“Here’s one more nugget of honesty, Nico. I’m not going to do the work for you. It’s not the ‘mafia life’ but feeling inadequate. Tonight, he was an integral part of the plan. Meet him where he’s at and see what he’s capable of. Good night.”
“Night, Verona. Take care of our omegas.”
I refuse to reply as Pablo opens the door and gently lifts Rosa into his arms. Sliding out of the car, I walk with them to the gate, pulling out my keys. No one is jumping that thing tonight.
“Are you okay, mama?” he asks as I unlock the door and push it open so we can walk together into the darkened garden. I turn on my cellphone light just in case while murmuring that I’m fine, checking the gate to make sure it latched properly.
“It just truly hit me that I’m never going to get rid of the Domino brothers.”
“Oh?” Pablo asks, amused. “Did you realize they’re not going to let up?”
“No, it’s more so that they're seeds that attach to your clothes as you walk through the grass. They’re not dangerous to you, but they’ll find a way to stick like glue until you pick them off,” I mutter.
“I think they’d rather be fungus.”
I huff out a laugh as we walk, because Pablo is probably right.
“I don’t want to like them. I’d be perfectly happy with the three of us.”
“Like with visitation rights?” Pablo teases me. “Verona, you’re the one who told me it’s alright to care about multiple people at once.”
“Yes. However, your brothers have heartbreak written across their foreheads. Even Ciro. Did you know he’s wearing a shock collar to remind himself not to say stupid shit?”
“I am aware, yes,” he grins. “This is next level even for him. He is usually the chaos in our pack, mama. Now, Ciro is willing to do anything to keep it together. In a way, it makes him seem the most manipulative, but he also has the most heart. He was willing to ignore me so my brother could have me. The dynamics in my pack are changing because they’re working toward a common goal. Once my brothers fall for you, that’s it. There’s no escaping.
“The group stalking? It looks like they want the three of us. Buckle up, as I have no idea how that’ll look. They’ve gone off script. The little I’ve experienced of their obsession is intense.”
Fuck. Where did the oxygen go? Why is that so heavy?
“There’s oxygen, mama. Suck it in. That’s it. I was doing some research today…”
Yes. Please distract me. I don’t want Ciro or your brothers to like me. Nope.
“Learn anything interesting?” I ask, proud when I almost sound normal.
“There are people who don’t feel attraction to others until they get to know them. For us, it’s the scent match that made us instantly pulled to each other. For my stepbrothers? They suck the air out of a room, Verona, until the only thing that exists is them. I felt it when I walked into the Domino house for the first time and Nico practically dragged me to the bathroom to fuck me in the middle of dinner.
“The Domino effect is real. Don’t be hard on yourself when you feel yourself being pulled under.”
“I need to know Rosa can handle whatever ridiculous effect this is. They need to make this right with her,” I say urgently. “Your brothers can rot until they do.”
“I’m sure they understand that,” he says, stopping at the guest house once we arrive there.
I’m finding that fucking remote control in the morning. At least one of them will learn to heel on command.
Chapter Twenty
ROSALIA
Eyes blinking into the darkness,I go through the motions of stretching in front of Pack Mayor’s house. Cassidy was jogging up by the time Pablo, Vero, and I stumbled out the gate to join them. For God’s sake, the sun isn’t even up yet.
It’s too damn early.Still, I can feel my muscles loosen as I work through the exercises, ensuring I won’t have a cramp while running. I don’t see Nina as I pick up my water and adjust my sweat band around my forehead to keep my hair off my face, and I try not to feel disappointed about it. Maybe I’ll see her another time.
I didn’t have the patience to tighten my ponytail the way I usually do when I need to look perfect, and I’ve noticed recently my roots are more sensitive. I have to baby them while I’m detangling my hair, something I’ve never previously needed to worry about before. I’ll fix my hair if necessary later into my run, but I won’t torture myself.
There are twelve of us by the time we’re ready to move, and I swallow nervously, glad for the alpha pheromone blocker cream.I just want to feel normal, or at least be able to figure out what that means for me. Being a mafia princess in her gilded cage isn’t exactly anyone’s idea of “normal.”
“Ready?” Cassidy asks, watching as I nod. “You, Pablo, Verona, and Charity will go in the middle. We like to have our omegas and pacing partners there so we don’t leave anyone behind accidentally.”
