The Lonely Wolf Read Online Free Page A

cozy. A large fireplace dominated the opposite wall, but it wasn’t lit. The two gray couches facing the fireplace were covered with white pillows. The woman was dressed all in black, from her austere glasses to her heels, and looked out of place there. “What’s your name, pup?”
    The woman studied him with cold eyes, but he refused to be intimidated. “Lupo Solis.”
    At his name, she stepped back and bumped the couch behind her. A moment passed, then she tilted her head and a calculating smile tugged at her lips. “Why are you here?”
    Mirroring her gestures and attitude, Lupo answered, “Why do you think I’m here?”
    The woman’s smile faltered. “Don’t try my patience, pup.” She made a sign for the sentinel to come closer.
    “I want to talk with the alpha.”
    “About what?”
    “About the fact that I am his son and he never claimed me as his.” Rage surfaced from under the thin layer of politeness Lupo was trying to maintain.
    With a shrug and a small chuckle, the woman said, “And what makes you think he’s interested in seeing you again?”
    The woman’s last word left Lupo speechless.
    “That’s right. Do you think he doesn’t know about you?” She laughed. “Do you think he cares?”
    Lupo’s wolf whined in pain, but he didn’t let him out. He would have never given that spiteful woman the satisfaction to see him out of control.
    “Your mother didn’t want you either. Did you know that?” She stepped forward, closing the distance between them. “She left you at the orphanage then fled Italy.”
    “How do you know that?” Lupo’s hands were shaking and he fisted them.
    “Because she asked me to deliver you to Cradle and Bites, soon after she had you. You are the byproduct of a night of lust between the alpha and one of the kitchen servants. Not exactly something to be proud of, don’t you think? So Quintilius told me to pay the pregnant maid and get rid of her. She got enough money to start a new life somewhere else and didn’t want to be burdened with a bastard.”
    Rage possessed Lupo at the woman’s statement, but the sentinel was at his side before he could lash out.
    “Anything else?” The woman ran her hands down her pencil skirt, a satisfied expression on her stark face.
    Unable to utter a word that wasn’t an insult, he turned on his heels and stormed out of the cottage.
    The driver opened the car door for him. He climbed in, and they left.
    His thoughts spread in every direction, Lupo was wounded and heartbroken, and someone had to pay for it. So, when he was deposited outside of Quintilius’s property, he drove back to the Reds’ at breakneck speed and went directly to the gym, looking forward to a cage fight or two. He ended up fighting five different matches that night, and Guts, the Reds’ tattooist and doctor, had to patch him up with several stitches on his face and head.
    The morning after, he asked Rock, who was also the house manager, if he could add tasks to his roster.
    “Sure, what would you like to do?” Rock asked.
    “Anything to prove I’m ready to be a Red.” Lupo was a recruit, and although he had demonstrated he could handle more dangerous gigs, so far Rock had only given him low risk jobs. As a patched recruit, he was already delivering V, but it wasn’t enough to get Tancredi’s attention. He wanted to become a Red and have a big brother who would look after him. He wanted to belong.

Chapter Three
    The morning after a party was always difficult for Quintilius to get his bearings. Not because he drank too much, he seldom imbibed to the point of drunkenness anymore. After one awful awakening too many, he decided an alpha should have known better than to drown his sorrow in the bottle. Nowadays, he liked to set an example for his pack, and no one in his entourage was ever to conduct themselves in a disgraceful manner. But there was an inherent sadness at seeing the house empty of the partygoers. The night before, all the rooms of his