Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

BELLA

The airplane is small and stuffy. I'm the only one on board aside from a pilot, co-pilot and a nervous looking stewardess that flickers her gaze to me once every thirty seconds. Her attention is starting to grate on my nerves.

I can't completely blame the woman, though, and she's probably just doing her job. She was probably given strict instructions by the alphas to watch my every move and make sure I want for nothing.

It's not out of the kindness of their hearts, make no mistake. I'd never be foolish enough to be mistake it for kindness. This is a power move. Every time she refills my wine or asks me if I need anything else, it's just to placate me—to make me feel like I'm safe again, though I'm anything but.

As my eyes glaze over in exhaustion, all I can think about is that day—when it all went bad. Flashes of memory assault me and haunting, evil-looking animal masks hover in my mind's eye.

I can see them clearly. I can hear the echoing of gunshots and the slam of bodies as they hit the ground at my feet. I can recall the distinct gleam of the pooling blood in the dirt as the elder alphas bled out.

We've discussed it endlessly, and every single time they've assured me that it would have happened no matter what, but it doesn't stop what I feel. It doesn't mean I don't realize that I was the cause of the Carbone pack's downfall.

It keeps me awake sometimes. Times like right now, when I should be fast asleep with my head in the clouds. A part of me craves that oblivion—especially knowing that peace will be short-lived. The moment I step off of this private jet, my life will be in someone else's hands again.

My mind wanders to the men I abandoned. Deep down, I know they will never forgive me for this. After all we've been through together, for me to willingly return to the grasp of Alessio De Luca... It's the ultimate betrayal.

I left in such a hurry that there is no doubt they will see it as a betrayal. And then there's that strange cell phone I was forced to leave behind. Just thinking about it makes my stomach churn with disgust. Alessio must have done something terrible with it, I can feel it in my bones…

Mama is nowhere to be seen when we finally make it to my pack estate in the Hamptons. I expected her to be the one to greet me at the door, but I was only met with betas. A lot of them I recognize from before I left a year ago—big and burly, with mean scowls on their scarred faces. But there are a few new faces—fresh and young, not yet weathered from years in service.

I'm guided through hallways that feel all too familiar, and I despise the sense of being at home that settles into my bones. This shouldn't be a place where I feel comfortable. I should be filled with an overwhelming desire to scream and escape, but instead, I just feel sorrow. I take a moment to glance around and stare blankly at the massive paintings adorning the walls, amazed at how vividly I can recall each one. This has been my home for as long as I can remember, aside from the occasional winters spent at various boarding academies.

The floors are black marble, woven through with gold embellishments, while the walls are a soft cream. Nothing has changed since my youth, and as the guards lead me down a labyrinth of decorated hallways, I have no problem following along easily.

I could navigate this house with my eyes closed. I remember when I was young—before my dads got it in their heads that I was different than Rosa and needed to be sent away, I would wander the house at night, slipping by the guards and outsmarting them every time. I would prowl the house, listening in on pack meetings and dinner parties.

I knew secrets, names, places and times—without ever realizing just how valuable the information would be to someone who knew what to do with it.

My bedroom is the same as it's always been—filled with memories of brain matter dripping off the chandelier. The door shuts behind me, and I hear the snik of a lock.

Before I have the chance to settle in and wind down, there's a quick knock at my door. It opens shortly after, making me grit my teeth in annoyance. What's the point in knocking if you're just going to let yourself in regardless?

A man pokes his head though the door, Alpha Liam. Not my birth father, but still one of my mama's three mates. His hands are just as dirty as Alessio's, maybe even more so. The things I've seen this man do inside the walls of this house I'll never be able to scrub from my mind.

He looks me up and down with a sneer. "Come to Alessio's study," he grits out. "You have twenty minutes." With that, he leaves, clicking the door shut again, this time leaving it unlocked.

I'd never been close with any of the alphas who called themselves my fathers. They were all brutes. They were cold and violent, and not the males who should have been my mama's mates at all. She deserved better than the hand she was dealt.

I listen to the sound of his footsteps as they retreat down the hallway, but I remain sitting on the edge of the bed, wringing my fingers in my lap nervously. Dread courses through me at the prospect of coming face to face with Alessio again after all this time. Even hearing his voice over the phone had sent chills through my body.

Instead of dragging out the inevitable, I make my way through the house on heavy feet, dreading every step I take. I can feel eyes on me as I pass more and more betas. I forgot how many there were. Suddenly, I find myself longing for the solitude of my seaside home. This place feels stiflingly like a prison and these are my wardens.

They don't say a word to me, but they just stand around in doorways like silent sentinels, as if they're just waiting for me to make a break for it. Can't say the thought hasn't crossed my mind.

The large oak door to Alessio's study looms over me like the entrance to hell itself. How many times have I hovered in this exact spot, praying to any god that exists that Alessio might be in a good mood today.

I remember the very last time I stood here—one year ago when I had the world at my fingertips and freedom on the tip of my tongue. Little did I know that freedom is an illusion that only Alessio De Luca has complete and utter control of.

Taking a deep breath, I square my shoulders and knock softly, only for the door to swing open almost immediately. I pull black with wide eyes before narrowing them again. Two men stand at the threshold, beckoning me inside. Alpha Liam and Alpha Marco.

Alessio sits at his familiar oak desk, this time devoid of anything but a single manilla file in the center of it. He's looking straight at me, hard enough that I feel like shriveling down into a little pile of ash.

I force myself to breathe evenly and to keep a neutral, serene expression on my face. Alessio can smell weakness from a mile away, but he won't get the satisfaction of seeing it.

"Do you remember what I said to you the last time you stood in this office?" his voice trickles through the room like a deep, rushing river. "I distinctly remember asking you to not let me down." He leans back in his massive chair, clasping his hands together in front of him. "Care to tell me why you could not follow those simple instructions?"

"Apologies, Alpha." Bowing my head, I force my eyes to stay lowered. I hate the feeling of submitting to this fucker, but I need to play it safe until I get my bearings and figure out if the guys are safe, and where Mama is.

He snorts. "Have I taught you nothing?" He stands. Straightening his tie, he circles his desk slowly. Sometimes I forget how massive Alessio really is. He towers over me as he comes closer. "You are in a unique position here. You have betrayed your pack, and any rights you might have had to follow in my footstep?—"

I hiss, cutting him off and raising my eyes to his. "Following in your footsteps? How did you expect that to happen when you were selling me the Carbones? We had a deal, Aleesio. I thought your whole thing was all about making deals? Just not with me, right? You did the same to me as you did to my sist?—"

The look in his eyes stops me from completing that sentence. Alessio has a silent rage inside of him. It's why he's the leader of my mama's mates. They defer to him automatically. What we says, is law.

"Marrying into the Carbone pack was crucial for our alliance. I saw you as an opportunity to gain a foothold and have someone on the inside." I furrow my brow, confused as fuck. He lets out a tired sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I know this is all hard to understand right now, but the older alphas of the Carbone pack were too unruly. Our partnership with Black Pharmaceuticals was meant to keep them in line and remind them who was in charge. I was supposed to hold fifty percent ownership and you would take my place on the board. But thanks to you and those fucking boys, everything has been ruined."

I pull back, blinking at him in shock. "And you couldn't have disclosed your little plan before you sent me there? You made it seem like you were actually giving me one free year before I became your slave."

"Slave..." he growls, disgust and disappointment evident on his face. "After all I've provided for you, this is how you repay me? I've given you riches, influence, guidance, and far more freedom than any omega should ever receive. Yet here you are, an ungrateful little child."

Alpha Liam's voice breaks our stare off, and I turn to face him. "We invested so much into your training for a reason." His eyes narrow as they bore into mine. "You were meant to be our weapon, but you couldn't resist acting on your own impulses."

"What now then? What's the point of forcing me to come back here? Are you going to sell me off like you sold my Rosa?"

Liam's grin grows even wider. "You'll be resuming your training; it'll be as if you never left. When the time is right, we will choose who and if you will marry, but for now, you are to return to your usual assignments. If you cooperate, then we should have no problems. If you refuse, then we'll kill the Carbone alphas, and force you to watch. Or maybe, we'll have you pull the trigger yourself."

I clench my fists at my sides, fingernails digging into my palms as I fight the urge to lash out at Liam. The thought of the Carbone alphas, my alphas, being hurt because of me is unbearable. But I know I have to tread carefully. One wrong move and Alessio won't hesitate to follow through.

"I understand," I say through gritted teeth, hating how small and powerless my voice sounds. "I'll do as you ask."

Alessio regards me coolly, a hint of amusement playing at the corners of his lips, as if he can see right through my subdued act. "Good girl," he purrs condescendingly. "I'm glad we have an understanding. You may go now."

I give a stiff nod and turn on my heel, barely restraining myself from sprinting out of the suffocating study. Once in the hallway, I let out a shaky breath. My mind races as I make my way back to my room, pieces of Alessio's revelations clicking into place like a sickening puzzle.

All this time, I thought I was just a pawn to be married off, but it seems Alessio had grander machinations in mind for me. The weight of it settles heavily on my shoulders. I was meant to be their weapon, their inside agent in the Carbone pack. And I played right into their hands by running away. Now I'm trapped again, with no idea what horrors they have in store for me or the men I left behind.

Back in my room, I pace restlessly, my mind a whirlwind of fear and frustration. How could I have been so naive to think I could ever truly escape Alessio's clutches? That one year of freedom was just an illusion, a cruel trick to lull me into a false sense of security.

Taking a deep breath, I steel myself, locking away the pain. I can't afford to wallow in self-pity or regret. If I want to protect the guys and find a way out of this mess, I need to be smart. I need to play along with Alessio's game, bide my time, and look for any opportunity to turn the tables.

It won't be easy. Alessio is as cunning as a fox and twice as ruthless. He'll be watching my every move, waiting for me to slip up. But I have to try. For the sake of the Carbone alphas, for Mama, for myself