Page 22 of Broken Wolf Heart
She trembles. Her paws shift on the grass, claws digging in. She lets out a strangled whimper, eyes flashing as her body begins to twist, bones cracking, fur rippling.
Her shift takes longer than mine. It’s rougher, like she’s fighting it—or doesn’t know how to surrender to it. And it’s clear how much pain she’s in.
But she does it.
By the time her knees hit the ground and her human form settles into place, I’m already moving. I cross the clearing in three strides and lift her up, wrapping my arms around her before she collapses. She’s trembling violently, slick with sweat and blood and river water.
“Grey,” she gasps, her voice raw and broken. She clutches at me, her fingers digging into my shoulders, her body shaking like she’ll shatter if I let go.
“I’m here,” I whisper fiercely, one hand cupping the back of her head, the other anchoring her to my chest. “I’ve got you.”
She sobs against my neck, her body bare and battered and so goddamn precious I could fall apart just from holding her.
“I didn’t mean to,” she chokes out. “I didn’t know— My wolf?—”
“Shh,” I breathe into her hair. “You did what you had to do. They would’ve killed you.”
“But I-Iwantedto kill them. I didn’t even think. I just let her—” Her breath hitches again. “I’m a monster.”
I pull back just enough to cup her face, forcing her to look at me. Her green eyes are wide and tear-filled, glassy with guilt.
“No,” I say, voice rough with emotion. “You’re not a monster. You’re a wolf. A leader. An alpha. You did what they pushed you to do. What your wolf was made to do. You survived. You let her protect you. And I love every part of you, including the one that fought for yourself today. Including the one that killed today.”
She shakes her head, tears slipping free. “They were going to vote against me.”
“I know.”
“They would have killed me.”
I hold her tighter, wishing I could change that moment for her. But so damn proud of her for letting her wolf out. “You are not alone in this, Lexi. You never will be again.”
And with that, I pull her back to me and wrap her in my arms. She presses her face into my chest and lets the tears fall, and I hold her tighter, whispering words I don’t even realize I’m saying, stroking her hair.
I don’t care that we’re sitting naked in the woods. Or that someone might find us here. All I care about is the girl in my arms.
My mate.
My alpha.
And I will burn this whole fucking city to the ground before I let anyone take her from me again.
5
LEXI
I’m trembling in Grey’s arms, curled against his bare chest like his body is a lifeline to my sanity, but the chaos inside me is finally starting to still. The rhythm of his heart against my ear is the only thing keeping me from unraveling.
He hasn’t let go of me once.
Almost as if he’s the one who needs this moment instead of me. Realizing I’m not the only one who fell apart today is weirdly comforting. His heartbeat is a steady rhythm against my skin. I focus on that. On the way his presence seems to pulse all the way through me.
When my heart rate finally calms, I let myself notice my surroundings for the first time. And I’m struck by the otherworldly feeling of this place.
It’s as if the forest breathes around us.
Not in the obvious way, with wind and leaves and branches swaying overhead, but something deeper. Older. Like the trees themselves remember what came before us—and maybe what’s still to come. I never spent much time in nature before coming to Indigo Hills. And even once I arrived, my days here havebeen spent mostly inside high rises, mansions, and pool houses. But this place makes me want to claim a spot and never leave it… it’s captivating and the perfect distraction to bring me back to myself.
“Talk to me,” Grey finally says. “Tell me what else I can do.”
