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I was still dressed in my sweaty workout gear—leggings and sports bra—and felt, for a moment, horrifically underdressed and unprepared as I stared around the room at the men my father was closest to. They all wore impeccable suits, except for Lupo, whose suit was dotted with blood from where he had carried my brother’s body back to the compound.
Despite his age, Lupo was handsome, with dark hair streaked with gray at his temples and honey-brown eyes. I gazed up at him, meeting his stare and wanting him to understand why I wanted to stay—why I wanted to help. “Please,” I started, myvoice a mere whisper. But he didn’t even give me a chance to finish my thoughts.
“I am sorry, Ottavia, for the loss of your brother. He was a great man. But there is much to be done and I do not have time to deal with…” Lupo made a gesture toward me as a whole, as if I were just an inconvenience to handle, to deal with, after the death of my brother.
Not his fiancée, not even the daughter of one of his most trusted friends. Justin the way.
Yes, our marriage was one of convenience, not emotion. It had made sense to solidify our connection through an arranged marriage—the La Rosa family tying itself to the werewolves formally—but I had assumed the position afforded me more respect than this. He had always treated me with respect whenever I spoke with him, but I was just now realizing that I had only spoken with him in front of my father. I wondered—belatedly, naively—if everyone in the room heard the shattering of my rose-colored glasses or if only I could hear the raining of the shards.
“Luca, please take Miss La Rosa back to her rooms, so she can rest.” With a gentle shove, Lupo pushed me in the direction of Luca, who grasped my shoulders. But at my guard’s touch, I started and whipped around to face the werewolf once more.
“Lupo, I want to help. Ineedto help.” I wasn’t whispering anymore. My voice was nearly a yell. My hands were fisted at my sides.
Lupo’s face rearranged itself into careful neutrality, but I saw the corner of his mouth twitch in annoyance. “You’re obviously emotional, my dear. It’s a hard thing, losing a brother. Take the day to cool down, then we can discuss further action. Let the men handle it today.”
Emotional? Emotional?!The condescending little—
My thoughts raced as my anger surged. I could feel heat flushing my face as shame burned through me. I glanced at the other men in the room and saw the same haughty look in their eyes that had surfaced in Lupo’s when I dared to speak up.
When men got angry, they were seen as scary, and powerful. When women got angry, they were only seen as overly emotional.
But I just nodded at Lupo, refusing to let my thoughts register on my face. “You’re right,” I said instead. “I do need my rest.”
I let Luca lead me back to my rooms, planning my escape, Eoin’s death, and Lupo’s downfall the whole way.
Eoin
chapter Five
The guard’s head flopped forward onto his heaving chest, the coppery scent of the blood that dripped from various cuts on his face caressing the air with bitter notes that melded with the hot sparks of my annoyance. My fingers tangled in his mop of hair, yanking his face so that our gazes met. “When ye came to my room withnews, did ye not think ta mention just how many ghouls ’ad escaped?”
At his silence, I shook his head, watching as he winced and more blood dripped from his crooked nose.
“Did ye just forget ta tell me ’bout them bein’ in the La Rosa territory?” I shook his head once more, lips pursing as his sputtered cough sprayed blood across my shoes.
Bruises covered his face, one of his eyes were swollen shut, and blood dribbled from his mouth as he spoke. “I’m sorry, sir, I—I should have told you.”
I should have told you.
Fucking eejit.
His head snapped back with my uppercut, a few broken bits of teeth bouncing along the floor. As soon as his head fell back to face me, I sent it sideways with a left hook. Straightening, I shook out my hands as a loud breath blew out of my chest. “Yer insolence ’as killed the future Don.”
His eyes couldn’t widen even if they wanted to because of the beating he’d taken, but I could imagine it as his head swung back and forth almost in disbelief. Pale hands rose, almost to placate me, but I was already moving, my palms slamming to either side of his head, fingers fisted in his hair. The loud, sputtered shriek that left his bloody lips was quickly ended when his head was yanked from his neck with a loud, wet tear. More blood sprayed the front of my white dress shirt and slacks, warm and thick as it stuck and dripped down my skin.
With an annoyed huff, I threw his head to the floor, my gaze snapping to my second-in-command, Declan. One of my oldest companions, he had been by my side from day one, had seen me lose my temper more than anyone, and was the only being that was permitted—and brave enough—to speak his mind.
His lips were pursed, a brow arched with amusement as he coolly watched the guard’s head as it rolled along the floor. “Are ye angry that he dinay tell ya ’bout the ghouls on La Rosa land or are ye angry that ya ignored him an’ continued to feck around instead o’ takin’ care o’ them yerself like ya should’ve—” His lips ticked at the look on my face as he continued to speak, his thick, accented words tilted with humor. “Which would ’ave avoided this ol’ mess?”
“Get tha’ smile off ye face, ye feckin’ eejit.” I wiped the blood off my chin, shoving past Declan as I moved toward the utility sink and stripped myself of my blood-ridden clothing.
He ignored my anger, a clean shirt and trousers smacking into my chest when I turned to face him after washing off. Singling out the pants, I tugged them on as I watched him leanhis hip against the counter. The look on his face said he had more he wanted to say.
“Tha’ could bloody well be taken as an act o’ war. Arealone.” Any previous humor he had regarding the situation was long gone with the words.
I didn’t respond. Not right away, my jaw clenching as my arms slipped into my shirt, fingers deftly buttoning it up.He’s right.Itismy fault that Mattia La Rosa’s son was killed tonight. I eyed the guard’s headless body and rolled my cuffs up my arms. I had taken out the anger I had with myself on the guard. I was not overly worried about Mattia and his pound puppies. If I bloody wanted, I was positive I could eradicate them all. My numbers far surpassed theirs, especially if you counted the ghouls, but even I could admit that a city—a world—with ghouls running rampant would be displeasing even for me.
Although, I had alwaysthrivedin the chaos of full-on war. My best centuries were spent ripping the throats out of my enemies and driving my sword through the bellies of the mangy pups who liked to pretend they were more human than wolf.
