Page 124 of Broken Wolf Heart
I hesitate, trying to read his mood through the bond. But it’s clouded, like he’s got some kind of wall up between us. We haven’t talked about the way he became some darker, deadlier version of his wolf earlier tonight. Or the way his bloodthirst filtered through our bond, seeping into me. I don’t bring it up, even though I should. Without answers, it just feels exhausting to discuss.
And it’s not like we can afford for him to sit out of the fight.
But I study him now, worry spiking that, one of these times, he’ll shift into thatthingand won’t be able to shift back. “Do you need anything? If your wolf needs to run, we can?—”
“No, it’s not that.” He drops his head. “I just… I think I need some time alone. Before tomorrow. When I face my dad, I think it’s going to be for the last time, and I… I just need some time with that.”
I nod, and for the second time tonight, I’m honestly glad to avoid the pain. Not having a father is bad enough. Having one betray you, or worse, try to kill you, is far beyond what I’ve felt over losing my own father so young. Even Franco never actually tried to end my life. He sent others to do it for him. But this is different.
Tomorrow, Grey will kill his father.
That’s not a thing I can begin to understand.
“Take all the time you need,” I say, rising on my toes to press a kiss to his cheek. “I’ll be here waiting.”
28
GREY
The moon hangs low tonight. Its glow filters through a thick canopy of trees, casting the small clearing in silver shadows. The air is muggy with the scent of pine and damp earth. But beneath it, I scent the tang in the air that is the ward line. Meeting out in the open is a risk, but it can’t be helped. The wards still haven’t been changed since Franco died, and I’m not naïve enough to think Levi and Mac will slip in and out unnoticed. But we’re far enough out from any roads or even running trails that there’s no chance of other wolves spotting us. It’s quiet here. Peaceful.
My mind is neither of those things.
I wasn’t lying when I told Lexi I needed some time before tomorrow’s inevitable battle. Somehow, it’s always felt as if my father and I were headed toward this finality. A moment one of us won’t walk away from. And while I’ve known it would eventually come to this, and that he won’t be stopped any other way, it’s still a heavy thing to face.
I’ve done a lot of hard shit. Took down a lot of bad people. But taking out my own father is next level. And the worst part is that I already know I won’t even hesitate.
What if that makes me the same kind of monster as him?
I can’t bear to ask that question aloud. Or to even think about what that kind of kill might do to my wolf or my own sanity. Not to mention the dark creature whose grip on me grows with every hour. Destroying my father would satisfy thatthingin a way I’m not sure I can come back from. But the worst part is, even knowing I might lose myself won’t stop me. Nothing can change my mind about doing whatever it takes to protect my people and my pack.
The soft crunch of footsteps snaps me from my thoughts, and two figures emerge from the shadows. I tense out of pure instinct, muscles coiling, but even before my hands form into fists or my wolf can stir inside me, I know it’s them.
Levi and Mac, walking side by side, moving like extensions of each other. Mates. Partners. Co-alphas.
The Black Moon Pack once thrived on rejecting their own mates as a show of strength, but Mac and Levi fought to change that. Now, they’re the strongest mated pair I know. After five years fighting alongside Levi for his right to choose his mate, I know he’ll understand what’s at stake for me.
“Hey, stranger,” Levi says, his expression friendly despite the cool calculation in his gaze. Levi’s the only other person I’ve known who is constantly assessing the threats in a space and adjusting accordingly.
“Good to see you, Grey,” Mac adds, stepping forward to embrace me, but I hold up a hand, and Levi tugs her back.
“It’s best if you stay on that side of the ward line,” I explain. “Crossing it would bring others, and I don’t want to explain what we’re doing out here.”
Mac looks defiant, like she wants to argue and do it anyway, but Levi nods at me. “We’re on your turf. We’ll do it your way.”
I exhale. “Thanks for coming,” I say gratefully.
“You didn’t give us much notice,” Levi says, the corner of his mouth pulling into a half-grin. “Something big must be going down if you’re asking for help.”
“You’re enjoying this,” I say wryly.
“The first and only time Grey asks me for a favor?” Levi snorts. “Damn right I’m enjoying it.”
I roll my eyes. The fucker is never going to let me live this down. “I’d say I’m owed more than one,” I remind him.
“I owe you my life, brother,” Levi says, instantly serious.
The memories of battles we fought together are a barrage inside my head, but I just nod at that.
