Mag-log in"Rico, please...help me."Rico can't fucking look at the bed, eyes pinned to the tray of food Enzo ordered him to bring Julian for lunch.Julian is a whole mess. There's dried tears on his face, hair sticking to his temple and neck. But his eyes...they're completely dull and lifeless.Completely rid of that green fire they used to hold.Enzo had kept his promise and came back the moment the sun came out--right after supervising that Sephrina was sent back home with every medical supply she needed. He also got the hospital to provide an escort nurse that would attend to her at all times, as a peace offering to De Luca.After which he'd mumbled something about wanting to see if Julian had changed his mind about wanting to leave.Rico knew the Omega wouldn't have. No one in their right mind would want to stay with their mate if they knew they murdered their mother in cold blood.He wanted to tell Enzo that, but he couldn't. He didn't want Enzo's wrath on him instead.Maybe it's his fault
"Too fucking late. I already hate you!" Julian cuts in, eyes devoid of every bit of familiarity. "And if you have any bit of heart left in you, you'd let me leave this mansion without drama by dawn."The silence stretches between them after that, long and heavy.Julian stares at Enzo, waiting for a response, waiting for him to finally let him go. He fucking owes him that much after all."No."He blinks in shock. Then anger. "What the fuck do you mean, no?!""I-I can't let you go, Julian." Enzo breathes shakily. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm really sorry, but I can't let you go.""Enzo!!" He's screaming again now, grabbing the front of his shirt. "You are the reason I'm an orphan, do you even understand how much you've ruined my life!?"Enzo feels his heart break with every word. "But I gave you a better one, didn't I? And I'll continue to take care of you. I'll give you everything you want, anything you need. Just ask." He meets Julian's eyes, silver burning with the kind of intensity that ma
Enzo couldn't care less that his men are supposedly hooking up dead in the night in that moment. Without even so much as a glance at any of them, he storms out. Even from this distance, he can hear Sephrina screaming, "He killed your mother!! Your own partner murdered your mother in cold blood-" Her screaming is cut off when the door slams open. Enzo stands there with red, blazing eyes, murderous anger rolling off him in waves. The clothes he used to tie her down hang from her, completely torn, the gag from her mouth now resting loosely around her neck. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" He bellows, making her take an instinctive step back, but her chin stays up. "I'm just saying the truth. He deserves to know, Enzo." Enzo's response is an angry growl. An actual growl. Before, one second he's by the door; the next, he's on her. He snatches the table knife from the fruit tray on her bedside table as he pins her hard to the mattress with his full weight, pressing the bla
THIRTY MINUTES EARLIER. Rico never makes it to the guards' quarters. At 1:50 a.m., he hears someone knocking softly on his door. He assumes it's Enzo, so he steps out, only to find Frank standing there. "What are you doing here?" Frank doesn't answer with words. He grabs him by the front of his shirt and yanks him back into the room, kicks the door shut, and locks it in one smooth motion. "I couldn't wait anymore," Frank says against his mouth, already panting from need. "Besides, I wasn't sure you'd actually show up." Rico presses a hand against his temple, frustrated. "I wouldn't. This is a bad idea. I told you, and coming here is even worse. Enzo might--" "It's always Enzo, Enzo." Frank cuts him off, hand snaking down to cup Rico's half-hard dick through the fabric. "Tell me, what do YOU want?" Rico groans in response at the pressure against his bulge. He wants to so bad, but Enzo is gonna be pissed- A pair of soft lips pressing against his makes him instantly for
Enzo stares at the name on the screen for a long second before answering. "De Luca," he breathes skeptically. The older man's voice is deep with the kind of terrifying edge that tells you he's not someone to be toyed with. "Enzo..." he starts, "I've been trying to reach Sephrina for the past hour. She's not answering my calls. Is she with you?" Enzo's jaw tightens. That's because she's tied up in her room for trying to run her mouth. "She must be somewhere in the house." "Put her on." "I'm too busy to do that right now." There's a short, heavy pause after that. And when De Luca speaks again, the politeness is completely faded. "I see..." His tone grows colder and more businesslike. "Well, I've been meaning to talk to you anyways." Enzo's fists clench by his sides. "About what?" "Nothing really." It's never nothing. "Just, a few of our mutual partners in Italy have expressed concern. They're worried you're no longer fit to represent Italy in Los Angeles." "What
Enzo takes a second to look at him--he's panting hard, green eyes blazing with anger and jealousy, hand pressed hard against the door to stop Enzo from leaving. "Over my dead body will I let you go back to her." Enzo can't help the broad, fucking smile that spreads across his face. Without thinking, he grabs Julian by the nape of his neck and slams their lips together. Fuck, he really needed it. Having sex without being able to kiss and touch him was absolute torture. The kiss is rough and intense. His left hand slides down to grab Julian's hips, pressing him flush against him. Julian doesn't kiss him back at first, of course he doesn't. His lips are stiff with shock against Enzo's, fist clenched by his sides. But the moment Enzo's tongue sweeps against his, he lets out a muffled moan and kisses him back. Enzo feels his heart swell. He loves how much the Omega's body always responds to him no matter how angry he is. It's so fucking sexual. The Alpha deepens the kiss,
The open-plan of his new room is pure luxury:. The bathroom itself larger than his entire childhood home. But none of it comforts him. He slips away the moment the men's footsteps fade, bare feet padding silently over heated floors. He goes through the new drawers, finding clothes and shoes in
Julian's eyes slowly open to the cool touch of latex gloves between his thighs. His wrists are restrained to the headboard of the massive bed in a luxury suite, arms stretched above his head. Soft morning light filters through the floor-to-ceiling windows, but even the view feels like a taunt.
Julian huddles in the back booth of a dingy diner in Silver Lake, the morning light barely cutting through grimy windows. His friend, Marcus, an unbonded Beta who works odd jobs in the market, slides a coffee across the table. "You look like hell, Jules. That ankle's twice the size it should be. W
Julian wakes to sunlight slicing through the half-open curtains of the hotel suite. His body aches everywhere--deep bruises on his hips, a bite mark throbbing on his neck, and a raw soreness between his legs that makes every shift painful. The sheets cling to his skin, sticky with the remnants of la







