Chapter 1

I had no appetite. I got up and sat down at an empty table.

Lora came back from the restroom and walked over with a sweet smile. "Aria, they're just talking nonsense. Don't take it to heart."

I didn't even look at her. "Sure."

Lora laughed softly. "You know Grayson is doing this to protect you. If people found out you were his woman, you'd be in danger."

With that, she glided away.

I sat there in a daze, a weight pressing down on my chest.

When I was eighteen, I ran away from my family and found Grayson half-dead from a street fight.

I fought alongside him for seven years. For seven years, he told me he had too many enemies, that keeping our relationship secret was the only way to protect me.

All those years, he never once glanced my way in public, never spoke a single word to me.

The rare times I needed to report to him, he deliberately avoided me.

He was so careful about keeping his distance that no one in the Family knew about us. Despite being one of the longest-serving members, I was still just an ordinary soldier. To everyone else, I was invisible.

A few days ago, he said he had a surprise for me.

I'd thought all along that chair was meant for me. Clearly, I was wrong.

The council didn't end as planned. Halfway through, gunfire erupted outside.

A rival Family was attacking.

The security detail fought back while escorting us out.

We burst out of the estate. A man raised his gun at Grayson. My body moved faster than my mind, and I threw myself in front of him.

Bang. Searing pain ripped through my shoulder.

"Lora!" Grayson cried out.

I turned around just in time to see him pull Lora into his arms, shielding her like she was something priceless.

A sharper pain tore through my chest.

Gunfire continued. Black cars rolled in one after another. The Family's backup.

Grayson's gaze swept our way without really seeing. "Hurry, get in!"

He carried Lora and ducked into a car.

I stepped forward instinctively, but Logan Hale, one of the capos, grabbed my arm.

His face was dark. "What are you pushing for? Wait for the next one!"

I knew him. He'd joined the Family two years ago, brought in by Lora. He was close to her.

He always found little ways to put me down.

I clenched my fists. The old me would have slapped him across the face, but Grayson had told me more than once to rein in my temper.

Otherwise, he would never go public about us.

When the last car arrived, a soldier who was friendly with me tried to pull me in, but Logan shoved him inside instead. "No room. Go!"

Gunfire closed in. I glanced back at the men chasing us and dove into the bushes.

I barely managed to shake them off before reaching the rally point.

Most of the others were already there, except Lora and Grayson.

I sat in the shadows beneath a grape arbor and pulled out a med kit to tend to my wound in silence.

Low murmurs drifted from the other side of the arbor.

"The Don held Lora the whole time, shielding her from the gunfire. So sweet!"

"That old maid Aria is something else. The Don told everyone to get in the car, and she actually thought he was calling her. What was she thinking?"

"Right? The Don called Lora over to sit with him, and Aria took two steps forward like some kind of joke."

"She's probably obsessed with the Don, but he doesn't even look at her. That's even funnier!"

They broke into muffled laughter.

I stepped out of the shadows. Their laughter died instantly.

These people were all close to Lora, part of her little clique.

When they saw me, they shifted nervously, eyes darting around. One of them forced an ingratiating smile. "Aria, you're here too."

My face was blank. "Family Code, Rule 23: Never mock a brother. Those who insult are treated as enemies. Go find your capo and take your punishment."