Chill the fuck out, man. I’m trying to stop a bloodbath here.
Of course, that was much harder when he was down on one knee between two of the most powerful men in Encantado. It was hard enough just to catch his breath. But he held firm, forcing his gaze to meet Dominic’s and keeping his head straight instead of exposing the soft area of his neck.
Romano’s voice was a barely contained snarl. “I’m all for power play, but normally I’m on top, so could you calm down long enough to see this epic shit here? Only happens once in a lifetime.”
Dominic’s gaze flashed, his pupils dilating and filling up most of the iris around them. His wolf was close to the surface. “Move, Romano.”
Another blast of power made Romano’s insides twist viciously.
That’s going to hurt in the morning. “Zoey.”
One second. Two. Nothing changed, and yet everything did. Dominic’s shoulders relaxed a fraction, and his jaw wasn’t so tight, the muscle working double time instead of triple.
“Zoey,” Dominic repeated.
“Yeah, and she’s in danger. Maybe we should focus on that?”
Dominic glared at Arturo as he put a hand on Romano’s shoulder and released his power on him. Romano breathed a deep sigh of relief.
“We’ll discuss this later,” Dominic promised.
“Yes, I’m sure we will. We won’t have a choice. But all the players aren’t here for that one, and I want you focused where you need to be,” Arturo answered.
“I’m not your concern any longer, Arturo. I have my own pack now.”
For the first time, Arturo looked … soft. As soft as rock can appear smoothed over by years of wear and tear. Romano got to his feet stiffly, joints cracking as he realigned. He never wanted to face challenging the Alpha power again. But everyone had eyes on Arturo, and Carlo even went as far as to step closer to Arturo.
“You have always been my concern, Dom. It was not always just because you were a wolf of my pack or my right hand.” He paused. “You know I had a family once, yes?”
Dominic nodded slowly. “Yes.”
No one said the rest: they were murdered and who murdered them was never found. To speak of Arturo’s family meant death, and he didn’t often bring it up himself. When he did, it was during quiet moments with Dominic in attendance and Romano at his side. Romano kept silent, knowing this.
“Then trust me when I say, we will speak on this later, Dominic. This is the one time I am speaking as a father instead of an Alpha. My men are already on their way to your lands for added protection. We have less than a month to figure out a way to say no to the Trinity or prepare for war with them. Let us focus on that.”
Dominic only nodded, and Romano couldn’t blame him. What exactly could you say to a man who always chose derisive and violent action instead of sentiment but had chosen to show emotion and care in this instance? Romano and his Alpha remained silent until they got into the elevator to leave.
“Well, that was just fucking weird,” Romano commented.
“You couldn’t last three minutes without saying something, could you?”
“What? It was awkward, and I don’t do awkward. It makes my balls shrivel.”
“I hate you. I really do.”
“Yeah? Love you too, douche.”
“How shriveled are your balls after saying that?”
“Microscopic. Want to see?”
“Why in the shit … you know what? Never mind. Let’s just get home.”
What else could they do?
Chapter Thirteen
“You have to visualize what you’re wanting to happen, Kalinda, or it won’t work.”
