Chapter 34

thirty-four

KITANIA

I could feel the Valentinos’ twin gazes boring into me as we retreated. I didn’t look back. Instead, I clung to Gio, keeping myself upright by leaning into his side.

He guided me through the crowd, his hand warm and steady in mine. The noise of the warehouse faded as we entered a quieter hallway, and then suddenly we were in a small dressing room. The door clicked shut, and I finally allowed myself to breathe.

The silence was jarring after the chaos outside. I could hear my own ragged breathing. It was too loud in the confined space, coming in fast, shallow bursts. Gio’s body was close, so close I could feel the heat radiating off him. His scent enveloped me—that earthy musk mixed with sweat and blood. I leaned into it, burying my nose in his chest to get a better, more direct hit of his pheromones.

It helped to calm some of the panic that was living under my skin, and yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we’d just lit a bomb.

“We’re on neutral ground,” I whispered, more to myself than to Gio. “He can’t... he wouldn’t...”

But even as I said it, doubt crept in. I wouldn’t put it past Rocco to do something reckless. Rules be damned.

Gio’s hands came up to cup my face, his touch impossibly gentle despite the rough wrappings still covering his palms. “Kit, sweetness, look at me. Are you okay?”

Forcing myself to meet his gaze, I saw the concern cross his features. I wanted to make it better, so I nodded, swallowing past the lump in my throat.

“I’m fine. I knew what I was signing up for. Tonight was never gonna be easy. Odds were that we’d run into Rocco and Vincent at some point.”

Seeing Jennica had been a surprise, but I couldn’t help but feel bad for her. She had no idea what she’d gotten herself into, and despite her mean vindictiveness, she didn’t deserve the cruelty I knew the Valentinos were capable of.

No one did.

“I know, but sometimes reality hits differently,” Gio said softly, his thumb stroking my cheek. “It’s okay to not be okay.”

His words hit me like a punch to the gut, and I felt tears prick at the corners of my eyes. But I blinked them away, finding an inner strength I hadn’t realized I had.

I squared my shoulders. “I can do this.” It was a promise, as much to myself as to him. Thankfully, I’d already made it through the worst of the evening.

I took a deep breath and focused on the present. Gio was here. He was safe, but he was also hurt. I could do something about that.

“Let me take care of you.” It was a demand, more than a request, and he smirked at me, shaking his head while I reached for the first-aid kit buried in his gym bag.

My hands shook as I fumbled with the zipper, but I managed to get it open. I pulled out antiseptic wipes, gauze, and tape. Gio watched me silently as I worked, his eyes never leaving my face.

“This might sting,” I warned, gently dabbing at the cut above his eyebrow. He winced, but didn’t pull away.

As I cleaned his wounds, I felt my anxiety ebb. The repetitive motions were soothing and focusing on helping my Alpha gave me something concrete to do. I was finally fixing a problem, and it brought me an absurd sense of accomplishment. My hands steadied as I worked, carefully applying butterfly bandages to the worst of the cuts.

“There,” I told him, smoothing the last piece of tape into place. “All done.”

Gio caught my hand as I leaned back, pressing a kiss to my palm. “Thank you, Dolcezza.”

The tender gesture made my heart skip a beat. I smiled up at him, feeling calmer and more centered.

“You should shower.” I wrinkled my nose playfully.

He arched an eyebrow at me. “I thought you liked what I smell like when I’m all sweaty.”

I grinned. “Oh, I do. Your scent gets stronger, but I don’t like the coppery tinge of blood that’s contaminating it right now.” Cleaning him up had only done so much, including adding the fragrance of antiseptic to the mix. “It makes my Omega feel itchy and uncomfortable.”

Understanding crossed his features, and he made a humming sound deep in his throat. “I get it. If I scented your blood, I’m pretty sure I would lose my shit.” Leaning close, he kissed my hairline. “I’ll go rinse off.”

I watched as he disappeared into the small bathroom, and a moment later, the water kicked on. I scratched absently at my arm, already hating the distance between us, though we were only a door apart.

I’d never felt this clingy before. This needy.

Everything is fine.

But it wasn’t. Not really. Deep down, I was rattled. And there was nothing I could do to fix it.

The only thing that seemed to help lately was the proximity of my mates.

In fact, a puppy pile with my Alphas in a nest sounded like heaven .

Ohmigosh, did you seriously just think that?

Heat flew to my cheeks. I hadn’t let myself dream of having a nest, but I was Omega enough to admit it was getting harder to ignore the fantasy.

To regain my composure, I breathed deeply, hoping the Alpha in the next room wouldn’t realize how far my thoughts had strayed.

Gio emerged a few minutes later, water droplets still clinging to his skin, and my mind went blank. Jaw dropping, I drank in the sight of him, my gaze skimming over every inch of his naked, tattooed chest.

Good God.

He was wearing nothing but a pair of grey sweats that hung low on his hips, and I couldn’t help but stare as he pulled a white t-shirt on.

He caught me looking and smirked. “See something you like?”

I felt a wave of warmth spread across my cheeks, but before I could respond, his phone buzzed.

He checked it quickly. “The others are on their way. We’re going to meet them.”

He crossed the room to me in two long strides. Cupping my face in his hands, he kissed me deeply, sending heat somewhere else entirely. When he pulled away, his eyes were dark with concern and something else I couldn’t quite name.

“You ready to return to the fray?”

I took a deep breath, steeling myself. “No,” I admitted. “But I’m going to do it, anyway.”

“That’s my girl,” Gio purred, his pride evident.

Opening the door, he guided me out with a hand on my lower back. I soaked in the gentle press of his palm, loving how relaxed we’d become with each other. It was these small moments, the little grazes and touches, I craved the most. It was a comfortable kind of intimacy, and I thrived on it.

We stepped into the hallway, but the moment I crossed the threshold, I collided with someone. The impact knocked me back a step, and I looked up to see a man in his early thirties with blonde hair and brown eyes. A jagged pink scar ran across the bridge of his nose, and as our gazes met, a sneer twisted his features.

A sense of familiarity washed over me. My stomach churned uneasily. I knew this guy, but from where?

A menacing sound tore from Gio, and he expertly maneuvered his way in front of me, using his broad body as a shield.

“You’re not allowed back here,” he snapped at the man and his cronies, who lingered behind him.

My head throbbed as a memory fought to surface, and I squeezed my eyes shut, unsure if I was trying to push the images away or grasp onto them. They came anyway, vivid and nauseating.

The Valentinos, parading me around in front of their friends with barely any clothing to cover me. The masculine laughter and jeers that made me wish the ground would open up and swallow me whole. But it had been their touches, grazing and greedy, that made me physically ill.

They’d offered Rocco money to knot me, and I’d thanked God that he was a possessive man who had wanted me for himself and his brothers instead of whoring me out.

My fingernails curled into my Alpha’s t-shirt. “Gio,” I whispered harshly, voice trembling. “I know him. He’s one of Rocco’s friends.”

Gio’s entire frame went rigid. “Stay back.” The order was nearly a bark, and I couldn’t stop myself from taking a small, retreating step.

Oblivious to the danger he was in, the guy inhaled deeply, as if he were trying to drag in my scent despite the blockers I wore. He growled, pissed off that he couldn’t get a hit of my signature. But it was his words that made my skin crawl. “It’ll be a waste of good pussy when she’s in pieces.”

The asshole laughed while pure, red hot anger radiated from Gio in waves. My mate stalked forward, feral and dangerous, his hands curled into lethal fists.

“Whoa, now.” The guy held his palms up in mock surrender, but his expression remained jeering. “You know the rules, you big fucker. You can’t do shit here. Seems to me you’ve got better things to do with your time, anyway. You should enjoy your little bitch while you have her. Time’s ticking.”

He laughed, and Gio lunged.

A scream tore from my throat as the two men collided. They crashed into the wall, fists flying. The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed in the narrow hallway, punctuated by grunts of pain and snarls of rage.

I watched in horror as they grappled, their movements a blur. Gio’s fist connected with the man’s jaw, snapping his head skyward. But the guy retaliated quickly, driving his knee into my mate’s stomach.

My heart raced, and I couldn’t catch my breath. What if this asshole had a gun? The thought sent a bolt of terror through me, and I was seconds away from racing off to find the rest of my Alphas when they appeared at the entrance to the hallway.

Dimitri’s eyes narrowed, instantly reading the situation. Storming forward, he headed for me with the singular focus of a heat-seeking missile. Just in time, he dragged me further from the brawl, narrowly saving me from being crushed by Gio and his opponent, who suddenly crashed to the ground right where I’d been standing.

“Marco, get her out of here!” Dimitri commanded as more men converged on the scene—some of them clearly in the Valentinos’ pocket.

Marco didn’t waste a second. Before I could protest, he had scooped me up and tossed me over his shoulder. I gasped, the air rushing from my lungs as my world tilted.

“No! Wait!”

“I’m sorry, Angel. Hold on tight,” he growled, and then we were moving.

I clung to him, my fingers digging into the fabric of his shirt as he carried me away from the chaos. The sounds of the fight faded, replaced by the pounding of Marco’s feet on the asphalt when he pushed out a side door and left the warehouse behind.