Page 124 of Pistols & Peonies

I huff out a quiet breath, scrubbing a hand over my face. “I don’t want to lead the pack, Violet.”

“Yeah. That’s exactly why you’d be good at it,” she replies, smirking.

I shake my head. “That’s not what I’m in this for.”

“Maybe not,” she says easily. “But if this rebellion actually works… if you step up beside your brother instead of behind Alpha?” She shrugs, eyes still locked on mine. “That kind of loyalty matters. Fear only gets you so far. People follow leaders they trust, the ones they can relate to on some level.”

I stare at her, surprised by how much thought she’s put into this and how clearly she’s mapped it all out. “You’re thinking like a strategist,” I remark, pride threading through my tone.

She grins back at me. “Maybe I’m a revolutionary after all,” she says, flipping her hair over a shoulder and reaching for her seatbelt. She pauses with her hand on the buckle, glancing back up at me. “Shit, was this just you playing the long game to get me to admit that?”

“Yep,” I deadpan. “Guess the jig is up, back to the bunker.”

She snorts, shaking her head. “God, if I never see that place again, it’ll be too soon.” Her smile fades, something dimming behind her eyes. “You don’t regret it, do you?” she asks quietly. “Pairing with a delinquent like me?”

The question lands like a punch. The fact that she’d even ask that, like she’s still waiting for the other shoe to drop…

“Not for a second,” I say without hesitation, reaching out to cup her face in a hand. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, mate.”

She gives me a long, searching look, like she expects a catch. “Even with all the politics?” she presses. “And the headaches? My general refusal to obey any command ever?”

“You obey some,” I point out, my gaze dragging over her in a way that makes her shift slightly in her seat. “But yeah. I never wanted some docile little housewife. Didn’t want anyone, honestly.” I hold her gaze, meaning it with my whole chest when I add, “Until you. I wouldn’t change a damn thing, baby.”

Her eyes go a little glassy, her breath catching like she doesn’t quite know what to do with that kind of certainty.

I don’t give her time to overthink it.

I slide my hand to the back of her neck and pull her in, kissing her hard. It’s brief, but when I pull back, she’s smiling, eyes brighter than before.

“Come on,” I say, unfastening my seatbelt. “Let’s get inside. I’ve spent too long tonight keeping my hands to myself.”

She rolls her eyes, chuckling under her breath as she pops her own buckle. “You’re so fucking needy.”

“Says the woman who can’t go five minutes without picking a fight,” I scoff.

“Yeah, well maybe I like a little foreplay,” she shoots back, then tosses her door open and climbs out before I can reply.

We make our way to the elevator and ride it up to the twenty-ninth in silence, but it’s not awkward. Just charged, like we’re both buzzing with anticipation for what’s to come. I get the sense she’s still chewing on what we talked about, turning it over in that sharp mind of hers and looking for ways to weaponize it for leverage.

And I thought I couldn’t love her more.

I hadn’t even contemplated how this little PR stunt could play in our favor long-term. Alpha thinks he’s controlling the narrative, putting us on display like proof that his system works exactly the way he designed it to, but he’s too focused on the surface to see what’s actually happening underneath. He’s too arrogant to even consider how the whole thing could backfire on him, given the right set of circumstances.

It’s… a little diabolical, actually.

By the time the elevator doors slide open, the idea has already started to take shape in my head. How this could be the bridge between the old and new guard that Whit needs for the pack to follow him.

Violet steps out first, and I follow a few paces behind, enjoying the view of her tight little ass in those cutoff jean shorts. She stops outside our door and pivots to face me, folding her arms with a look that’s already halfway to challenge.

“Hurry up, old man.”

I cut her a glare, but it’s more for show than anything. “Call me that again and I’ll put you over my knee, mate,” I growl, stepping in close enough that she has to tilt her head back to hold my gaze as I reach past her to unlock the door.

Her lips part, her gaze sharpening with interest. “Promise?”

I huff a quiet laugh as I turn the knob and pull the door open. She slips past me into the apartment, and I follow her in, shutting and locking the door behind us.

Inside, it’s dim, the only light coming from the glow of the skyline spilling in through the windows. Violet drifts down the hall toward it without a word, coming to a stop in the center of the living room. She folds her arms, staring out at the city like she’s waiting for something to happen.