Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

HECTOR

I stare out the bedroom window, taking in the vast De Luca pack estate sprawling before me. The grounds are immaculately kept, with separate buildings dotting the landscape. Lush gardens wind between them, explosions of vibrant flowers and manicured topiaries hinting at the wealth and power that runs through this place like an electric current.

In the distance, a dock juts out over a serene pond, the water's glassy surface broken only by the occasional ripple of a jumping fish. There's massive parking lot bordering the estate, a sea of asphalt dominated by rows of sleek, expensive cars. Gleaming sports cars and luxury sedans wink in the dying light, their pristine paint jobs and polished chrome an ostentatious display of affluence.

Somewhere in this labyrinth of opulence, Dante, Silas and Sam are sequestered in their own rooms, no doubt primping and preening as they ready themselves for dinner. Readying to see the woman that betrayed us all.

Why?

It's the question that's been rolling around in my fucking head since the day she disappeared. Why play the long game? Why pretend?

The thought of seeing her again has my stomach in knots. I sit on the bed and throw my head in my hands in aggravation, trying to shake the memories out of my brain. I put a bullet through my own father's head for that woman.

She had me imaging what it would be like to claim her as my omega. To make it official. I was ready to make her the center of my fucking world… or my pack. She would have been everything.

Maybe We're all blind idiots.

There's a knock on the bedroom door, but before I can answer it, Sam walks in the room. The beta closes the door behind him before standing against it with his arms crossed and a pensive look on his face. Ive wondered for a while what Bella sees in him. He's not an alpha, so biologically, she has no need for him. And yet when the two of them are in the same room, the sexual tension between them is palpable.

I knew Sam was in in love with Bella from the moment I met him. It practically wafts all over him. I shouldn't surprise me that her beta bodyguard was willing to throw away his loyalty to the De Luca pack for her. I would have done the same thing in his position. There's something about that woman that's fucking hypnotizing, so I can sympathize.

"They're not like your previous alphas," Sam says by way of greeting. He rubs a palm over his brown beard. He's dressed much the same as I am, in a dark tailored suit, hiding the tattoos that cover his body.

"Yeah? How so?" I ask with a tired sigh. How could the De Luca alphas be any worse than the previous Carbones?

Sam uncrosses his arms and steps closer, his expression grave. "The old Carbones may have been brutal, but they were predictable. Ruled by ego. The De Lucas though...they're a different breed entirely. Cunning, strategic to a fucking fault. They play chess while everyone else is playing checkers."

I look up at him, searching his face. "So what, are you saying we're outmatched here?"

He shakes his head. "I'm saying we need to be smart. I was a De Luca beta for years. I've seen what goes on behind closed doors. They sold their own omega daughter to a sex club. They're playing dirty if it means gaining more power. Bella was their key to owning your pack too."

I stand abruptly, pacing the room like a caged animal. The mention of her name ignites something primal in me every fucking time. "So what's the play then? Roll over and show our bellies? Let them win?"

Sam steps into my path. "No. We watch. We learn. And when the time is right, we strike. But not before we understand the full scope of what we're dealing with."

I meet his steely gaze, a newfound respect blooming beneath my ribs. "I can't promise I won't rip their fucking throats out."

Sam holds my gaze, unflinching. "I'm not asking you to hold back forever, Hector. Just long enough to figure out their game. We need to be smart about this."

I take a deep breath, trying to quell the rage simmering in my blood. The urge to storm down there and paint the walls with De Luca blood is almost overwhelming. But Sam's right. We can't go off half-cocked, not against an enemy like this.

"Fine," I grit out. "We play it your way for now. But if they make one wrong move..."

"Then we'll be ready," Sam finishes, his voice laced with grim determination. "And they'll regret ever crossing us."

A knock sounds at the door, breaking the tense moment. Sam steps back as a beta assistant pokes his head in.

"Sirs, dinner will be served in ten minutes. The De Lucas are requesting your presence in the dining room."

I exchange a loaded glance with Sam. So it begins. The assistant retreats, leaving us alone once more.

"Remember," Sam says quietly as we move towards the door. "Watch and learn. Don't let them rattle you."

Easier said than done, but I nod anyway. We step out into the hallway, straightening our suits and schooling our features into impassive masks. It's time to face the devil in his own den.

"We've been waiting for you, Belladonna. Better late than never, I suppose," Alessio suddenly says as he smiles towards the door.

My whole body locks up as a figure appears in my peripheral. I almost don't want to look.

"Come join our friends, my darling. There are no strangers here." There's an unmistakable teasing note to his voice. To any outsider, Alessio would appear to be thrilled at the sight of his beautiful daughter, but to the trained eye, you can see the wheels turning in his head. You can see a glimmer in his eyes that promises pain.

The two other alphas, the ones who aren't her bio dads, share knowing glances too as they sip their drinks.

I drink in the sight of Bella as she slips into the room—a vision in soft white, with her dark blue hair cascading over her shoulders in soft, luscious waves. Her full lips are bare of any makeup and the freckles that dot the pale bridge of her nose are prominent. She looks like a fucking fairy princess and my dick hardens on the spot.

I fear for a moment, that Alessio can hear the thumping of my heart against my ribcage. It seems to be the only sound in the room as blood floods my ears. Gripping the table top, I wait for her to just fucking sit already because I can't stand staring at her anymore.

Swallowing thickly, I can't seem to pry my eyes away from those curves that I used to grip in my palms. My teeth ache in my mouth and my fingers itch to grab a glass of something that burns and down it's contents. Anger surges through me and I have to hold myself back from taking her face in my hands as I scream and rage at the lying bitch.

Glancing across the table, I watch as Silas bites the inside of his cheek and grips the table top with white knuckles. I can practically hear the grinding of teeth next to me as Dante glares. Sam is silent, his eyes never leaving Bella once.

My stomach rolls as I remember the day she disappeared. The day we found her secret cellphone full of evidence of her betrayal. And here she is, safe, healthy and happy, wearing a pretty dress, eating fine foods, sipping expensive wine, as if she didn't shatter us to pieces.