When his mother dishonored their pack and walked away from her mate and never looked back. Romano had been thrown into a maelstrom, and the upstart Made Wolf helped him get through. He’d follow Dominic to the end of the earth.
Even thinking about the way the pack had dealt with them, the pity in their gaze pissed him off. His mother had forsaken her wolf and family. Something must be wrong with any children from someone like that, right? Dominic never saw it that way; he just accepted Romano and walked beside him.
Would Kalinda do the same, or would she be like his mother, denying what the wolf told them? He wasn’t sure, but he didn’t have the time to examine that fear too closely. Saving her was paramount.
“Now,” Dominic explained, “Arturo is owed a boon because he exposed what Benedict was doing with Ottavio. This boon can be used to request an immediate audience for assistance. He will use it for the Lombardi Pack to meet with the Council about Kalinda with her presence as a stipulation, along with yours.”
“You are smart, young Alpha,” Zahara complimented.
“Are we planning to snatch her?” Romano could completely get behind an idea that involved him releasing his wolf to go crazy.
“We wouldn’t make it out of there alive. They would never allow enough wolves in there to fight them, and their level of magic would be too high. No, what you’re going to do is bite Kalinda as soon as you get her close enough to you. The bite must be enough to produce a possibility of her shifting by the next full moon.”
“That could kill her!” Just the thought of hurting Kalinda made Romano’s chest seize.
“Yes, but it also makes her your mate and will give you time until the full moon to do a moon-bite. As a mate, and in danger of not surviving the bite, you will have to be there for assistance.” Zahara stated it like a foregone conclusion, and Romano didn’t know if he was ready to accept it.
“It is a good plan and just may work. You will just have to get within biting distance,” Dominic explained.
Yes, it may be the only way, but allow her to face potential death? A Born Wolf, like Romano, didn’t have to worry about what the First Shift would do to him. They were born to be shifters and may even spend the first few months of their lives back and forth between pup or human baby as their bodies grew and got used to the changes.
A Made Wolf was much different and not as easy to navigate. Most Made Wolves didn’t survive through their First Shift. Zoey had survived, thanks to a no-shift potion made for her by Warlock Cyrus, but the strength of Dominic’s bite still gave her amplified sight, hearing, and smell. She was nearly as strong as some wolves without the ability to shift. She was a special case.
Kalinda would have no access to the no-shift potion and would face the danger of not making it through shifting.
“And what about her magic shifting so much? Will that cause a problem?” Because Romano didn’t want to add unnecessary danger.
“We don’t know, but it may be our only shot. If we wait until trying to see them on the full moon, even with Arturo’s boon, we may risk them not even letting her close if they know what could happen. Hell, they might even know it’s a risk now. We have to take what we can get.”
“Fuck!” Romano wished he had an enemy in front of him, his gun in his hand, or claws to rip through anything right now. This entire situation was getting out of control, and they still didn’t know what the Viscount Pride had to do with it, even after looking into it for three days. They needed to know why the pride was on Kalinda’s trail in the first place and who put them up to it. The obvious answer was the Council, but no evidence led to that.
What was happening to Kalinda? Why did the Viscount Pride try to take her and what did they know? Why did the Council want her on the team? And would she survive?
There were too many questions and not enough answers. With everything that was happening lately, Romano and the others were forced to be reactive instead of proactive. It left them making bad decisions.
Dominic approached Romano and placed a heavy hand on his shoulder. “I will be right there with you, and we know how strong Kalinda is. She’ll survive because she’s too stubborn to die. She’s that sort of woman. She’s got a core of steel, and if she had been a wolf, she’d be warrior-class. Trust that.”
Would he trust it if it were Zoey? But there was no reason to ask that. Dominic had risked it when he bit her at the catering event. He couldn’t have known she would survive or have access to the no-shift potion. He’d risked it all to claim her and could have lost her too.
The last few months had been a whirlwind of revelations the pack hadn’t gotten used to yet. The community they’d built for the children of District 17 was thriving, and business was as well, but a run-in with other shifters or the Council could upset the delicate balance.
Benedict’s betrayal had put a bad stain on the Council as a whole, and perhaps taking Kalinda would be a way of storing their defenses. Romano taking a mate who was a mage could mean anything for the children they’d have. The Council was more interested in tipping the scales in their favor. Having Kalinda under their control would be a strategic move.
“Well, I can’t have you one-upping me by risking how you claimed your mate. I’m going to claim a mate, and she’s going to be a Council member. Top that!”
“You forget my mate is an Alpha’s mate. She rules anyway,” Dominic said loftily.
“Yeah, but is she a Council member with the Trinity personally wanting her? I win.”
“Zoey? Come here for a minute.”
Zoey, questions marring her features, came to stand beside her mate, and Dominic moved her close to Romano. Vegetation outside the window exploded and twisted until Romano jumped back away from Zoey.
“Low blow,” Romano argued.
“I win. My mate is the Alpha bitch and can make shit grow like the ooze. I win.”
Romano blinked. “You bitched at me for the fertilizer thing, and now you link it to green turtles in the sewer? Classic.”
“I officially hate both of you. This growing thing since the portals have been popping up is not cool. At all.” Zoey stomped her foot, and it was … adorable.
This was a jest, just to lighten the mood, and Romano was thankful Dominic could help him at a time like this.
Romano would find a way. Come hell or high water, Kalinda would survive. There was no other option.
They could deal with the mating situation, and the Viscount Pride, afterward.
Chapter Eight
Romano dressed carefully in a black suit, tailor-made to stretch across his chest, stark white shirt, and thin black tie. His shoes were Italian leather, and he made controlled chaos of his hair before strapping on a gold watch and diamond cufflinks. He tucked a singular red silk napkin in his breast pocket and put on his ring that symbolized him as a Made Man and Born Wolf. The howling wolf was nestled in a crescent moon and decorated with brilliant ruby eyes. The ring matched the tattoo across his bicep.
He’d never gone to the Council Headquarters, so he pulled out all the stops to go for Kalinda. It wasn’t every day a man proposed by bite to a woman who might or might not want to rip his balls off when she found out.
Each step was heavy out of his now quiet home—the essence of Kalinda not as vibrant now that he knew she wasn’t safe—and headed to his car to pick up Dominic. What Romano found instead was Giuliana, dressed in a fashionable blood-red dress and matching heels, diamonds dripping from her throat and ears. At the end of the day, though she was with the Lombardi Pack, she was Arturo Moretti’s niece and commanded that respect.
She waited next to a sleek sedan and opened the door for him with a bowed head. “Capo.”
He accepted her direction and climbed into the car and waited for her to get in. It seemed they all were going to stand in ceremony today to meet the Council. It only enhanced his pride in his pack and what they were willing to do for each other. Romano still didn’t know what Dominic had promised, but the fact Dominic had done
it meant a lot.
They arrived at Dominic’s home moments later and both Dominic and Zoey emerged. If Dominic was a storm brewing with his slate-gray suit and matching accessories, Zoey was pure light in all white. She wore flats instead of heels, in deference to her stomach, but Romano wondered why she was coming. When they got in the car, he stared pointedly at Zoey.
She waylaid him, of course, and spoke first. “Shut up before I stab you.”
He blinked. “But I didn’t say anything.”
“Yeah, well I’m still mad at you, and since you oafs can’t deal with things any other way than violence, I figured I could practice on you. Want to show me where the carotid artery is and the right pressure to puncture it?”
Romano choked on a laugh. “When did you get bloodthirsty?”
“When a wolf started growing in my stomach. Still not answering the question.”
Zoey blinked, tears pooling in her eyes and Romano was at a loss. Danger, guns, violence, he knew how to deal with all that, but a crying woman made him uncomfortable. What was he supposed to do with her? Thump her back and go kill something? Seemed like a good option.
His mother never cried. She growled and spat insults before stalking off to be gone for days on her own. He hadn’t really learned to deal with women until he’d gotten older and took a few knocks learning the ropes—crying was not something he’d mastered.
Dominic saved him and placed one hand on his mate’s stomach and his other arm around her. He pulled her close, and she buried her nose in his neck, breathing deeply. It was an intimate moment. It should have been private, so Romano turned his head away.
“She will be fine, mi amore. There is no man I’d trust more than Romano to protect her.”
“I know but,” sniffle, “what if they hurt her?” Muffled sob. “Or she dies?”
Her last word was said on a wail, and Dominic, never breaking a sweat, pulled his mate closer. “Then I would reach into death to pull her back if it made you happy.”
“What if she hates me for tying her up in this?”
“No one hates sunshine, Zoey.”
“You do, first thing in the morning.”
“I don’t hate it. I’d just rather be in you in the morning.”
“But she’s not going to be very happy with me.”
“And then she’ll be fine, you know this.”
The conversation made absolutely no sense to Romano, but it helped Zoey. She hiccupped softly into Dominic’s neck as they pulled away and headed out of pack lands.
Romano cleared his throat. “Will anyone else come with us?”
Take the hint, Dominic. Why is Zoey here?
“We thought showing a face of comradery would help more. Just you, Giuliana, Zoey, and me. There will be a car following us, but they will remain outside awaiting our return.”
The rest of the trip was made in silence, and Romano looked out the window for most of it. The areas the Moretti and Lombardi Packs owned were green and more upscale now.
But he barely saw the apartment complex building, the community center, or the faces of businesses opening back up within pack lands as they drove. None of it mattered as much as getting to Kalinda.
Each mile felt like ten as they traveled from one side of Encantado to another. By the time they reached the manicured drive leading into headquarters, Romano wanted to rip at his shirt neck and throw his tie on the floor. Her refrained, barely, from doing either. Instead, he decided to leave his weapons in the car. Besides, his teeth were all he needed. He worked on having a partial shift ready to allow his teeth to extend when the time came. Partial shifting was something easier for a Born Wolf to do but still required some concentration when not in a heightened emotional state.
They went up the lit drive that was darkened by the large willow trees on either side that blocked some of the early evening sun. Wards danced along the lights—a warning system for those inside and defensive spells for anyone coming who wasn’t allowed to come this way.
They had an audience, but the searching magic still crept along Romano’s skin, making his hair raise on end. After a few more minutes, they reached a tall, gilded wrought iron gate. It opened automatically as they approached and let them go through. In the center of the circle drive in front of the mansion was a marble fountain of a woman holding fire in one hand, the ground raising beneath her feet, water streaming from the other, and her hair frozen in a fierce wind.
“You think we need any more reminders of their magic?” Dominic scanned the fountain with a critical eye.
“Maybe gargoyles?”
Zoey snorted. “They have those too. Look at the top of the place.”
Sure enough, watching gargoyles turned their heads as the cars parked.
“Maybe a talking lion’s head on the door?”
“I don’t know if it talks, but …”
Romano was officially done with what-ifs. The four of them got out of the lead car and headed for the front door. Before they could knock, the lion head opened its mouth wide.
“Welcome, Dominic, Capo di tutti Capi of the Lombardi Pack, Zoey, your mate, Romano, your Capo, and Giuliana, your Enforcer. We will see you now.”
“Romano,” Dominic hissed, “shut up next time we go somewhere new, okay?”
“It’s a puss—”
“Don’t you say—”
“We eat those.” Romano smiled as he got the last word, canines sharp and big. The lion roared but wisely closed its mouth.
“See?”
“Can I call him Puss? Like, you know, that orange cat on the movies with the big eyes. All it needs is a hat.”
“I’m going to kill you myself,” Dominic growled, but he couldn’t completely hide his grin.
No point in showing the Council they were afraid. As the door swung open, Dominic and Zoey entered first, heads held high, with Romano and Giuliana taking up the rear. The door closed behind them, encasing them in momentary darkness, and Romano resisted the urge to growl.
This was not natural dark, but magic dark, and he never liked it after being in the Chaos Realm. Every muscle ticked and contracted, ready for battle from any direction. A soft growl permeated the air and grew until Romano recognized his Alpha’s call. He blinked, and the darkness faded.
“What the hell is wrong with y’all?” Giuliana stared at them a moment.
“They’ve been in the Chaos Realm. The wards at the door mark those who have. It is for the protection of the home.”
Romano looked up to find a woman standing at the top of the twin staircases on either side of the foyer. “We didn’t come with a threat.”
“No, but the realm does. It’s good to know who has been there and who hasn’t.”
“Will we be meeting in here, or do you have somewhere more comfortable in mind?”
The woman tilted her head. “You are the Alpha Dominic. Quite a specimen.”
“My specimen,” Zoey warned, her lip wrinkling in a warning growl.
“Ah, and his magic-blood mate.”
Giuliana and Romano shifted forward, sensing their Alpha’s hackles rising.
“Is there a point to this game?”
Lennox smile sharply. “It’s a dance, Dominic. A dance to make you understand who the leaders are.”
Thunder clapped, loud, snapping through the room, and when Romano opened his eyes, they were somewhere much different than the foyer. It could only be a sunroom—solarium he thought he’d heard Zoey call it when she had one built for the baby—and the doors were flung wide open. The Trinity, Romano guessed, sat in the center, Kalinda next to them asleep, and seats were across from them.
“What’s wrong with her?” Romano was already moving forward before the woman could answer.
“Ah, ah, ah.”
An invisible wall stopped him short of reaching Kalinda, keeping him from taking her into his arms. He could see her pulse jumping in her throat, but he didn’t like the fact she wasn’t awake.
“You may not touch a Counc
il member without their express permission.”
He was really getting tired of the woman. Like, want-to-eat-her-in-the-bad-way tired.
“My name is Amalia, and this is Lennox,” she indicated a white-haired man, “and Yon.”
Dominic didn’t incline his head, but his tone showed deference. “The pleasure is mine. We set this meeting to discuss Kalinda and what is going on. We expect her to be present for the conversation.”
“She is present. You see her here.”
Okay, replace Amalia with Lennox for the to-be-eaten category.
Dominic growled. “You know what we meant. We are not here for games.”
“Oh, we agree. Kalinda is very important to us.” Lennox looked so smug, it took all of Romano’s willpower not to use the little bastard as a toothpick. “You see, who she is to the world is important, as is the prestige she will bring to the Encantado Mage Council. No one else will have an Ales in their midst. As you can see for yourself, she is fine.”
“I want to hear her say it herself,” Romano argued.
“I am speaking to your Alpha, Capo, not to you.”
Nope, he really didn’t like Lennox. Nor the proprietary hand he placed on Kalinda’s leg. His wolf went crazy, and he growled before he could stop himself.
“Romano …” Kalinda whispered, but he heard it.
He slammed into the invisible wall. “I’m here.”
“She’s reacting to him,” Amalia whispered. She should have known they’d hear her with their heightened hearing, no matter how low she talked.
Kalinda slumped over again, and claws burst from Romano’s hands. He could barely keep his wolf in check.
“Look at me, Kalinda. Let me see those beautiful eyes.”
Romano barely recognized his own voice, but Dominic didn’t interfere. Instead, he stood at Romano’s side, giving his support.
“I want to know what is wrong with her. She’s been appointed as a ward of the Lombardi Pack and is very special to my mate who has come here, with child, to check on her friend.”
Mated to the Enforcer (Mafia Wolf Shifters) (Encantado Shifters Book 2) Page 8
