Two

DANTE'S POV

I stepped out of the car, taking in the house in front of me while my men spent the small seconds doing a sweep.

It had to be one of the blandest houses I had seen, white all through, probably because of all the shady stuff that happened behind those wooden doors.

I never liked to work with people like Mark, but he always got the work done, perfectly and on time. So I let him stay even though there was one problem with Mark.

He was a thief, and in this city, no one stole from me.

At first, I had tried to ignore it since it was barely noticeable, but imagine my expression when I found a large bag of money missing from the shipments, including my gold watch.

To steal from me and believe you would outsmart me was not courage. It was arrogance, the dumbest type, and it needed to be corrected.

One of my men knocked on the door and Mark opened the door almost immediately. He had a smile spread across his wrinkled face but that quickly faded when his gaze met mine.

His shoulders stiffened and he parted his lips, probably trying to remember how to talk.

“Alpha Dante" his voice shook as he stepped back with so much speed he almost fell. “I didn’t expect—” I walked past him without answering.

The house smelled like food, and I could hear something simmering, which was quite odd. Mark had worked with me for years,and I knew he enjoyed eating out.

So clearly he's expecting someone, Good.

I watched his throat move as he swallowed. “Why are you here?”

“Visiting,” I said, the word sounded wrong even to him. Mark laughed once, nervously. “If that were true, you would’ve sent word. You don’t show up like this unless someone’s…”

He stopped talking, and I noticed the color drain out of his face as he stared at Roman, who had been standing beside me.

His hand found the back of a chair as it might anchor him. “You've been spying on me?" He asked with a tone like my not trusting him had hurt his feelings. Not that I gave a fuck. "I didn’t steal from you. I swear. I wouldn’t. You know me.”

“I find it interesting that you said that without being accused,” I replied. “But stealing isn’t the only mistake you made.”

“You spoke to the shadow falls pack,” I continued, pulling off my suit blazer. “And now my shipment is gone. So tell me, Mark. Do you want to explain yourself now, or should we wait for your guest to arrive?”

“If I talk,” he said finally, voice breaking, “they’ll kill me.”

That response marked the end of this conversation.

Brett moved and dragged mark into the kitchen, shoes scraping uselessly against the floor.

He was stripped and tied to a chair near the stove. Shorts only. Sweat was already breaking across his skin. Fear made men sweat quickly.

Brett brought a stool and set it down with unnecessary care. He patted Mark’s head once, which was an obvious mockery, then stepped back.

Normally, I never stayed for the kills as much as I liked a little blood, I had other things to do, but I needed to teach a lesson.

The sauce on the stove bubbled softly. I turned the flame off and moved the pot aside. With my eyes still on the flames, I picked up a knife, placing it just above the fire. The metal began to hiss taking a bright red colour.

Mark's voice filled the room, and I turned with the hot knife to find him crying, muttering incomplete sentences.

“Dante,” he whispered. “Per favore. Abbi pietà. Possiamo risolverla parlando.”

Mercy. Such a pathetic word. I met his eyes and smiled again, softer this time.

“Then talk,” I said.

“Listen—listen, Alpha. Okay, just hear me out,” he said, the words spilling fast as if he slowed down even a little, he’d die.

“The money, the bag, it’s not what you think. I was just holding it. Temporarily. Things were… unstable. You know how things get.” He let out an awkward chuckle and I only felt more irritated.

“I didn’t touch it. I swear. Not really. I was protecting it. Protecting you.” He trembled, and I scoffed, looking away as I resisted the urge to land a punch on his face.

“Years. I’ve done everything you asked. Everything. I’ve kept quiet when it would’ve saved me. I’ve stayed loyal when I didn’t have to. You know me.”

“la tua utilità è scaduta... dovrei semplicemente ucciderti ora ” I whispered, leaning in and Someone behind me cooked a gun and Mark resumed his crying session.

“No—no, wait, wait,” he gasped, hands shaking as he grabbed at my coat. “Please. I can be useful. I can make this right.”

“I know you lost men,” he said quickly. “I heard about your loss. I can give you men. Fifty." I stared at him for a while, searching for a sign that he was just buying time, but all I saw was fear.

“Show me,” I ordered, and Mark nodded too fast, relief flashing across his face as he’d already survived.

I nodded and with that Brett untied him and he led me to the back, he shouted some words and the doors parted as a crowd of men walked in. They lined up stiffly, eyes forward, shoulders tight. They all looked okay. Well, that was until the last one walked in.

My brows flexed in confusion as I stared at him. He was smaller than the others, not just small, but he looked lighter?

He kept his head down. Hands tucked into his sleeves. I tried to ignore him, but that seemed almost impossible. With slow steps, I made my way to the line, where he stood.

“You,” I said. “Look at me.” He flinched at first but looked up slowly, and the first thing that came to my mind was...

Beautiful

I visibly cringed but that didn't stop it from being true. He looked too beautiful to be a man, the petite stature wasn't helping either.

Soft lips, black hair that framed his face, and eyes that couldn't decide whether they wanted to be green or gray.

“What’s your name?” I asked, tilting my head to get a better look at him.

The odd man swallowed slowly, a clear sign he was beyond terrified. "Dei—" he paused as if surprised by his extremely light voice. My lips stretched into a smile; this was definitely not a man.

Why exactly is a woman pretending to be a man,I stepped closer, she instantly froze all the color leaving her face as I leaned down towards her neck, I took a deep inhale and just like that it felt like an instant high and the only thing I felt was peace?... calm?

I took a hesitant step back and her gaze met mine again, but this time her vision looked blurred out like she was about to cry ....but she quickly cleared her throat

"Diego, sir," she stated in a Batman voice, running a hand through her hair, and I resisted the urge to laugh.

I watched her longer than necessary, my grin getting wider as she avoided my eyes now, staring somewhere near my shoulder like that was safer.

Mark was talking again behind me, thanking me already, promising things he wouldn’t live long enough to keep.

“I’ll take them,” I said finally

“All of them?”

I kept my gaze on the man I'm a 100 percent sure is woman

“All,” I repeated.