Page 125 of Broken Wolf Heart
“You look good,” Mac says softly, studying me. “Tired, but good.”
“It’s been a rough few weeks,” I say, my voice tighter than I intend.
“Is that why you asked us to consult a hex witch on that research you sent us?” she asks.
“I need to know if alpha power mixed with hex magic can poison someone.”
“Poison how?” Mac asks.
“Make them go mad,” I say quietly, and her eyes widen.
“Grey, what the fuck is going on?” Levi asks.
“It’s better if you don’t know the details?—”
“No way.” He shakes his head. “You kept quiet about your past all these years, and I respected your privacy, but this isn’t something we can help with blindly. What’s happening? Is it your family? Is someone in trouble?”
I exhale heavily, looking away before forcing myself to meet his gaze. “It’s not my family. It’s me.”
I tell them everything as quickly as I can—about how I helped Franco try to kill my old man five years ago but failed miserably, about my father’s orders to kidnap the heir in a coup attempt, about falling for Lexi while I held her prisoner. Then Itell them about the experiments and the poisoned power I inherited when I killed Franco.
It feels both wrong and right to finally tell them everything. Levi and I spent years fighting a rebellion together, and even then, I never uttered a word about who I really am. How I grew up. The shock of it registers on their faces as I talk, but neither of them interrupts. They keep their shit together, which is just evidence of everything we’ve been through.
When I finish, Levi shakes his head. “I knew you had some darkness behind you, Grey, butthemafia pack? Damn.”
Mac nods, her expression gentle. “It explains a lot. Why you were always so careful, always watching our backs. You've been in survival mode your entire life.”
“Yeah,” I say quietly, throat tight. Their understanding is bordering on pity, and I can’t take that, so I steer the conversation back to what I need most. “But this alpha power—I feel it, twisting inside me. Franco was evil, but it’s more than that. I think it has to do with the serum that turned on his LAG gene. It was laced with hex magic, and I think it’s what was killing him before I… Whatever was wrong with him is infecting me. Can alpha power do that? Corrupt you? I mean, we all saw Crigger.”
“No,” Mac says firmly, her voice calm but unyielding. “Alpha power amplifies who you already are. If you’re an asshole, you’re just a bigger asshole.Thatwas Crigger’s problem.”
Levi opens his mouth like he wants to make a comment about their former alpha, but Mac shoots him a glare that has him closing his mouth again. “But you, Grey,” she continues, “You’re one of the good ones. Alpha power can’t turn you into something you’re not.”
Levi nods, the humor gone. “She’s right. You’re strong because of your own integrity and your commitment to protectthe people you love. Don’t confuse that with corruption, even if it means you have to get your hands dirty.”
I blow out a breath.
Their certainty helps, but it doesn’t erase my fear entirely. I run a hand over my face. “So, whatever’s causing this, if it’s not me, then it’s something from Franco’s alpha essence. Something in that serum that made him so strong—and so fucking dark.”
Levi exchanges a glance with Mac, something unspoken passing between them. “We showed the research to Chloe from the Forest Hills coven. She’s a hex witch and an herbologist who studies medicines for shifters?—”
“Did she find anything?”
They exchange a look, and something passes between them. Some silent conversation only fated mates can have. It sends my fear skyrocketing.
Levi cocks his head, studying me. “You said you’re already mated to Lexi?”
“Yeah.”
Another look exchanged. I fist my hands to keep from smashing one of them into Levi to get him to talk.
“We can’t really smell her on you,” Mac says.
“What the hell are you talking about?” I growl. Their words feel like some kind of threat against my mate. Or, at least, that’s how my wolf takes it. Because it doesn’t make any sense.
“Your scent is…” Mac shakes her head. “I smell a she-wolf on you, but not like a mated pair.”
“That’s impossible,” I snap. “We claimed each other days ago.”
