Chapter 8

MORANO

Down in the dining room, I forced myself to eat while I spoke to Jake about business. The soft, rhythmic click of foot on the hardwood stairs made my head snap up. I stopped breathing. 

She was descending slowly, wrapped in a light yellow dress that was little more than a suggestion of silk. It was backless, held together by delicate lace-up strings that exposed the smooth, creamy expanse of her spine. 

With every step, the thin spaghetti straps threatened to give way, and the loose fabric clung to the sway of her hips. She wasn't wearing a bra. I watched, mesmerized, as her breasts bounced subtly with every movement, the soft peaks pressing against the dress. 

My blood, which had felt cold and sluggish all morning, suddenly turned into liquid fire. I wanted to rip the dress off her. I wanted to see if the lightning would come back if I pinned her to the table.

I had always craved submissive women…the kind who knew how to sink to their knees without being told…but I hadn't expected this. As she reached the table, the morning light hit, turning it dangerously translucent. 

It wasn't just a dress; it was a taunt. I could see the ghost of her silhouette through the fabric, and the way the thin lace-up detail strained against her bare back made my blood roar. She stood there, silent and still, waiting for my permission like a well-trained pet.

“You can sit,” I rasped, my voice sounding like gravel under a boot.

“Thank you,” she murmured, her voice a soft, velvet caress that grated against my nerves.

I wanted her obedient, but this perfect, quiet act pissed me off. It was a charade, a mask hiding the storm I’d seen last night. I chewed my meal, my eyes never leaving her, until a shift in the air caught my attention. 

I glanced sideways and saw Jake. He wasn't just looking; he was devouring her with his eyes, his gaze glued to the way her breasts moved under that thin silk. Then the scent hit me…the sharp, unmistakable musk of his arousal.

An animalistic growl simmered in my chest. Why the hell did it feel like he was touching what belonged to me?

“Focus, Jake,” I snapped, the warning slicing through the room.

“I’m sorry, boss,” Jake stammered, tearing his eyes away. “As I was saying... The cartel has the docks pinned down. They’re taxing every shipment of ours before it even touches the warehouse. We’re losing thirty percent. If we hit them now, the streets will turn into a bloodbath we can’t afford while you’re still healing.”

I looked at him, my jaw tight. “Then give me an alternative. Do we buy the port authority or burn their hub?”

“Maybe we just pay the tax for now?” Jake suggested. It was a weak, cowardly play.

“Don’t fight for the docks,” Jayla interrupted. Her voice was calm, almost bored, as she pushed a piece of fruit across her plate. We both froze, staring at her. 

“The cartel is obsessed with the water. Shift your transit to the private airstrips in the north. If you buy the fuel supply chain instead of the land, you don't just bypass their tax…you own their ability to move anything. You’ll choke them out without firing a single shot.”

The brilliance of it hit me like a physical blow. It wasn't just a solution; it was a hostile takeover. “And why should we go with that?” I challenged, my gaze dropping to the swell of her chest before snapping back to her eyes.

“Because they expect a street war, Alpha,” she explained, finally looking up, a flicker of cold intelligence piercing through her submissive mask. “They are looking down. They won't see you coming from above until their tanks are empty and their pockets are dry. Control the fuel, and you own the wealth of every family in the state.”

I stared at her, my pulse thudding in my ears. She sat there in a see-through dress, looking like a toy, while talking like a kingmaker. I wanted to drag her across the table and demand to know exactly who the hell I had married.

“Wow,” Jake breathed, the sound of his awe scraping against my nerves. “I didn’t think I would have been able to come up with that. That’s a great asset right there.”

His whisper was a match dropped in a pool of gasoline. A great asset? She was a liability wrapped in silk, and she had just humiliated my second-in-command without breaking a sweat.

“Abbiamo finito qui.”

I didn’t look at Jake, but he got the memo. He stood up and cleared out, the heavy silence he left behind vibrating with the sudden, sharp scent of my irritation. I pushed my plate away, the food turning to ash in my mouth. 

How dare she? Who gave her the audacity to open that mouth and dismantle my business problems in front of my men?

“Next time, don’t speak unless you’re spoken to,” I growled.

“Noted,” she replied. She dropped her spoon with a deliberate clink, the sound echoing through the dining room. She didn’t look afraid. She looked satisfied.

“I asked you to wear something removable. Not something this exposing.”

“I didn’t think my nipples poking out would have done much to get you all riled up,” she countered, her voice smooth and dangerous. She stood her ground, staring directly at me, her gaze lingering on my own. “I followed your orders.”

The air between us snapped. I lunged, my chair screeching against the floor as I grabbed a handful of her hair. I yanked her head back, forcing her to look up at me. Her neck was exposed, and I could see the frantic beat of her pulse.

“You should talk to your Alpha with some respect,” I hissed, my face inches from hers. I could smell the vanilla on her skin and the heat radiating off her body. “I own you now.”

“Yeah, I haven’t forgotten that, Alpha Morano Salvator,” she drawled, her voice a low, mocking purr. “My beloved husband.”

Her lips were right there…pink, full, and taunting. My gaze locked on them, and for a heartbeat, all I wanted to do was ruin that sharp mouth. I wanted to force her to choke on the words she used to bait me, to feel her surrender beneath the weight of my dominance.

But then, a white-hot blade of agony sliced through my gut. I gasped, the pain so sudden it robbed the air from my lungs. My grip on her hair loosened as I stumbled back, my hand flying to the bandages.

“What happened to you?” she called out, her voice a blur as I turned and walked out, the taste of her still burning on my tongue.

-

JACKLA 

Firsst he was angry I interrupted his business meeting with Jake, but I only did that because I had a degree in business management and administration. I knew the numbers better than both of them combined. 

Jake’s ideas were trash…expensive, wasteful, and bound to lose them millions. I had only tried to help, but in Morano’s world, a woman’s brain was clearly secondary to her body.

I was supposed to be the one taking control, and saving his empire was the first step…even if the arrogant Alpha hated me for it. He got angry about the dress too…same dress he had ordered me to wear.

I walked toward the balcony, the mountain air biting at my exposed back. I hated him. I hated the way he looked at me, and I hated how my sharp mouth couldn't stay shut. 

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Ryan. I felt the hollow ache of the life Morano had ripped away from me. He was the villain who had murdered my Ryan and locked Willow away. So why did my heart feel like a traitor?

He was only avenging his father.

The thought was a jagged blade in my mind. Ryan had killed his father first. If someone had murdered my family, wouldn't I have done the same? I gripped the cold stone railing, tears of pure self-loathing stinging my eyes. 

How could I even think that? How could I justify his cruelty? 

"Stop it," I whispered into the wind, my voice breaking. "He’s evil. He’s the enemy."

Is my heart using this logic as a shield? Am I trying to protect myself from the guilt of feeling a traitorous pull toward the man who destroyed my life? I thought of my Ryan, and the grief felt like a lead weight in my chest. 

I should want to finish Morano off right now while he is weak. Instead, I was restless. I couldn't stop thinking about the way he had doubled over in pain before he left. He looked like he was suffering, and despite everything, I wanted to go to him. I wanted to see if he was okay. 

I leaned over the edge, hating the way my body remembered the heat of his hand in my hair. It had only been a day, but he had already invaded every corner of my mind like a plague. 

I tried to walk back to my room, but my feet had a mind of their own, leading me straight to his door. Just see what’s wrong and leave, I told myself, my heart hammering against my ribs.

I knocked twice. Silence. I pushed the door open and stopped dead.

Morano was standing by the large windows, his back to me. He was shirtless, and for the first time, I saw the raw, terrifying beauty of his body. He looked like an alluring god carved from granite, all sharp angles and powerful muscle.

“I need to be alone, Jake,” he rumbled, his voice thick with exhaustion.

I didn’t say a word. He turned swiftly, his nostrils flaring as if he had caught my scent in the air. His dark eyes locked onto mine, hard and piercing.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded.

“Nothing,” I whispered, though my eyes were betraying me.

“So why are you here looking at me like I killed your ex?”

Because you did, I screamed internally. The temptation to claw his eyes out fought with the sight of the bandage on his stomach. He was paler now, his breathing ragged and shallow. He was in agony. I moved closer, the distance between us disappearing until the heat from his skin warmed my face.

My fingers grazed the edge of the patch. “What happened to you?” I asked, my voice trembling. “It looks like you aren’t healing, either.”

“It’s a treatment we Alphas take,” he lied, his jaw tight as he stared down at me.

I looked at his trembling hands and let out a cold, sharp laugh. “A treatment? You’re standing there with your jaw locked, pretending you aren’t one step away from collapsing. Is this the great Alpha Morano? A man who thinks he’s so untouchable that he can’t even admit he’s hurting to the only person in this room? You’re acting like a statue, but I can feel you trembling.”

The air snapped. His ego took the hit, and his hand flew to my neck in an instant. He didn't squeeze to hurt, but he held me firmly in place, forcing my head back. There was no space left between us. His hot breath fanned over my lips, smelling of pain and dark intent.

“You keep pissing me off,” he hissed, his thumb brushing against my pulse point. “Don’t let me punish you, wifey. I might enjoy it too much.”

I looked into those two voids of heat, my body betraying me with a sudden, sharp throb of desire. I leaned into his touch, nipples hardening as they brushed against his bare chest.

“I could make you feel better,” I whispered against his lips, my voice a dangerous lure. “But only on one condition.”