Alpha Luciano’s POV
I snatched the envelope out of his hands and ripped it open. After reading the contents, I laughed. So Vitalio had made his move already. It was now my turn. I remembered something I had seen. Yes, that would do very nicely. I knew exactly how to respond to this. The war was just beginning.
Arabella’s POV
A warm arm was around my waist when I woke up and I could feel his morning erection pressed against my backside.
After Margaret had sewn me up, I’d managed to get into the bathroom. Then I had thrown on one of Alpha Luciano’s shirts, thrown off the stained bed sheets to the ground then crawled back into bed feeling like an invalid.
I must have slept off the rest of the afternoon because when I woke up again, food had been placed by my bedside and the night had fallen so I’d eaten and then fallen asleep again.
I knew I should have gone to my room already but I couldn’t move. I was feeling extremely tired, if Alpha Luciano wanted me out so badly, he could carry me to my room. The excitement of the day and night before was only just crashing and my body took the toll. Hard.
I looked at the arm. It was definitely Alpha Luciano. Was he spooning me in his sleep? Well, again this was his bed. It’s just that we’d never been together like this. Yes, we’d fucked. But spooned? Never. Come to think of it, we hadn’t even kissed. So this was awkward but at the same time weirdly nice.
“You smell like wine, do you know that?”
His voice was heavy and deep with sleep. I froze.
“I know you are awake, Arabella.” He removed his arm from my midsection and I moved away from him to the end of the bed before turning to face him. He was shirtless and wore only underwear, his erection protruding obscenely. Yet he watched me with barely concealed amusement. Like I was the one being strange.
“We have an event to attend. Together.”
“An event.” I intoned. “Like the one at the meeting house? Who will I have to perform for this time?”
I would rather die than experience that sort of humiliation again. No way.
“The werewolf council had summoned us. They want to see you. At my side. Apparently, your father reported me for kidnapping you. I don’t know how he could have gotten the idea.” Alpha Luciano said sarcastically with a smirk.
My blood pounded in my ears. Was he saying what I thought he was? The council wanted to see me and he would take me there? All I had to do was go and embrace my dad, point at Alpha Luciano and tell them exactly what he’d done to me. He would be heavily reprimanded if not killed and I would be free.
But he knew the laws. Why would he take me there knowing I would rat him out?
“You are letting me go?”
“But of course I am. You have to make the council understand that we are madly in love. In fact, you begged me to rescue you from an unwanted marriage and mad with love I did it. You don’t want to go home, you love it here. You love the pack, the environment, and my dick. Yeah, something like that is what you should say.”
I laughed. Had he lost his marbles?
“And why on earth I would lie for you? Why the bloody hell would I burn my ticket to freedom?”
“I’m your mate. Surely you wouldn’t want to see me in pain…”
“Trust me, I would pay good money to see you in pain for all the pain you have caused me.”
“Unfortunately for you, that will never happen because you will lie for me. And you will do it because if you do not, I will have Margaret executed for neglecting her duty and letting you escape.”
I gasped in shock. Every time I felt he couldn’t stoop any lower, he astounded me.
“And why would I care about whether or not you execute a member of your pack? Do what you want to her. I couldn’t care less.” I stood up from the bed, turning my back on him.
Suddenly I felt him behind me. He planted a kiss on my neck making me shiver. One of his hands slid across my belly, the other on my shoulder.
He inhaled the scent on my neck and I shivered.
“You smell so intoxicating. I think I could get drunk from your scent alone. Especially when you reek of fear and deception.” He pressed himself against me. “Do you know what your biggest flaw is? You want to be good. You want to lie to yourself that you are a better person than you actually are. And that is why you will lie for me because deep down you want to be good.” He pulled away from me and smacked my ass.
“Off you go. You need to rest up and recover before the council meeting. It’s in a week’s time, Arabella.” He winked at me, a smirk on his lips. “I trust you will not disappoint me.”
I limped out of his room on shaky legs. Margaret had told me that I should always prioritize myself, and that it wasn’t bad to choose myself over other people. She understood. She would understand if I left her to Alpha Luciano’s care. But I couldn’t do it. At the same time, I couldn’t throw away what might be my last chance at escape.
If I lied to the council that I loved Alpha Luciano, my father would never be able to rescue me. He wouldn’t be allowed to and Alpha Luciano had just shown me how difficult it would be to escape from his clutches without any help.
My freedom or Margaret’s life.
The week went fast the way days you do not want to pass often do. I was yet to make a decision but my leg was healing up nicely. Alpha Luciano didn’t summon me into his bed for that week and I avoided the ladies in the harem by eating inside my room after Margaret ordered my food to be served to me In bed.
I didn’t tell her about the ultimatum. I couldn’t. If she died, what would happen to her daughter? Would Alpha Luciano keep his promise to find her and if he did, where would she stay? Who would she stay with?
On the day of the council meeting, Margaret dressed me up. I looked like a princess gone dark. My gown was an elegant black lined with gold. It was fitted at the top and flared down from the hips. It did wonders for my curves making me look extremely feminine. My hair fell down my back in loose waves and my makeup was darker than I liked but I still looked stunning.
The women in the harem didn’t say anything to me as I passed them by on my way out, my heart in my mouth. I squeezed the folds of my dress and moved forward.
Alpha Luciano waited for me near the entrance matching me in a black suit and tux with gold accessories. His stare seemed to burn a hole right through me. “Margaret, thank you for the good work. I might have some work for you in the afternoon, Mikah will deliver my message.” He stared at me all the while saying it so that I would have no doubts about what exactly Mikah would deliver. Death.
“Oh. Thank you, Alpha.” Margaret bowed sounding vaguely confused.
Alpha Luciano faced me. His smile mocking. “My beauty, are you ready? He said his hand was outstretched. I placed my hand in his without looking at him lest I would cry. I hated Alpha Luciano.
The car drove up to meet us and Alpha Luciano opened the door for me to get in, his mien oddly gentlemanly. I wanted to stab him through the eye with a fork or knife. He would rape and abuse me then have the effrontery to open the door for me as though I was a lady. His lady.
Was it odd that I was now wondering how it might have felt to be loved by such a terrible man? How would it have felt to be treated like this all the time? It was a stupid dream. Our fate had been written out before we had been born. We were merely following our scripts. I was a Bianchi, he was a Romano. There was no other way around this.
I entered the car and he slammed the door before walking over to the other side to get in. I wondered what they would do to him if I testified
against him. Fine him? Take away his pack lands? Persecute him? Kill him?
A traitorous tear dropped from my eye to my cheek. I didn’t know if the tear was for my mate and the fate that would await him or if it was for myself and the choice I had to make.
Alpha Luciano kissed the tear away from my face and I looked at him. “Careful Arabella, you know your fear and pain are like an aphrodisiac to me. I might not be able to resist taking you if you keep crying.”
Of course, that was all I could be to him. A sex object.
I glanced through the car window at Margaret who was standing next to Mikah, rumoured in the harem to be Alpha Luciano’s, deadly right-hand man. His executioner.
I looked forward again to my future. The car moved.