Page 52 of Broken Wolf Heart
“I do. Because I’ve seen what you’re willing to do tonotbe him. Or your old man, for that matter. And I’ve seen what you have that neither of them ever did.” I look at him. He shrugs. “Lexi. She’s your anchor. Neither one of those bastards has love like that. They only ever ruled with fear.”
I exhale, closing my eyes.
“I want that to be enough,” I say.
“It is,” Dutch says.
He sounds so certain that I let it convince me for a moment.
But when he finally leaves, and I’m alone again, the voice comes back.
Only this time, it sounds like my father.
You think you’re strong enough to protect her? You couldn’t even keep her from turning into a monster.
I clench my fist. Drive it into the wall again. It crumbles a little more. My knuckles come away bloody.
I stare at the red staining my skin, weirdly relieved that it looks normal now that it’s escaped my veins. It’s a sign of normalcy—one I need desperately right now. Almost as desperately as I need answers. For Lexi. For me. For our future.
As soon as we can, we go to the lab.
And if there are still monsters inside it—anything that represents the horrors that were done to Lexi or anyone else—I’ll kill every last one of them. Maybe then the voice in my head will die too.
11
LEXI
Iwake up cold.
Not physically—Grey’s body is still warm against mine, his breath steady at my shoulder, his arm a heavy comfort around my waist. No. This is the kind of cold that comes from the inside. The kind that seeps into your bones and whispers,What if you hurt him? What if, next time, you can’t stop?
The memory of last night’s close call is still vividly clear in my brain. My wolf clawing to the surface while Grey’s mouth was on mine, my nails digging too deep against his back, a snarl rising in my throat.
I hurt him. And the worst part is that I’m not sure how to keep myself from doing it again. Even now, I can feel that uncontrollable monster inside me, lurking in the shadows.
I shift under the covers, trying not to wake him. But he stirs anyway, instinctively tightening his hold. “Stop worrying,” he murmurs against my neck.
“I’m not.”
“Liar.” His voice is still scratchy with sleep, but his hand slides up my ribs, slow and grounding. “You’ve been tense all night.”
Because I almost killed you. On our wedding night, no less.
“I can’t lose you,” I whisper.
He pulls back just enough to look me in the eye. “You will never lose me.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do.” He strokes my cheek, his thumb gentle on my skin. “You’re mine. All of you. Even the parts you think I can’t handle.”
I want to believe that. I do. But I can still feel the pulse of the monster, raw and restless beneath my skin. I’m not sure whether to be relieved or worried that we’re headed to the one place that might tell me why the beast inside me is trying to take me over.
“Come on, gorgeous.” Grey kisses my cheek loudly then yanks the covers off us both. “If we don’t get out of this bed right now, I’m never letting you put clothes on again.”
“If that’s supposed to be a threat, can I just say you suck at them?”
He laughs, and it soothes my soul to hear that sound. “Noted, Princess. I’ll remember that.”
