He didn’t miss her wicked smile or the sensuous tone of her voice. Letting out an impatient grunt, he grabbed her wrist, pulling her away. “Perhaps another time. Anatoli is waiting for me.”
“Fine.” She flipped her hair. “Don’t wait too long to invite me for that drive.” She turned around to walk away, her full hips swaying with purpose as she teetered on her spiky heels.
He wasn’t sure why, but Mila’s attentions had recently turned on him, having already cycled through most of the single males in The Family. He ignored her, but short of outright telling her to leave him alone, she didn’t seem to take the hint that he was not interested.
Alexandru raised a thick brow at him. “Are you ever going to give in to her?”
“Would you?”
The head enforcer gave him a grim smile. “She’s not interested in me. You know she prefers her studs young and virile.”
“You’re not exactly old and decrepit,” Darius added. In fact, Alexandru was in better shape than most men his age. He was only an inch shorter than Darius but just as wide and covered in even more ink. He was, as many would say these days, a real silver fox, with his thick head of gray hair and a full beard.
“But I’m not stupid,” Alexandru said with a quirk of his brow. “And neither are you.” True, they were both serious and all business. Which is why they occupied the second and third spots in The Family’s hierarchy. “Still, you know she always gets what she wants.”
Maybe if he was bored enough, he might fuck her just so she could move on to her next conquest and stop bothering him. His inner wolf reacted violently at the thought. Strange. His wolf usually couldn’t care less about who he slept with.
Alexandru gave him a pointed look, but said nothing.
“Come.” He stretched his neck to the side, cracking the tight muscles. “My uncle is waiting. And you know he doesn’t like to wait.”
The two men headed inside, deep into the recesses of the compound. Over the years as The Family’s influence and wealth grew, they were able to increase the size of their headquarters, adding more and more space for living quarters, training areas, and of course, storage for whatever illicit wares they were trading in at the moment.
After walking through the maze-like hallways, they found themselves right at the heart of the compound, just outside Anatoli Corvinus’s office. Alexandru had barely raised his fist to knock when a gravelly voice shouted, “Come in!”
Darius followed behind the head enforcer and stood right in front of the solid mahogany desk in the middle of the room. Despite the disorganized maze of the compound and its nondescript appearance from the outside, the office was richly appointed and lavish to the point of being tacky—rich, dark paneling, gold trimmed everything, animal print rugs and even a velvet wingback chair next to a fake fireplace. Of course, as head of The Family, Anatoli Corvinus could decorate his den as he pleased.
“Sir,” Alexandru greeted. Darius, meanwhile, chose to bow his head at Anatoli.
“Take a seat. Both of you.” Anatoli leaned back in the large leather office chair behind the desk, his massive hands gripping the arms so hard the wood protested under his grip.
Settling into his seat, he searched his uncle’s face, from his light brown brows to his crooked nose down, to his thick jaw. Searching for what, he didn’t know. Maybe something familiar or a trace of his own father. They had the same size and bulk, however, that was about it. But then again, Anatoli and Demetri Corvinus were only half brothers.
“You’re probably wondering why I’ve summoned you both here,” Anatoli began. His dark green gaze bore right through him. “I’m here to discuss the Alpha.”
For a moment, his heart stopped. Did his uncle know that he’d been following Adrianna Anderson all this time? Did he suspect anything was amiss?
“Frankie Anderson has reached out to me and invited me for an audience,” Anatoli continued.
Relief swept through his body and his muscles relaxed. “She knows about us?” As far as he knew, no one knew about The Family.
“She is Alpha,” Anatoli said. “She knows everything.”
“Which means that is not an invitation.” Alexandru scowled. “It is a command.”
“Female Alphas. Hmph,” he spat, a distasteful look on his face. “But then again, this is why my father, your grandfather,” he eyed Darius, as if reminding him of the blood they shared, “chose New Jersey as the place to build his empire. With that bitch in heat focused on nothing else but being mounted by her mate and popping out his pups, she all but abandoned this territory, making it ripe for the taking.”
His uncle’s vile words left a terrible taste in his mouth, but he swallowed it down. To Anatoli, all female Lycans were bitches to be bred, so he tried not to take it personally. “So, why did you need to talk to me?”
“Because I want you there, my boy.” Anatoli said. “When I meet the Alpha.”
“Me?” He looked at Alexandru. “He is your second.”
“Which is why I need him here,” Anatoli said. “Besides, you’ve had previous run-ins with them, and what you know and see might prove useful.”
He had reported what had happened during the failed ascension ball, but left out the part about the Alpha’s daughter. “Then I will be there.” Coming from Anatoli, this was not a request.
“Do you think the Alpha will try to make us stop our business?” Alexandru asked.
“I know she will. But don’t worry, I have a plan in place. A plan that will ensure our future is secure, no matter who is in power.” Anatoli’s expression darkened.
He felt a tick in his jaw. “What plan?”
“You will all know when the time is right, but for now, we must use this opportunity to gather intelligence and find out what our Alpha wants,” he said, distaste dripping from his tone.
Anatoli was cruel and
