Page 81 of Broken Wolf Heart
“So, this is a meeting for battle strategy?” someone asks.
“Not directly,” Mia says. “We don’t believe he’ll come with force. Not right away.”
“What makes you say that?” another of my pack asks.
Donahue. His tone is curious rather than dismissive.
Mia eyes him but answers evenly. “Because he already tried that yesterday with our high alpha and failed. He won’t make that mistake twice.”
Everyone looks at me. The bruises on my face have faded into a lovely purple, and my face burns red beneath them as they all scan my body as if they can see my aching ribs and sore muscles.
Dutch slings an arm around my shoulders and squeezes lightly. “Don’t fuck with our girl here, am I right?”
His comment earns a few murmurs of agreement. I don’t know how to feel about it. Their respect. Dutch’s affection. The fact that these two feuding packs are suddenly working together—and no one’s tried to kill each other yet.
It gives me hope.
And I’ve learned from experience that is a very dangerous thing to have.
“As a result,” Mia says, drawing everyone’s attention away from me. I exhale. Dutch’s arm falls away. “Vincenzo knowsGrey is an alpha. He might be an asshole, but he’s not as stupid as he looks. He knows he’s up against two alphas and two strong packs, which means he’ll come at us another way.”
“You think he’ll fuck with our families?” Camila asks. She glances nervously at her mate. Donahue covers her hand with his own.
“I won’t rule anything out,” Mia says. “But Vincenzo’s style has always been grabbing for power. Our source on the inside tells us he’s moving to call a vote.” She looks at me. “He wants the pack leaders to formally reject your claim to the Giovanni seat and install him as regent while they assess stability.”
My jaw tightens. He’s going to tell everyone Grey killed Franco. That I’m a fraud.
“Those same leaders just voted her in,” Donahue points out.
“He’ll use their fear of her,” Mia explains, glancing at me almost apologetically. “Point to the way you took out Franco’s generals. Call it public violence. Reckless. Say you’re unstable.”
“He’s not wrong,” Broderick mutters, then quickly adds, “I mean, that’s what they’ll say.”
Mia glares at him but otherwise stays calm as she says, “Donahue is right. It likely won’t be enough to get the pack leaders to back him since they just voted Lexi in for those same reasons. Especially when most of yours have already sworn loyalty to you. He’ll have to get the public on his side too.”
“The public loves Lexi and Grey,” Razor says with a snort.
“They don’t love power plays. Corruption. Vincenzo has already begun to spin it so that Grey and Lexi look like they’ve been secretly planning this takeover.” She tosses a newspaper onto the table.
I look over the heads of those sitting and read the headline: Pack Princess or Puppet Master? Con Woman Exposed.”
“This article claims you’re using your alpha status for your own nefarious purposes,” Mia says.
My eyes widen at the absurdity. “That’s a lie.”
She shakes her head. “The truth doesn’t matter as much as perception.”
“I get that he fed the media this shit,” Dutch says, “But how the hell can they just take his word for it? He has no proof.”
“He has the LAG gene.” Mia glances at me, her expression once again reflecting an apology. Like she hates to be the one to deliver this news. No wonder she said I wasn’t going to like her intel. “He gave them your medical record. Or the parts he’d already gotten his hands on. He says you have motive for revenge. That you’re trying to destroy the city for what Franco did to you and your mother.”
Dutch curses vehemently.
Razor echoes it.
A few others look over at me, clearly speculating whether that might be true.
I lift my chin and cross my arms over my chest. “So how do we counter it?”
