04. I have always belonged to you

VICTORIA

The Bentley rolled on in silence, passing one checkpoint after another.

The forest stretched past my view through the tinted window, the vast, rich territory of the Greco family. At least, the private lands of their main pack, called Diamond Fortress.

And there it was. The reason.

Beyond the moonlit shimmer of an immense lake, an ancient castle rose over the distant mountain.

Lorenzo’s home... and now my gilded cage.

The contract had been signed and sealed by both sides.

They demanded submission and loyalty to the Greco family. My last name had changed, but I’d always be a Bianchi.

At least I left with the satisfaction that my brother and my mother were safe... and I’d see them again.

I owed it to my father. And I owe it to myself...

When the driver stopped in front of the impressive staircase of dark stone that led down to the front garden, I stepped out, my heels clicking like my heart was trying to sprint out of my chest.

“Thanks,” I murmured.

He only nodded and went for my suitcase.

I lifted my chin, feeling the weight of this oppressive place.

Then my gaze caught a woman waiting at the top of the stairs.

The entrance lights outlined her silhouette. Slim. A tailored dark suit. A regal posture that screamed power.

An Alpha.

“Good evening, I’m...”

“I know exactly who you are, Miss Victoria,” she cut in, lifting one brow, serious, her intense blue eyes dropping straight to my belly.

I felt uneasy, studied like a bug under a microscope.

“I’m the family matriarch. You can call me Mrs. Julietta.”

That confirmed what I already suspected.

My lovely mother-in-law.

“Thank you for welcoming me into your home, Mrs. Julietta,” was all I managed, fighting to hold her stare.

I didn’t come here to play the weak Omega card. Not in front of her.

“Follow me, then. Alonso, you’ll bring her suitcase after,” she ordered the driver, and turned, heading into the castle.

I climbed the stairs on a slow breath. I wasn’t expecting warmth, but this was beyond cold.

The moment I crossed those massive wooden doors, opulence and wealth hit my eyes like a flash.

Dark and gold tones flowed through the enormous foyer where several staff members waited with their heads lowered.

“This is Mr. Marcello, the butler, and Mrs. Martina, our housekeeper,” she introduced briskly, never slowing down.

They gave me quick greetings. I returned them, a little embarrassed by the rush.

“You can meet the staff later,” she clarified without even looking back, climbing a staircase to the second floor.

Her heels went quiet on a dark, diamond-patterned rug.

My eyes fought not to dart to every sculpture and every ancient tapestry.

I came from a rich family... but standing here showed me exactly why the Greco family sat at the top.

And now I was walking straight toward the supreme owner of all of this. I was sure of it.

Through maze-like corridors, we reached a closed door. She finally stopped and turned.

Her Alpha aura slammed into me, pressing down without mercy.

My whole body shook as I took a step back, sensing the threat.

“What you’re about to see is a secret that can’t leave these four walls... not even for Bianchi ears,” she said through her teeth.

The pressure climbed. So did my uncertainty.

“My loyalty is with the Greco family now,” I managed, even with the knot choking my throat.

She studied me for a few seconds... then released me from that Alpha dominance.

“Then never forget it. Because your head staying on your shoulders depends on it.”

With that raw threat, she opened the mysterious door and stepped into a dark room.

I hesitated at the threshold, forcing strength into my legs. I was an Omega, and pheromones this dominant got under my skin.

“This is just the mother... the son is worse. But they’re not going to intimidate me that easily.”

I steadied myself and walked into a shadowed study.

The scent hit next. Cedar, leather, tobacco... and something darker, addictive.

Curiosity tugging me forward, I followed her into an inner room. Julietta went straight to a bedside lamp and switched it on.

I froze at the sight of a man lying in the bed.

He was huge, the outline of his muscles drawn under a dark silk sheet.

Warm light fell over his chiseled face, the sharp line of his nose, and a short beard the same shade as his dark brown hair, sprawled across the pillow.

A scar cut from his right cheek up into his brow, and somehow it only made him more beautiful... almost feral.

I found myself walking toward him, to the foot of the king bed. Even with his eyes closed, he felt oppressive.

“This is your owner... and my son. Patriarch Lorenzo Greco.”

Those words landed like a hammer in my chest.

“Lo... Lorenzo?” I stammered, ripping myself out of my shock. “I thought he was recovering from the attack, but... he’s... in a coma?”

She nodded, her expression complicated.

“We don’t know when he’ll wake. Trying to protect his Luna, a bullet hit his head,” she explained, and something strange twisted in my chest.

He must’ve loved his wife a lot... to risk his life for her.

“You understand we don’t want this public. For the same reason I need an heir, and I need one now. To stabilize our power at the top.” Her voice turned solemn.

“Protocol is to keep the patriarchs’ seed frozen, but I never thought I’d have to use Lorenzo’s.” She let out a heavy sigh.

“Those behind him in the line of succession are pushing, because there’s no son of Lorenzo. An Alpha. And that’s your only mission here, Victoria.”

I understood then that I’d jumped from the frying pan straight into the fire.

If my brother was being threatened... the fight for Lorenzo’s seat was going to be worse.

“I understand...”

“No. You don’t understand that your head will roll with ours if my son doesn’t wake... or if the IVF treatment doesn’t work.”

“It’ll work,” I promised, fists tightening. “It has to. I’ll do everything in my power to give birth to the next patriarch.”

We stared at each other, a silent understanding passing between us.

Damn it. Whether I wanted to or not, we were in the same boat now.

Now I understood why they’d skipped this part of the deal... and why everything had been so rushed.

It was a trap, dressed up pretty.

What Omega in her right mind would step into the middle of an internal war about to explode?

Well... someone desperate like me.

The matriarch moved to an interior door that connected to another room and slid open the wooden panels.

I looked one last time at the man in the bed, breathing in his scent hanging in the air... it was like aged bourbon, intoxicating your senses, making you lose your mind.

Something shifted inside me. Intense. Unexpected.

My wolf stirred from its numb silence, aching from the pain of a broken bond.

“This will be your room for now,” Mrs. Julietta’s voice pulled my attention back.

I followed her into a beautiful bedroom attached to Lorenzo’s, but softened with more feminine touches in cream and nude tones.

A massive crystal chandelier hung over a queen bed, giving the room a sensual glow.

She led me to an impressive closet packed with new clothes, hanging and folded into drawers that seemed endless.

Then the bathroom... Goddess, it was pure luxury, all marble and ceramic.

The tub caught my eye immediately. I planned to use it soon.

“This card has no limit. You can buy whatever you want, replace the wardrobe they bought at random... but you’ll always go out with an escort,” she said, pointing to a black card on the vanity.

I nodded with a neutral face, letting her see I wasn’t going to get dazzled by the shine.

“Tomorrow I’ll take you to our private lab and we’ll begin the treatment. Rest... and take your medication,” she ordered in a tone that didn’t allow arguments.

“If you want anything from the staff, just dial 00 on the phone beside your bed,” she added at last.

Before I could even answer, Julietta walked with firm steps back toward her son’s room and shut the doors connecting our bedrooms.

A lock slid on the other side.

Clearly, I wasn’t allowed to go see him without permission.

I let out a sharp breath, realizing I’d been holding it.

I looked around, feeling so small in a space this large, thinking about how everything had changed.

“Everything clears up with a good bath,” I murmured, stepping into the closet... and almost getting a headache trying to find a single pair of pajamas among so many dresses, luxury shoes, and limited-edition bags.

I grabbed a robe and a lingerie thong. Not comfortable, but my things still hadn’t been brought up.

I called my mother to tell her I’d arrived safely... and I lied a little about Lorenzo’s “welcome.”

I didn’t dare say more on the phone. I’d bet anything I was already being monitored.

When I hung up, I went into the bathroom and filled that little jacuzzi to the brim. Every product, every supplement, already bought.

Between the bubbles and the scented salts, I moaned as I sank into the hot water.

My body had felt sensitive since I took the first dose of medication this afternoon.

But now the sensation turned stranger... more uncomfortable.

I wanted to plan my next move, but my mind kept dragging me back to the memory of the man in the bed.

To that intense scent spilling from him. It had to be his pheromones and Goddess... they were dark, sexy, slipping under my skin, warming my blood.

I shifted my legs, feeling my pussy tingle under the water. My nipples tightened.

“Sshh,” I hissed as my soapy hands slid over my breasts and started massaging them, feeling the desire climb inside me. Relentless. Unexpected.

My fingers toyed with my nipples, twisting them, working them in a way that turned me shameless.

My head fell back against the edge of the tub when my hand traveled down my stomach and slipped between my thighs.

“Mmmn...” I moaned at the contact with my tense, unsatisfied clit. It had been so long since I’d had sex.

Since a male hadn’t pushed into me until he made me lose my mind.

I bit down on my lower lip so I wouldn’t cry out as I explored myself, bold and hungry between my slick petals, my folds pulsing deep inside my pussy.

My whole body waking up with the lust that blurred my senses... but it still wasn’t enough.

I needed something.

I needed to smell that intoxicating scent again.

I got out of the tub and walked out wet, only pulling the robe over my naked body.

The lights outside were still off, just like I’d left them, and only moonlight poured through the wide windows.

I breathed deep, scenting the air, and every step made an unbearable friction between my thighs.

I reached that door and tried to open it... no luck.

“Damn it!” I muttered, losing it, pressing my nose to the wood, trying to catch his scent. My own pheromones leaked out of me, wild and uncontrolled.

What the hell was happening to me?

It had to be the medication. Detox. I was sliding into heat and I needed an orgasm, right now.

I went back to the bed and threw myself onto the sheets.

Up on my elbows, I started touching my breasts with frantic need, feeling dissatisfied with my own hands. I wanted something rougher. Wilder. An Alpha’s hands.

“Sshh...” I moaned as I stroked my cunt, pushing two fingers inside.

My wet hair spilled over the bed, my desperate moans filling the room, my mind drowning in pure lust.

But in the middle of my torment, a crash sounded from the room next door. A roar that made me tremble... and the door flew open.

I jerked upright on the bed, on my knees, and through the darkness I saw the massive silhouette of a man.

Blue wolf eyes glowed, watching me like a predator... and that bourbon scent slammed into me like a storm.

“Mate!”

My wolf snapped fully awake, roaring, recognizing the dominant Alpha now moving toward me like a beast in heat.

I didn’t run from him.

Not even when he leaned in, grabbed the back of my head possessively, and crushed his mouth to mine in a devastating kiss.

Because there was no escaping my owner... Lorenzo Greco.