“I like that smile, it’s the one you only give to me,” I tilted my head. I didn’t know I had different smiles. I thought I had one. One that was genuine, and one that I forced.
She turned and left before I could stop her. I walked to the shower and turned it on, hoping an icy cold shower would help calm some of the fire for her that was rolling through me.
I met Cali and Holden in the upstairs hallway. He looked awful. No shirt, and blood all over him and his face. He reeked of burnt skin and hair, a smell that never leaves you. “Can we use the guestroom we stayed in this weekend?” Cali asked.
“Just please get him cleaned up before you guys do any witch roleplay on my nice sheets,”
A broad grin spread across Holden’s bloody face, his white teeth a stark contrast, “Where’s the fun in that?”
“You’re paying for anything you touch, you sick f.uck.”
“Hey,” Cali cut in.
“I apologize, you sick f.ucks, happy?”
“Delighted,” She raised an eyebrow and tugged him past me.
“Take it out of my salary,” He called after me.
I walked downstairs and saw only Nora on the couch. She pointed to the kitchen and I headed that way.
Thankfully, Willa got the kids away from that blood-soaked mess that was my Gamma. Emmett and Loreli were eating tacos that they were pretending were dinosaurs. I guess I could see where they got that. Kinda.
“Griffen called Nora, you didn’t have your phone. He’s on his way back, nothing to report apparently,” She frowned but replaced it with a smile as she set down some water for the kids.
“Go sit with Nora, I’ll finish up here.”
“It’s fine-“
“Tea or wine?” I asked her, ignoring her protest.
“Both probably,” She smiled, and I squeezed her hand as she walked out.
I made Nora and Willa a cup of tea and a glass of wine for Willa. Cali and Holden still weren’t down by the time that Emmett and Loreli finished dinner. Nora read the kids books, and they were almost asleep on her bump by the time she was finished. Griffen came in and melted at the sight, “We need to have more,”
“How about we get the first one out, then we can talk,” Nora responded, but a huge smile lit up her face.
She was gentle, loving, sweet. She balanced out Griffen in all the right ways. He was so focused on work, on proving himself, it wasn’t until he found her that he actually loosened up, if only a tiny bit.
Cali came down freshly showered, still in that stupid cloak and Holden was behind her, wearing my fucking clothes.
“Hey, if you wanted me to come down naked, I normally wouldn’t say no, but there are children present,” Holden responded to my stare.
Cali gave Willa and Nora a look and they followed her upstairs with the kids. Griffen, of course, helped his mate up the stairs, claiming that since their apartment was one floor, she wasn’t used to stairs. Holden and I looked at each other, but we didn’t make fun of him. Not today, at least.
Griffen came back a few minutes later and took a seat across from Holden and me.
“I know Nora or Willa filled you in. It’s what we expected. We left pack territory, nothing happened. We were able to unlock his phone but nothing of note was on it. It was a burner phone, and any numbers on it were disconnected,” He shrugged, “Get anything else from Brady?” He directed his question at Holden.
“Didn’t really ask,” He shrugged, “He didn’t seem to know much anyways”
“The Silent Assasin keeps himself well hidden, he rarely meets with clients or even his own assassins or contractors in person,” Griffen said thinking. “Anything on our hit?”
“You took a hit on The Silent Assassin?” Holden’s eyes were wide, he scanned the window as if he were expecting an assassin to be scaling the building.
I shrugged, “I need to talk to him.”
“You’re insane,” Holden said, staring at me.
“How else do we find him?”
“How did you find him the first time?” He asked.
“He found me. He wanted to make an alliance, I turned him down and made him agree to a blood pact instead.” I shrugged.
“You make it sound simple.” Griffen looked at me.
“It was anything but,” I admitted, “But it worked, and that was my last contact with him.”
“I hate to say it, but it seems almost impossible to try to find him. Even if we did, he wouldn’t give us anything, let alone the name of who took a hit on him. No matter who you are, he wouldn’t ruin his reputation by sharing confidential client information.” “I just wish there was a way to figure out if it was Alpha Jasper,” I leaned back, “Confirm it,”
“We could send Rachel?” Griffen looked at me with his almost black eyes.
“Send her in to sleep with the Beta again for information?” I asked, “Some part of me thinks that might not be your smartest idea.”
“It’s not that bad,” Holden said, rubbing the short stubble on his chin, “Could work.”
“Let’s see where the hit gets us first. Then we can focus on sending in someone to coerce the enemy into bed.” I looked between them both. This was already messy and I wasn’t going to make it messier. There was no way I would send a spy in, it screamed weak, and as much as I wasn’t Rachel’s biggest fan at the moment, I wouldn’t risk her or any pack member like that.
Our mates came down and settled in. I got up and gave Nora and Griffen my spot on the couch and tugged Willa into my lap in a chair, draping a blanket over her.
We discussed everything with them, filling them in on what happened today, and our theories.
“I thought The Silent Assassin was a rumor?” Willa sat up in my lap looking back at me.
“Nope,” I shook my head once, “I wish he was.”
“Well, well, s.hit.” She shook her head and leaned back into me. She was tense, more rigid than she was moments before. I knew she had finally grasped the weight of the situation. “Willa?”
“Hmm?” She responded, but seemed far away.
“Become part of the pack that will protect you and Emmett from him by the blood oath.”
“Okay,” She sat up again, shifting to stare at me, “Right now.”
(Willa)
Maybe I should have made it a bigger fanfare, but I just wanted the safety. I didn’t think Emmett would mind missing it either. Caspien explained if I was part of a pack if I changed, then Emmett’s ties would shift as well. I hoped he was right. “Can we do it here? If we’re skipping everything else,” I suggested, looking at the others.
Nora was leaning on Griffen’s chest, his head on hers as he stroked her arm. Cali and Holden were laughing about something, her legs on top of his lap.
“Sure,” Caspien said, “If that’s what you want.”
“Is that what you want?” I looked at him, “Did you want this to be a pack ordeal or?”
“I kinda figured it would be, but honestly,” He looked behind me, “This feels more right. I think doing it in front of the pack is what is expected, but I’m okay with new traditions.”
He got up and placed me on my feet, “If you’re sure.”
“Your safety, both of your safety, comes way before pack traditions and parties.” He brushed a finger across my jawline and gazed at me with a such gentle ferocity I felt like there was no one else on this planet.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.