Alpha Luciano’s POV
The announcement brought on a range of reactions from shock to outrage. I had thought about it hard. It was the sensible thing to do. If I couldn’t protect them, what was the point?
“Those who want to remain are free to do so and those who want to leave will also be compensated for their time, efforts and sacrifices they made…”
The women looked between themselves.
“If you wish to leave, I will not judge you. You have all tried your best and I am humbled by your sacrifices. Now if you wish to leave, simply move to this side and Mikah will take down your information and discuss your settlement plan with you. If you wish to leave this pack so that you will be able to start your life afresh, I will foot the bill.”
Giulia stood up first and walked straight to Mikah without a backwards glance at me. I looked at the remaining eight of them and one by one they stood up and left until they were just four left sitting. The other five chose to leave instead.
I should have done this a long time ago instead of letting these women stay on for nothing knowing that I was as emotionally unavailable as they come.
Emery was still seated, staring at me with that green penetrating gaze. I realized something at that moment, extremely uncomfortable. Emery was in love with me. The other three; Sofia, Emiliana and Valencia had looked amongst themselves wondering which option was the better one but Emery’s eyes never left me.
I wanted to send her away based on policy. I didn’t return her feelings. She was a wonderful fuck and that was all. The last thing I needed was another Anastasia going after the women in my life. But I stopped myself before I spoke. It was her decision. Who was I to take away her choice from her even if the only thing it could lead to was heartbreak?
I wouldn’t take the choice away from her.
********
Emery’s POV
She had done it. Somehow Arabella had disbanded the harem. This was her handiwork. I could just smell her touch all around it.
She had changed Luciano so much that I was barely able to recognise who he was any more.
Disbanding of the harem? Impossible because… many times she had tried covert and non-covert manoeuvres to get him to disband the harem but each time she was met with a violent response and rebuttal.
It would seem I had underestimated her again, I wouldn’t make the same mistake again.
********
Arabella’s POV.
While Luciano left, I had my breakfast. I couldn’t eat the bacon and a lot of the cheese for the bread. My hunger stint had made me sensitive to rich foods. I would need to eat slowly until my body could accommodate rich food again.
I ate the toast, took some juice and then I passed out, tiredly. When I woke up, he was just coming in and the door sound was what woke me up.
Once he entered, I went back to bed after forming he was the one entering the room. In the throes of my sleep, I felt him settle in behind me and we just slept together.
It felt good. So good it should have been illegal.
Until the call came in the middle of the night.
I woke up to the sound of Alpha Luciano’s phone ringing. I kept my eyes short, and my breathing deep which wasn’t really that hard seeing as I was still half asleep. He grabbed his phone and left the bed.
“Talk to me Mikah.” His voice was lightly groggy and sleepy but his authoritative tone and nature still shone through.
“What happened to the drugs?” His voice went dead quiet and I felt cold fear flow through my veins.
Had Natasha struck so soon?
“Tell Bishop to be here within the next hour.”
He ended the call and then ended the call. He threw his phone against the wall, enraged.
Then I heard him hit the shower again. Once he was done, he dressed up and left the room for the meeting he had with his people.
I stood up almost immediately ignoring the pangs of pain in my legs as I looked for one of Alpha Luciano’s shorts to wear beneath the shirt. I had to get to the meeting spot we had agreed on for this particular meeting during the last meeting that we had.
I looked around before leaving the room, wincing at the pain in my feet. It didn’t bleed thankfully but the pain was insane. I wanted to cry and laugh at myself at the same time.
I had lost myself in the fantasy of being his. Of being with him for a day. The man who was like fire and ice. So hot on some days and freezing me out on others.
He’d asked me why I was so loyal to him. He really thought I was truly loyal to him. Too bad when I actually was, he didn’t appreciate it and now it was too late for that.
The pack house was a large sprawling structure. So many rooms were occupied and some wings closed off. It was in one of those wings we’d agreed to meet at. Natasha had said it was too risky to meet in the same place consecutively. Someone would notice. Hence the deserted wing of the pack house.
I first went to my bedroom to look for the sign she said she would leave behind for me to see to know she would be there.
On my shelf, there was a novel that I didn’t have there before with a page folded at the page number. She was so gutsy coming in here at this time when things were extremely tight here. I shrugged off the strange shroud of guilt that persisted in my bones and set off to the location.
********
“A billion dollars?” I wasn’t sure I could count that high yet.
“Yes. Per person.” She looked effortlessly cool in her all-black ensemble.
My jaw dropped and she laughed. “Don’t act so shocked. I have transferred your money to an offshore account, whenever you want to ditch this dump, the whole world is out there to explore.”
Imagine having all the money you would ever need to live life on your own terms or do that and start a business of investing in other ventures to continue growing your money. To be that wealthy without a day’s worth of working and yet knowing that you may never get to spend a lick of that money because you were a prisoner.
“But why do I get the feeling like you don’t want to leave this dump, Arabella?”
I looked up sharply at her. “What do you mean? Of course, I wish to escape.”
She merely smiled. “If you say so. It was nice being partners with you.” Natasha outstretched her arm and I took it.
We had made our profits while also giving Alpha Luciano a royal fuck off.
As she left, I called out to her. “Good luck, Natasha.”
“You too Bianchi.”
And she was gone.
*******
Alpha Luciano’s POV
“Do you know how much worth of drugs you just cost me?”
“Alpha…merthy.” Mercy. Bishop was trying to choke out.
I squeezed his throat tighter. Any more and I would break his neck and kill him. Then there would be nobody to vent all my anger at.
I released him and his huge body fell to the ground making a thud as he fell.
He choked out a breath and began grovelling, repeating the same story he had been telling for the past half an hour.
“It was Natasha. She is now working for a new drug lord. She stole the drugs and we couldn’t do anything about it. She knows all the distribution chains. She could have…”
“Shut the fuck up. You impotent disappointment. Even if she knew everything, she didn’t know the password you are supposed to tell the dealer. So you must have a mole because whatever I told you here in the office is undocumented. No one could have known about the password unless they were in the same room. You have a mole and you need to find them now. Or your life will be forfeit.”
Mikah stood in the corner watching everything with his dispassionate glare.
“Alpha, all my men have worked with me for years. They would never…”
“Oh, so was I the one who did it? I called Natasha to rob me of well over three billion dollars in drugs.”
Bishop managed to dodge the chair I threw at him so it broke against the walls instead. I would use the legs to wipe some sense into his head. By the time I was done with him, he would never–
I saw the bug in between the broken chair parts. I dropped the foot of the chair I had carried to the floor.
Someone. Someone had the audacity to bug my office. Who would dare?! I vibrated with anger and pent-up rage.
I lifted the bug to my nose and inhaled deeply, sorting out the stale scents for the most recent ones.
I smelt Arabella and Natasha.
My mind went back to that day. The day Arabella had fallen while working towards Alec and rested. It was against this particular chair. Had she bugged my office to help Natasha do this to me?
My vision went red dor a second remembering how I had softened a bit to her yesterday because she had proven herself as a loyal person.
But now, I would deal with her so harshly that she would curse the day she met me.