Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

BELLADONNA

I feel a vibration, making my breath catch and my eyes pop open. Glancing to the side, I watch as Hector's chest rises and falls steadily, telling me he's still sound asleep. Silas's face is buried in my pillow as he snores.

We've been hiding out in a rented townhouse for three months now, under fake names so that my pack can't track us down. We've been careful not to go out in public too much. Not until the guys get everything under control with their own pack now that their dads are six feet under.

Fuck… I still can't believe they're gone. I have nightmares about the night of my birthday when I thought it was all over. When I thought the guys had betrayed me. But they'd made the ultimate sacrifice to keep me from having to become a slave to their pack.

None of them had any real love for their fathers, but still, to take their lives so coldly, was something I could never scrape from my fucking mind. It would replay over and over again until the day I fucking died.

I smile for a second as I watch them, but I know I need to deal with this before they wake up.

Guiltily, I lift the covers and slide out of bed without making a noise. I silently thank the gods for memory foam mattresses. Squatting down to the floor, I curse myself silently for being such a fucking rookie and forgetting to turn the damn thing off.

It's a burner phone the guys don't know about. A way for me to keep in touch with Mama. If they knew I had it they'd be livid.

My hand glides between the small space separating the mattress and the box spring. Fumbling around, I find what I'm looking for. Pulling the small flip phone from its hiding place, I hurry through dressing in a pair of grey joggers and a loose black t-shirt. Forgoing my sweater and shoes, I head downstairs on my tip-toes, hoping I'm the only one still awake at this hour.

My heart squeezes for the millionth time. I miss my fucking dog. I never realized I became so attached in just a few short months. But Silas promised me he was being well taken care of by someone he trusts. Still, the house feels emptier.

It's three in the morning and freezing outside as I step out into the parking lot of the small community we've been living in for six months. It's a nice place in the good part of town, but it doesn't stop my eyes from automatically roaming strategically over the area—looking for something amiss.

As of right now, everything looks normal, so I pull the phone out and flip it open. Six missed calls from Unknown.

Heart thumping wildly, I take a few deep inhales of frosty air before dialing a number by heart. My throat is thick, and my mind is spinning with wild ideas. The phone rings three times before it's answered.

"Bella?" comes a small, whispered voice on the other end. Something in me settles. "Is it you, Bella?" Mama asks softly.

My heart squeezes at the familiar sound of her voice. It's been a year since I've seen Mama and three months since I thought I'd never speak to her again. Three months since she told me to run and never look back.

"It's me," I whisper, though there's nobody around to hear me. "Is everything okay? Its late…"

She normally calls me late at night, but it's always scheduled. I told her in the beginning, when I first found a way to get ahold of her, that it needed to be kept only between us. The guys just couldn't know without putting them in danger.

Mama sighs and there's some rustling over the line before she answers. "There's been talk… They're looking harder, baby. Your fathers haven't forgotten, and I fear what they'll do next. You know Alessio. He does not take kindly to looking like a fool."

Chills race over my skin that have nothing to do with the near freezing temperature of the cold Canadian air. I knew they'd never give up. Their alpha pride won't allow it.

"Mama, is he hurting you?" She's quiet for too long and my heart drops to my stomach. "Answer me, is Alessio hurting you because of what I did?" I feel sick. I don't know what I'd do if I were the cause of her pain. "You have to tell me?—"

"Don't you worry about me. I'm a lot stronger than you give me credit for."

A loud hiss escapes my lips, followed by a string of curses. I quickly glance around, hoping I didn't disturb anyone with my outburst. Then, I turn towards the cement wall and place my shaking hand over the speaker in attempt to muffle the noise.

"I'll kill them all—" I promise under my breath.

And I mean it.

I'll kill all of my dads if they lay a single unkind finger on my mama.

Alessio is known for his violent tendencies, and while he had never laid a hand on me, I couldn't discount the possibility. I'd witnessed him physically abuse men, women, and children before. He's a monster. More so than the others. My instincts are telling me something is off. She sounds too forced, trying to convince me that everything is fine when it clearly isn't.

There's a loud bang over the other end of the phone, causing my breath to catch. "What's going on? Why did you call me at three in the morning?"

It takes a few agonizing moments for her to respond. "I just wanted to hear your voice. I have to go, Bella. Don't call this number again. I'll call you when it's saf—when I get the chance."

I know what she was about to say, but before I have the chance to argue, the line goes dead.

I run my fingers through my hair, tugging on the dyed blue streaks in frustration as I lean against the rough brick wall. Mama has always been stubborn, but maybe she's taking it too far. I can sense that something is wrong, and yet she refuses to tell me what it is. There must be a reason why she randomly called me out of the blue. She never does anything without a purpose. Deep down, I know that she's in some kind of trouble.

I turn around again, scanning the dark parking lot, but still I see nothing. It feels foolish to be so paranoid, especially given the fact that I haven't heard or seen anything to give me the idea that Alessio might have caught on to my location. When we left three months ago, the guys made sure there was no trace or trail. Silas has connections I never ask about, and somehow we made it to Canada before anyone could come looking.

I quickly retreat three steps in the direction of the staircase when I feel a vibration in the palm of my hand. My entire body tenses up, and I tightly grip the small device with my trembling fingers. Part of me wants to throw the phone away and escape, but I can't afford to do that when Mama's well-being is at stake. This phone is my only connection to her right now.

Reluctantly, I answer the phone. Silence greets me, but the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. There are no soft sounds, no breathing or clicking. Just dead silence.

"Who's there?" I ask in a rush, only to be greeted with more quiet. "I'm hanging up now," I mutter, hands still shaking.

" Tsk tsk , is that any way to address your alpha?"

I feel weightless and heavy at the same time. I can't breathe, and I don't know if I should. He could be anywhere. He could be watching me. If he found this number, his resources are probably more advanced than I'd given him credit for.

"Belladonna?'" he chuckles, his low timbre rolling through me, sending shards of ice through my heart.

That voice is deceptive. It's the sound of the man who'd tuck me into bed at night and kiss me on the forehead, only to turn around and order his men to beat me the next day for training. It's the voice of a man who kills for sport and money. A man who forced me to kill for him. The voice of a man who sold my sister like one would sell property, in exchange for a new business deal.

"I'm here, Alessio," I whisper, sounding like the little girl I always feel like in his presence.

Even now, thousands of miles from my childhood home, I can feel his aura looming over me—crushing my body and my spirit under his blood-soaked fist.

"Ah, there she is." His accent is thick tonight, strained with the rage I know is lurking inside of him.

But yelling isn't Alessio De Luca's style. He's maintained a calm and collected sort of fury over the years. It's something many mob men have honed carefully, because often times, it's more effective than yelling or screaming.

I've personally been on the receiving end of that silence. I've watched him slice a person's throat with utter indifference while still managing to discuss business with the person next to him. Never once have I seen even a spark of something human in there.

"How did you find me?" I clip.

My hands are shaking as I roam my eyes over the barren parking lot. I hear nothing but the howling of wind.

Alessio chuckles darkly. "If you think I haven't known exactly where you were since the day you and those traitors left, then you're a fool, Belladonna. You've had your fun, but now it is time for you to come home to your pack."

Fear strikes me clean though my chest. "I—" I struggle to breathe a word, but my throat closes up as bile churns in my stomach.

"Here's what you'll do. Listen closely because I will not repeat myself." His tone leaves no room for argument. I couldn't even if I tried. "Beneath the staircase you're standing in front of is a small pouch."

I turn and duck, narrowing my eyes though the shadows of the building that blocks out the moonlight. Sure enough, there it is. A small black bag sits at the base of the stairs.

"Inside you will find a phone. Turn it on, but do not look inside. I will know if you do. You will take it and place it in your bedroom, and then you will gather the few items that mean anything to you. You will get in your car and drive to the address I am sending you right now." My phone beeps with a text. "Be there in under thirty minutes, Belladonna, or you will not like what happens next."

I blink vacantly, letting his words sink in. Overcome with dread, I manage to stifle the tears building in my eyes and ask, "Why are you doing this? What have you done?"

He laughs again. His laugh is gruff and evil—oozing like tar through the phone and into my ear. I bite the inside of my cheek until blood fills my mouth.

"You and your mama have turned your backs on this pack, my darling." He sighs heavily. "It's a shame. You had so much potential inside of you, but you chose to throw it all away for a few traitorous alphas who fuck you well for the first time. The Carbone pack and ours had plans to join forces, but now, I cannot trust their new alphas."

"That's not—" I try to defend myself, but he just cuts me off.

"I do not care for excuses. You know this already. If you ignore my instructions, your mama will pay for it personally. I do not wish to lay a hand on my own wife, but I'll not excuse this insolence any longer. You forget who I am and what I am capable of."

"How long?" I ask. I sound defeated—because I am.

He's got me in a metaphorical chokehold. He knows I'd do anything to keep Mama safe, the same way I tried to keep Rosa safe all those years ago. He knows my weakness and he's not ashamed to use it against me even if it means holding his own wife hostage. Like I said… he's evil.

"Immediately. I have no patience left to offer you, Belladonna. Your alphas have been given a mild sedative, which will make it easy for you to gather what you need and leave. If you are not in position in the next thirty minutes, you will be held solely responsible for what happens to your mother, and your men."

My entire being trembles with a mix of fear and naked rage. I have the urge to defend myself, to make my case, but I know it would be useless. He has been manipulating me behind my back this whole time, and I never even suspected it.

"Another thing. The new Carbone alphas will fall in line like their fathers before them, or they will be eliminated."

The line clicks off. He's leaving no room for argument.

I don't even give myself the time to stand around scratching my head. I just jump into action. Snatching the little black bag from the ground behind the stairs, I reach inside and grab the little black flip phone before racing back to the house.

Quietly and on nimble feet, I slink back through our small townhome, gritting my teeth the entire way back to my bedroom. I stop in the hallway near our laundry closet, opening it up to remove a comfortable black bra and a thick pair of socks from the dryer. Slipping the garments on, I crack my bedroom door open and tiptoe over to the bed before slipping on a pair of running shoes laying off to the side.

I'm wasting precious time as I stand here, staring down at Hector and Silas. Neither one of them has moved from the spots I'd left them in only a few moments ago.

My eyes rove over the plains of Hector's tanned face. His mouth is relaxed in sleep—making him look more vulnerable than he lets anyone see during waking life. Rage flows through me, wondering how in the fuck someone managed to sneak in and sedate them without anyone noticing.

My fingers shake, clasping the traitorous phone tightly and I squat down to the ground. My hands slip between the mattress once again, this time planting the second phone where the last one previously hid. I hadn't meant to keep the other one a secret for this long, but I knew the guys would disapprove of me contacting Mama in the first place.

I knew it was risky when I bought the thing. I knew I was placing all of us in jeopardy, but something inside of me could never cope with not knowing if Mama was okay. Just hearing her voice every few weeks had been enough to ground me in reality.

I don't know what's on this fucking phone, but I know it can't mean anything good for me. Alessio doesn't do anything without motive behind it, but right now I don't have the luxury of investigating.

After placing it, I slowly lower the mattress back into place. I stay squatted to the ground, low enough that my face is now level with Silas's, but his face is still buried in my pillow. He breathes steadily, and it takes all of my willpower not to reach out and run my fingers down his spine reverently.

With a shake of my head, I pull back and get back to my feet. Slinking out of my bedroom for the last time, I don't even bother looking back because it will just make this harder than it needs to be.

Despite my body tugging me towards the two closed doors at the end of the hall, I force myself to bypass Sam and Dante's bedrooms. It would only break me more.

Alessio said I was allowed to bring personal items along with me, but for some reason I just can't bear it. Everything that means anything to me in this world is back in those bedrooms, sleeping soundly without suspicion that they're being betrayed right under their noses.

As I bypass the living room where we all made love only hours before, I almost become violently ill. But I shove that feeling down deep and make my way over to the safe in the dining room.

With a few clicks, it opens up for me to reach inside and grab my little hand gun—the one I've kept close since I was just a girl. It's the only thing aside from the clothes on my back that I allow myself to take.

As I walk out the front door for the last time, I let hot tears trail down my cheeks. They'll never forgive me for this. But as the lock clicks behind me, I know it's for the best.

Securing my weapon in the waistband of my pants, I make my way out to my car on quiet feet, not looking back, not even for a second.