexi,” Mia murmurs, but I don’t let up.
“He accused us of killing Alvaro in front of the media. And all but declared he was going to retaliate. Now, Franco’s lab has been cleaned out, and Dr. Severin is missing, which suggests he’s likely found a new home for his fucked-up science projects. And I only know one person more fucked up than Severin. So, hold up your end of this and tell me where he is.”
Charlie hesitates, and I step forward, snarling. “Don’t. Don’t protect him.”
His eyes flash, not with defiance but resignation. “I’m not. I’m just… If he took Andy, it means…”
“It means what?” Grey snarls.
