Page 39 of Savage Wolf Vow

“Was Grey really as stealthy as he claimed all those years working against his dad?” she asks, her brows lifting in skepticism.

I snort. “He was when I made the plan. But his own plans… well, you can see where that landed them.”

She snorts. “Let me guess. That wedding performance was all his idea?”

“Don’t forget Dutch,” I remind her.

“How could I possibly forget a performance worthy of an Oscar?” She laughs.

I bite my tongue because I think she’s being serious. She actually finds Dutch’s antics…cute. And I don’t want to ruin that for him because I’m pretty sure he won’t get another chance like Andy again.

“Is Lexi around, then?” I ask.

“She’s out back. Said she needed some air after I lectured them about their not-so-sneaky sleepover.” She softens another degree. “She’ll be glad to see you.”

“Thanks.”

The Giovanni estate’s back garden is the one part of the property that doesn’t feel like Franco built it to intimidate people. It's older than the rest of the renovations—stone paths worn smooth, a simple yet beautiful fountain, climbing roses along the south wall that must have been put there by a woman. Or at the very least, someone softer than Franco Giovanni ever was.

I’m just turning the corner past the hedge when a voice that isn’t Lexi’s reaches me.

“—and then the wolf just shifted into a person right there in the middle of the yard, and I thought, okay, so this is my life now, and honestly? I was more excited than scared, which I think says something about me as a person⁠—”

“It says you’re either extremely brave or extremely unhinged,” Lexi says.

“Why not both?”

“The first time I saw Grey shift, I fainted,” Lexi says, which is an intriguing little tidbit. I make a mental note to ask her to tell me that story sometime.

I round the rose wall to find Lexi and Violet sitting on the stone bench near the fountain. Lexi in dark jeans and boots, braid loose, a coffee mug in hand. And Violet, Lexi’s human best friend, the one Ramsey had beaten half to death, sitting beside her with her legs crossed and her strawberry blonde hair catching the morning light. Frankly, she has a remarkable amount of energy for someone who should, by any reasonable metric, still be in bed.

Although, she looks better than last time I saw her. The bruising has faded. The split lip is healed. She’s wearing a sweater that’s a few sizes too big for her petite frame, along with leggings and dangly earrings that are shaped like small moons.

“Hey,” I call out. “I’m not interrupting, am I?”

“Not at all,” Lexi says, waving me over.

Violet spots me, and her face brightens.

“Oh, hi again! You’re Mia, right? Lexi talks about you constantly. She says you’re terrifying but in a good way.”

“Is that a compliment?” I ask.

“Definitely,” Lexi says with a smile.

“Razor says there’s special emphasis on the terrifying part,” Violet says, and I wonder exactly when Razor and Violet had time to sit together and talk about anything, much less me.

But Lexi rolls her eyes and says, “Consider the source,” and Violet laughs. Full and easy, like someone who hasn’t recently had reason not to. I like her immediately and involuntarily.

“How are you feeling?” I ask.

“Much better, actually, which is why I keep trying to explain to Lexi that I don’t need to stay in my room like a comfortable prisoner⁠—"

“You’re not a prisoner,” Lexi argues.

“I have yard time,” Violet says, using air quotes around the words.

"You have a security protocol,” Lexi corrects with a frown.