Page 51 of Break Me

He turns back to me. “Wolf, until that vote is decided, you’re suspended from active duty. You will not wear your cut. You do not represent this club. And you will not see my daughter.”

The last words land like a blade.

Knox exhales, something close to relief cutting through his fury.

“I won’t promise that last part,” I say quietly.

Several men stiffen.

Jon meets my eyes. “Then you’d better be ready to lose everything,” he says.

“Understood.”

If the cost of loving Raven is leaving the life I’ve built here, then so be it. I’ll give up the brotherhood before I’ll ever give up her.

Samuel

They don’t make me leave the room. That’s how I know it’s serious.

The table is crowded, every patched man is seated like a jury that already knows the ending. Smoke hangs in the air. The lights buzz faintly overhead. My ribs throb with every breath, but I sit still, hands flat on my thighs, jaw clenched hard enough to crack teeth.

Jon stands at the head of the table.

He’s not the president anymore. But his presence, his words, still hold gravity.

Knox stands rigid on his right. His eyes are fixed on a point past my shoulder like he’s no longer able to look at me.

“Wolf. Is there anything else you want to say before we decide?”

“I lied,” I say. “To all of you. Every day I kept my mouth shut, I lied.”

A few men shift.

“But I didn’t lie about who I am to this club,” I continue. “I didn’t sell you out. I didn’t put you in the ground. I didn’t run my mouth to anyone outside these walls.”

My gaze flicks to Knox. He still won’t look at me.

“I love Raven,” I finish. “And I’m done hiding it.”

The silence that follows is brutal.

Jon nods once, like he expected nothing less. “Motion,” he says, looking around the table.

Bishop clears his throat. “Wolf stays patched. But he’s benched.”

Diesel goes next. “Probation. No runs. No votes. No decisions. Not until trust is rebuilt.”

“And he’s out of the sleeping hall. He doesn’t get to bring this mess into our walls again,” Red adds, flat and final.

My chest tightens, but I don’t flinch.

Jon looks at Knox. “That enough?”

Knox's hands curl into fists on the table. When he speaks, the fury has given way to hurt. “He's my VP. He's supposed to be my brother.”

He finally looks at me then, eyes blazing. “And he’s lucky I don’t kill him.”

“We vote. All in favor of the motion,” Jon says, voice carrying. “Wolf stays patched. But he’s benched. Probation. No runs, no votes, no decisions. Out of the sleeping hall.”