3. Ethan

Chapter 3

Ethan

He said yes. The gorgeous alpha—who seemed like a decent guy, for a mobster—said yes.

Fucking hell, he said yes.

My blood ran cold and sweat beaded on my forehead. What had I done?

In the heat of the moment, it seemed like a great idea. Offering myself to a strange alpha mobster to save my dad’s life and pay off his debt was a no-brainer. Brilliant even. I really was a virgin, and I’d heard enough rumors to know that virginity was valuable to some people. It was stupid, but that was life sometimes.

But now that he was ushering me out of the casino and toward a black SUV, I started to realize the flaw in my plan. Who the hell was this guy and what was he going to do with me?

I mean, the obvious answer was that he was going to breed me like any other red-blooded alpha would. But then what? Was it really a good idea to offer myself up for my dad? The chances of him actually cleaning up his act and giving a shit about me were practically non-existent. He’d been in and out of trouble for the past decade, and his gambling was clearly out of control.

Oh shit. What about my job? My things? Did I just leave them behind? I left my job in the middle of a shift. They expected me back tomorrow. I had an apartment. Thank goodness I wasn’t fostering any animals right now or they would need someone to take care of them.

I had way more questions than answers. I breathed in and out slowly to try to alleviate the stress radiating through my body.

I had no idea if my dad would even be able to keep the house without me there to help him but… Maybe I could still help him? Maybe this guy just wanted to have me as a sex toy now and then, and I could go about my life the rest of the time.

I chuckled out loud at that thought. That’s not how these kinds of guys worked. He wasn’t going to fuck me and let me go home. If I didn’t end up locked in a dungeon for the rest of my life with my legs spread and ass presented to whoever wandered by, I would consider myself lucky.

I shuddered at the thought and another laugh rumbled from my chest.

“Do you think this is funny?” His silky voice sent a shudder throughout my body, but not one of fear. He sounded more amused than angry, and that did something to my insides. The alpha opened the door to the SUV and lifted me just enough that I was suddenly inside and being moved over as he slid in beside me until our thighs touched.

My faded blue scrubs, which were at least five years old and so thin they were almost translucent, contrasted wildly with his black suit pants. “No. Definitely not funny.” I bit my lip and looked at the front of the car. Someone was driving us, but I couldn’t tell who.

“Then, why were you laughing?”

If I were clever, I could’ve come up with some kind of lie. But the only thing I could think to say was the truth. “I was laughing at how stupid I am for believing it was a good idea to sell myself to a stranger.”

His eyes stared straight ahead when I glanced at him. “Then I’m glad to hear you’re not a complete idiot.”

I frowned and crossed my arms over my chest, curling in on myself as the weight of my situation dawned on me. What had he expected me to do? Just sit there while my father was killed? I couldn’t. If that made me an idiot, well, then I guess that’s what I was. “What are you gonna do with me? Are you going to…hurt me? I just want to be prepared.”

He finally turned to me and smirked. The deep brown of his eyes was captivating. Something about him set me at ease, even though I should have been running for the hills. “Now you care about what’s gonna happen to you? A few minutes ago, you were going on about how valuable your virginity is. What do you think I’m gonna do with you?”

“Yeah, I figured.” Willing the tears forming in my eyes to stay in place, I exhaled slowly. I’d cried enough already—plus I fainted in front of this alpha at least once—and there was no use in shedding any more tears. The decision had been made. I sold myself to the mafia, and now it was time to deal with the consequences. “Do you, like, have a harem where alphas can pick from a selection of omegas?” I’d heard of those and knew they were popular with wealthy families.

“I do, actually.”

Something unexpectedly close to disappointment filled my chest as I nodded again. “So, I’ll be joining that?”

He was quiet for a moment, and I wondered if he would respond before he reached across the seat and placed his hand on my shoulder. “No. You’ll be mine. No one else will have access to you.”

My jaw hung open as those words sank into my brain. He wanted me to be his. Only his. At least, that’s how it sounded. And based on how he gripped my shoulder, maybe I hadn’t made such a bad decision after all, despite all evidence to the contrary. “Okay. Thank you.”

He nodded once without speaking.

I had no right to ask, but I desperately wanted to know how many omegas were his. He might not be sharing me, but would I be sharing him?

The look he gave me was a mix of confusion and something else I couldn’t name. But it didn’t matter anymore. I was going home with this man, and apparently, he wanted me to be his exclusively.

“My name is Orsino, by the way. Orsino Ferrini.”

“Ferrini? I feel like I’ve heard that name before.”

He barked out a chuckle. “Yeah, if you watch local news, you’ve probably heard it now and then.” His shoulders relaxed, and he grinned at me. “Don’t believe everything you see on TV. Sometimes we’re much worse.” His eyes glowed in the dim light of the car like he was some sort of predator, and I was his prey—caught in his snare and unable to escape.

My breath hitched as I turned fully to face him. “But you’re not. I can tell.” He could have just as easily thrown my father into a dumpster, taken what little money I had brought, and sent me packing. I doubted this man wanted a virgin omega that badly. For all he knew, I could be lying. It wasn’t as if a doctor had checked. He had no reason to believe the son of a thieving gambling addict.

He glanced at me for a moment and shrugged. “Sometimes I am. Sometimes I’m not. I guess we’ll just have to see where I land on this one.”

With that, he turned to face the window.

I stared down at the dark carpet of the car. There wasn’t a speck of dust or dirt anywhere in there. Everything about this man and what I’d seen of him screamed money and power. He probably had omegas and maybe some alphas tripping over themselves to be with him.

So why had he agreed to take me?