Page 143 of Unravel Me

At the end of my search, I come across an article saying that the Ferro family went through a major crisis after Anzo was arrested three months ago. Things got even worse when Rocco took over as capo, especially since he was considered an unpopular choice.

He didn’t have an easy time with the transition, and on top of that, two of his brothers, Mauro and Eliano, vanished from the mafia, taking advantage of the weakened authority and the chaos following Anzo’s arrest.

The article strongly implies that such behavior amounts to outright betrayal of the family, and the journalist even dares to write that Mauro and Eliano’s days must be numbered.

I let out an angry huff.

So, as if I didn’t have enough problems of my own, I had to get involved with someone Rocco has a score to settle with. The new capo is breathing down Mauro’s neck. I’m probably just a side issue to him; his brother’s betrayal has to piss him off a hell of a lot more. So I agree with the journalist, I doubt Rocco is going to let it go.

No matter how much I begged for Mauro during my heat, he should have stopped and told me, "Listen, being with me is dangerous…"

Mauro owed me the truth!

He should have taken the fucking phone and typed out the whole thing for me so I could decide what to do next. Mafia revenge is no fucking joke. And for me, it’s just one more fucking risk, and for Tommy too.

Tommy…

My heart clenches and bleeds at the thought of what kind of life my son might have…

He’s unlucky to have me as his dad. Keeping him safe will be unbelievably difficult… And what if I fail? I was just one step away from catastrophe. If not for Silvio's sacrifice, I might not have made it home at all.

And once again, tears roll down my cheeks because I’m simply devastated.

I… I really like Mauro. A lot. A fucking lot!

Even though we talked so little, but I felt some kind of sweet connection with him, some deep understanding that could have been the foundation for our relationship to grow. And now…

What happens now?

We are… True Mates!

I’m not an idiot. I realize that we had sex, and that means the Bond has already started forming between us.

Everyone knows that fated mates can’t separate permanently. After a few days, they start longing for each other, and after two weeks, it becomes so unbearable that they can even die without each other.

So is there any chance at all for me to untangle myself from this situation, any way out?

Or have I unknowingly doomed my son to ruin, and myself along with him?

Because if the Bond has formed, then if Rocco kills Mauro, I’ll die too. That’s simply how it works, and Mauro knows it!

And then I circle back to the same realization one more time.

Me.

It was me. I went to Storm in search of my True Mate. I begged him, pressed him, demanding that he find my fated mate. I started the whole domino effect.

Even though three months had passed since my instant divorce from Mark, Mauro was still in Rainbow Springs. Didn’t make his move. Maybe he knew how dangerous it was? Maybe he was protecting me that way, keeping his distance?

But… when faced with his True Mate in that forest, in heat, spreading my Allure, sweetly calling him… he lost all restraint and fell into my arms, having no strength to push me away.

My heart squeezes painfully.

What do I do, what do I do…?

Again, I pull over to the side of the road, rest my arms on the steering wheel, and stare blankly at the road ahead of me…

It’s already late, and I realize I’m not going to make it home tonight. I’ll have to stop at some motel somewhere. And that’s not a good situation.