“So this was never real?” Zoey’s eyes shimmered with tears.
Dominic shot Arturo a dirty look. He wished Arturo had let him tell Zoey on his own, without springing it on her like this.
“My feelings for you have always been real,” Dominic said fiercely. “And once I shifted and bit you, my wolf took to you right away.”
Zoey blinked harder, and it hurt Dominic’s heart to see her questioning their mating bond. “But why did you even bite me in the first place?”
“Because Ottavio was going to kill you. I saw you walk up to him and ask for an audience with Arturo. He was just about to shift and kill. I know exactly what he looks like when he’s about to do that. I’ve seen him do it many times before.”
She sucked in a breath. “You’re kidding me. He would have killed me on the spot?”
“He was seconds away from tearing out your throat. I thought he believed you were being disrespectful to Arturo. Now, I realize he didn’t want Arturo to start looking into the garbage situation. But when I saw that look on his face, I acted on instinct. To protect you. The only way to prevent him from killing you was to shift and mate-bite you.”
“But … that’s for life!” she spluttered. She looked at him with a hint of doubt. “Isn’t it?”
He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “There’s nowhere in the world you could run and hide from me, Zoey. You are mine. I meant it when I said I was entranced by you the first moment I ever saw you. I wanted you so much, it was painful for me to talk to you, so I avoided you. I thought about you all the time, but I was willing to sacrifice my happiness for the good of the pack. Then, when I saw Ottavio about to rip off your head, I just … acted. My wolf and I, together. I have never regretted it.”
“I have another favor to ask of you,” Arturo said, and Dominic tensed. It wouldn’t be easy to turn down Arturo after living his life only for the Moretti Pack for the last ten years.
But Arturo shocked him, yet again. “Primo’s death has created a power vacuum in the East. The Bianchi Pack has been dismantled, and the surviving Bianchi family members have fled, scattering around the country. The remaining pack members need a leader. You will take over as Capo di tutti Capi of the Lombardi Pack, with Romano as your Capo, and I would like you to take Giuliana as your healer.”
“My brains must still be scrambled from the Chaos Realm,” Dominic said. “I could swear I just heard you say you wanted me to take over the former Bianchi Pack.”
“You heard me perfectly well.” Arturo’s amber eyes shone fiercely.
He meant it. Dominic would be Capo di tutti Capi of his own pack. He’d never even aspired to that. He’d been content leading his own small crew of soldiers and being fiercely loyal to his boss.
“I don’t know if I’m cut out for it,” he protested. “I’m nothing like you.”
“You don’t have to be. No two leaders are exactly like, but the important thing is, you’ve got the right qualities to lead a pack. You’re strong, fearless, and capable. You’re harsh but fair. You’re well-known and well-respected in the city. There is no-one else I’d rather see as leader. You and I would be able to work in cooperation, rather than competing with each other. No more pack wars. No more wasting time and money when we could be working together and boosting our bottom line. No more crying widows.” Arturo scowled. “They’re so loud when they cry. I find it distracting.”
Yep, that was Arturo—all heart.
Dominic looked at Zoey. “My mate would have to agree to this. Asking her to be the Alpha’s mate is a lot.”
“It’s …” Zoey looked slightly panicked and gulped a deep breath. “It would mean peace for the city, wouldn’t it? Peace for the packs? If so, I’m willing to try my best.”
“You think they would even accept me as their Alpha?” Doubt wracked Dominic’s voice.
“With me backing it, yes. This would allow them to stay in their homes and keep their property. If you’re not the leader, there’s a power vacuum, and who knows what they’d end up with?” Arturo looked at his niece. “And you, my darling. I know it’s time to let you free to live your own life. As long as you’re under my roof, I can’t resist my urge to protect you so much that I’m smothering you. It is agonizingly hard to let you go, but it is what is best for you.”
“Uncle,” she said and hugged him, crying. “I know you did it because you love me. You did the wrong thing for the right reasons. Thank you.”
“I’m a Capo?” Romano said, looking comically happy.
“This is what you focus on?” Dominic said, irritated. “If I decide to take over the east side, and that’s a big if, then you’re only a Capo until you push my wolf too far and I fit you with concrete galoshes and feed you to a kraken.”
“Excellent!” Romano tried to fist-bump him. Dominic ignored it. “I should last a good year, at least. Maybe two.”
“Optimistic,” Dominic muttered. “I still didn’t say I’d do it. I need a few days to think about it, Arturo, but I appreciate your faith in me.”
He stood, and Zoey joined him, grimacing. “Frickin’ hell,” she groaned. “Chaos Realm hangover suuucks.”
“I hear that,” Dominic said. “I feel like a thousand-year-old wolf with arthritis. Right now, I couldn’t be the Alpha of a Cub Scout pack.”
“Sorry I missed it,” Romano said cheerfully, rising to his feet. “The Chaos Realm is so much fun. Do you want me to carry you? Can I get a walker for you, grandpa?”
“You can get a head start before I kick your tail,” Dominic growled.
As they limped toward the door, Zoey’s phone rang with the “Mama Mia” ringtone. Her mother had called multiple times since the ghoul attack made the news, each time wanting reassurance her oldest daughter was still breathing and mostly intact. Dominic grabbed the phone from Zoey.
“Dominic! If you embarrass me, I will cut you!” Zoey hissed.
“Mrs. Monroe,” he said, smirking at Zoey. “So glad you called! Are you having a nice day? I have news for you. You’re going to need to make space in your calendar for a wedding.”
Epilogue
Z oey and Kalinda took a seat at a corner table at the trendy new coffee shop, The Daily Grind. There was a line down the block and a two-hour waiting list for lunch, but Zoey knew the owners. She was also the mate of the Lombardi Pack Capo, so one table was roped off and sat empty when she wasn’t there, always available for her.
The ghoul attack of the spring had made international news. The neighborhood’s proximity to the portal had given it a weird kind of cachet.
The odds of another attack were unlikely, but there was still that rollercoaster thrill of being near something so potentially perilous. Trendy boutiques were springing up, and homeowners gave paid tours of the ghoul-invaded neighborhoods, where all the damage had been carefully preserved.
Giuliana had opened up a consignment store, selling off all of her designer clothes. She no longer had Arturo’s limitless credit card at her disposal, but she turned out to have a great eye for vintage and gently used items. When she wasn’t working as a healer, she was scouring thrift shops for new items to snap up, upcycle, and sell.
Kalinda had entered into a lucrative partnership with The Daily Grind, and they carried a line of her home-baked goods and provided the gourmet coffee for her catering events. They were looking to go national.
Kalinda had also, of course, catered the enormous wedding bash thrown by Dominic and the Lombardi Pack. Zoey’s entire family had attended, glowing with happiness, and now Dominic had permanently rented out an entire luxury suite for them in a southside hotel, so they could visit whenever they wanted.
“You guys!” Danielle called out, hurrying over to them with a tray. She set down two coffee cups and a carafe and handed them menus. “You look great, Zoey. Hey, Kalinda, love the new ‘do.”
Kalinda’s hair was braided and piled up on top of her head in an elaborate bun.
“I do look pretty hot,” Kalinda agreed. “The usual
for me, Danielle. Sit down and hang out for a minute!”
Danielle sank into a chair and stole Zoey’s coffee.
“Decaf!” Zoey called out to a waiter who hurried to get her a cup.
“The service in here is fantastic, if I do say so myself.” Danielle drank half of Zoey’s coffee in one gulp. “And this is orgasm in a cup.”
“I’m worried about you,” Zoey said to Danielle. “You haven’t complained in weeks. Are you dying?”
The waiter set the decaf in front of Zoey, and she poured in creamer and took a sip.
“Well, opening my own coffee shop didn’t exactly suck too much. And having it be the hottest hotspot in the city hasn’t been too awful either.”
Danielle had quit working at the weather department three months earlier when she and Tony opened The Daily Grind. She was indeed much happier these days. She looked fondly at Tony, who was a blur of motion working behind the counter. Dominic, as a favor to Zoey, had insisted Arturo let his chef come over to the Lombardi Pack. Arturo had done it, grudgingly, as an apology for kicking Dominic out of the Moretti Pack.
Tony was a broad-shouldered, handsome man in his forties, with long black hair pulled back in a ponytail. His goatee, streaked with one white stripe, gave him a devilish look. He winked at Danielle and blew her a kiss. “And Tony isn’t the worst boyfriend in the world. You see those cream-filled cannolis?” She pointed at the glass dessert display and made a circle with her thumb and index figure. “Well, let me tell you …”
“Argh! TMI!” Zoey cried out at the exact same moment Kalinda leaned forward, eyes gleaming, and said, “Go on.”
Fortunately, they were briefly distracted when Cin and Lorenzo strolled hand in hand through the door, chatting happily. Lorenzo had completed his first semester with excellent grades at Encantado Technical Institute. Dominic’s whispered threats probably had something to do with that. Lorenzo had set up a website for Cin to sell her jewelry, and Dominic had bought a house for their former street kid friends to live in. A couple of them had accepted his offer to put them through school, and the others were working for the pack.
Zoey had wheedled and cajoled and finally managed to convince both of the packs to make apartments available to all of the castaway kids in pack territory. The kids were required to do cleanup in their neighborhoods to contribute toward their rent and food. Not all of the kids accepted the offer, but a fair amount of them did. Arturo had done it grudgingly because he didn’t like giving away anything for free. In the end, it generated public good will for the packs because it lowered the rate of burglaries and vandalism.
A lot of the kids worked at the Lombardi Community Garden, helping to grow organic vegetables. That was where Zoey could usually be found during the day, ensuring the greenery stayed green.
Andrea and Stewart were away on their honeymoon, so Cin and Lorenzo were staying at Zoey and Dominic’s until they got back. Lorenzo wanted to propose to Cin, but Dominic had strongly suggested he wait until he graduated. Dominic’s word was law as far as Lorenzo was concerned.
Lorenzo and Cin stopped by their table to say hi, and then went to the bakery counter to place a to-go order.
“By the way, since when do you drink decaf?” Danielle arched an eyebrow.
“You guys make amazing decaf. Too much caffeine later in the day keeps people up at night.” Zoey avoided Danielle’s gaze. “Oh look, there’s my mate! God, he’s sexy. Isn’t he sexy?” She smiled at Dominic, who was heading their way with Romano.
“Not half as sexy as my Tony, but I mean, I don’t puke when I look at him or anything,” Danielle said. “And I know when you’re dodging a question.”
The crowd parted like the Red Sea for Dominic and Romano, looking at them with mingled fear and admiration. Zoey still felt a little badly that people were terrified of her mate, but she also knew if they weren’t, he wouldn’t be able to maintain control of the pack.
The two men grabbed chairs and pulled them up to the table, and Dominic kissed Zoey on the lips.
“Hey, the hot chick used to be your boss, right?” Romano said to Zoey.
Kalinda tried to look annoyed rather than pleased, and mostly succeeded. She snapped her fingers in front of Romano’s face.
“The hot chick is sitting right here,” she said. “She can hear you.”
“Did you ever tell her about the time I almost ate her?” Romano grinned at Danielle, and Dominic punched him in the arm. “What did I say?” Romano’s brow wrinkled in puzzlement.
“What did you say?” Kalinda demanded, straightening up and shoving her chair back several inches.
Romano gave Kalinda a long, lingering look as she picked up her coffee and took a sip. “Hmm. Still not too late for that to happen.”
Kalinda choked on her coffee and slammed the mug down on the table. “Prepare yourself. I am going to smack the living shiznit out of your friend,” she informed Zoey.
“It’ll just hurt your hand. Believe me, I know,” Zoey said. “Although I completely understand the urge.”
Kalinda tried anyway, slapping Romano in the face. Romano smiled politely.
“That tickled, a little,” he said.
“Dammit,” she scowled, shaking her hand.
Danielle made a timeout motion with her hands, forming the letter T. “Hey! Excuse me! Dominic and Zoey! Do you guys have something you want to tell me?” she demanded.
The chatter at the other tables died down a little, and people pretended not to listen.
“Do we?” Dominic looked at his mate, puzzled.
“Well, it’s a little early,” Zoey muttered, cheeks reddening. “But since Nancy Drew figured it out, the reason I’m switching to decaf is …”
“No!” Danielle gasped dramatically.
“Shut the front door!” Kalinda echoed Danielle’s gasp, pretending to clutch at her chest. Everyone at the tables around them stopped pretending not to listen and stared at them breathlessly, waiting.
“Yes.” Zoey nodded and tenderly patted her stomach. “I’m late. And I’m never late.”
“You mean we …” Dominic’s face lit up.
“Yes. We’re going to have a little baby Capo.”
THE END
Do you want more of the Moretti Pack? Click here for Romano’s story in Book 2 of the Encantado Shifters series, Mated to the Enforcer.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Georgette St. Clair writes hot, sexy romances starring Alpha heroes. The road to love may be rocky and fraught with peril (and humor and scorchtastic sex and healthy heapings of snark), but her shifters will stop at nothing to claim the women they love.
Georgette has worn many hats in life: newspaper reporter, EMT, internet marketer, cocktail waitress, temp, nurse’s aide (not in chronological order).
When she’s not rescuing fur-babies, she spends her days in a fantasy universe where she nudges her smart-mouthed, take-no-gruff heroines onto paths which will set them on a collision course with true love.
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Mated to the Capo (Mafia Wolf Shifters) (Encantado Shifters Book 1) Page 18