9. Deacon

Their words hit my ears before we"re able to see them. My Alpha sits with his Second, Lorenzo, on a throne of sorts at the end of the mess hall, which boasts the food for the event. His casual lean contrasts his steel-hard stare as he listens to his right hand go on about the need for more enforcers before moving in.

On what?

I don't catch it, but it doesn't surprise me that my father's pushing the edges of our boundaries within the state without the manpower to hold them.

He has always been greedy, power-hungry, and blinded by his ego.

What he sees as ambition, I see as his greatest weakness.

Lorenzo stops speaking as Luca and I come into view.

"Excellent party Father. This one may even be better than my farewell," Luca says, attempting to kiss his ass.

"Nonsense, we spared no expense with yours. We threw this together last minute from what we had lying around," my father responds, an expression of disgust crossing his features at the thought of anything meant for me being even close to Luca.

"I would expect nothing less,il mio alfa," I add, responding without emotion but swiping a beer from a passing server tray.

"Were you able to bring Alpha Romeo on board with our expansion into Twin Falls?" Luca asks, pulling my father"s attention back to business as I take a long pull on my beer.

When can I get back to Grace?

He's wasting my time on purpose.

"Yes, Lorenzo was just filling me in on our need to provide a few more enforcers to our Eastern border to secure those lines. Deacon's return in the coming months should help in that regard, assuming he does return." His sneer tells me everything I need to know about, which he prefers.

"I live only to serve to the best of my ability," I remark, not agreeing with my return or demise. "What was it you needed me for?"

"Lorenzo has spoken with several of our allied packs, and he has two recruits we would like to align with during your retreat." He turns, nodding at his Second to continue.

"Finn McCormick, from the Boise Pack, and Sean Moore of the Salt Lake City Pack," he lists, staring at me as if he expects me to pull out a pen and write it down.

"And the reason for this alliance?" I ask, hoping to ascertain how much his allies would need to match my own.

"I didn't realize orders needed explanations, ragazzo ingrat."

Ungrateful? Am I supposed to be grateful?

"Of course. I will be sure to align with their interests since I have no idea what ours are," I say, letting it hang in the air.

"I'm sure aligning with neighboring and close surrounding territories has many benefits for us, Brother. We're simply asking you to establish a contact, maybe friendship with them, right Father?" Luca interjects to keep the peace.

"Knowing you, it will be a miracle if they don't have reason to hate us after this retreat," our Alpha growls, eyes locked on me.

"And here I thought you loved my charming disposition. I'm devastated," I deadpan, not even pretending to care about his opinions about me.

He decided I was nothing long before I ever became something.

He's up and out of the chair before I can react, and I pull back my shoulders as we stand eye to eye, my wolf itching to break free.

Giovanni: You will not disrespect me. Your insolence has gone on long enough. I have allowed you to live for your mother"s sake, but make no mistake, this is my pack, and the minute you step out of line, it will no longer be yours.

Deacon: Easy there, Daddy-o, your weakness is showing. Need I remind you that it's only your pack until it's stripped from you? Threaten me again, and we"ll have to see how far you get with someone your size this time.

My eyebrow lifts in a challenge, and I see his wolf flash behind his eyes. He hasn't touched me since my Awakening, and he knows that the last seven years have only made my wolf stronger. He has done everything in his power to ensure that others have pushed me too far, but he has been too scared to do the job himself.

"Alright, Deacon, I think we need to get you on the road," Luca states, grabbing my shoulders from behind to keep this party more civilized. A low growl rolls out of my father, and I can't help but tip the side of my mouth up in a half grin.

"Thanks for the party, Father, and I'll be sure to look out for Flynn and John," I say before turning my back on him in a show of complete disrespect. My eyes scan the room for my mother, and I find her mingling with some of the packwives.

"Finn and Sean!" Lorenzo snaps at my back as I walk away from them.

"Was that wise, pissing him off when you leave tonight for a literal gauntlet of testosterone? You better hope he doesn't pay to have someone eliminate you while you're there," Luca scolds, shaking his head at me before replacing his calm demeanor as we approach our mother.

"Mamma," I say, leaning over to kiss her cheeks in greeting.

"Luce dei miei occhi, I wondered when you would get to your mother. Everyone gets to see my boy first. You forgot all about me!" She pouts, but the light dancing in her eyes tells me she has been drinking tonight.

"I would never forget you, Momma. I was just saving the best for last." I pull her into a hug, able to completely wrap my arms around her petite frame while breathing in the scent of home.

At five-foot-nothing, my mother is a force. Raised in Italy until she turned fourteen, she moved to the States with my grandfather to help establish more packs in the West. With her Catholic heart, and her Italian attitude, she sometimes had to have a ‘Come to Jesus' talk with herself regarding the way things ran around here.

No one disrespected Momma, and everyone ate her food. She probably prepared the food tonight for me that I haven't touched.

"I'm so proud of you, mio amorino. I know you will return ready to defend our family." She says, pinching my cheek a little harder than necessary. "And then I need some grandbabies to spoil!"

"Momma! Not with the bambinis again!" I chide knowing how much she pictures being able to help raise her children's babies. Guilt hits me again as I think about how little she will see them when we leave.

We will visit.

She will visit.

"Oh my boy, I know you will be the first to bring them to me. Ashley's too young, and Luca will need his heart to lead the pack first. So my hopes fall to you," she says with a big smile.

"Well, I promise I will start practicing just as soon as I get back," I say with a mischievous grin that has her swatting my chest playfully.

"Al diavolo quello! That part is not for a mother's ears."

I laugh, fully allowing the moment with her to sink in before I take my leave of them both and head back to my room to grab my bags.

I wasn't bringing much for the retreat. From Luca's accounts, I would spend a good deal of my time shifted, so I brought some comfortable sweats and t-shirts along with a journal full of lined paper to write Grace.

Tearing the top page off, I fold it neatly, ready to give her the first letter as I leave tonight. It's not long or poetic, but in it, I share my heart with her. I know this will be our main form of communication over the next eight months, so I have been working on making my handwriting neater so she can read them.

If this is the only way I can remind her who she belongs to, whose heart she carries, and whose forever she agreed to, I will write to her every chance.

Grace Davidson will know she is loved, and when all of this ends, I will spend the next decade of our lives apologizing to her body for making her wait.

Let's get this fucking over with.