5. Not a princess but a prisoner

Giovanna.

He had hung around my office door but I kept myself busy as if there was nothing going on out of the ordinary. I kept myself out of his way until I saw my moment when my father's accountant Larry entered and knocked on my father's office door. Once Larry slipped inside I opened my own office door and beckoned to the tall handsome stranger who I had almost collided with earlier to come in. Larry was the dodgy money mafia accountant so I knew we had plenty of time to speak whilst my fathers attentions were firmly elsewhere. There was clearly a lot to discuss, I knew instantly who he was when I had stared into those eyes. The eyes looming back at me were my sons. The flicker of shock and recognition I saw in his eyes told me he knew who I was.

He was the man I met at the masquerade ball, the man I imagined in my lowest moments as being the one to rescue me from all this. My prince charming in the horror story of my life. But it wasn't about me now. Every dream I had prior to this disolved into one thought and everything I had in mind now was about Luca and how I needed him to save Luca. Of that was my biggest win in life then I would be fine with that. If he saved our son then he had saved me. Luca was my everything. I could never see Luca as a werewolf under my fahters control, I had to see Luca free even if I did't get to see it close up. I was willing to use my dying breath to save my son.

I bit my lip I hadn't decided how to bring up Luca to him but I knew I had to because this was my chance to get him away from my father. It was a priority now but first I had to make sure the man before me was really the better option and not a delusion of wishful thinking. The last thing I needed was my baby jumping from the pan into the fire. But the truth was the bar didn't have to be too high for the man entering my office to be the better person to save my son. As long as I was happy the royal werewolf pack didnt sacrafice their first borns to the moon goddess then he was the best option.

He darted into my office as I closed the door and leaned back against it as he was dangerously close to me. I guess werewolves didn't do personal space. He made an odd gesture like he was leaning in and smelling me. I stiffened at the strange movement and he immidiately recolled like I had burnt him.

"I'm sorry." he grunted. "I forget you are human and all this must be weird." he added. "I must seem really weird right now."

The tension I felt at his movement dissolved into guilt.

"I don't find you weird." I said softly and I really meant it. I had stiffened at how a wave of feelings had hit me that I wasn't ready for. I felt more for this man in his breif close proximity then I had in a lifetime. It was the strangest thing I had only met him briefly that one night but since then he consumed my dreams and thoughts. In my lowest moments knowing he was out there somewhere in the world had given me a thread of hope. A simple idea that maybe just maybe life had a different plan for me beyond the walls of the mafia compond.

"That's a relief." he smiled softly at the revelation I didn't find him strange. I saw him instantly relax. The muscles around his jaw instantly slackened. He had moved back from me slightly but still was tantalisingly close to me. Close enough I could feel his breath tickle my face.

"Your her." he broke the silence with the statement. I numbly nodded. "All this time I thought I had dreamt you up. " I added. "Why did you get up and leave me that night?"

I swallowed down the lump that now sat in my throat. I asked myself that question a million times. Would it all have been different if I had lingered in his bed

"I was there with my brother if I was missing too long it would not have ended well." I responded.

"But you're my mate." he whispered.

"Your mate?" I asked slowly I understood the idea of mates as I had looked up everything I could on werewolves to prepare Luca. As a human in the world who knew other things existed it was hard to find information on werewolves that was in fact accurate and not tainted by fiction. I had enough knowledge to know wolves had a mate and once they found that mate that was it for life like soul mates.

"Do you understand what a mate means?" he asked. I nodded slowly still not sure what was happening.

"Its like soul mates right?" I asked quietly.

"Yes I guess it is. Being someone's mate means you were born to be a part of that wolfs life. Their partner in life, the other half of their soul." he explained.

"But I'm human." I gasped stating the obvious.

"It doesn't matter the moon goddess picked you for me." he replied.

"I can't be your mate." I blurted out and I saw the hurt in his eyes, they changed instantly to black in what I could only assume were his wolfs eyes now.

"You dont want to be my mate?" the sound was different to James voice it was deeper, a growl almost.

"I dont have a choice. It's not about what I want." I swallowed away the panic. "My father would never allow it." I added weakly.

James eyes flickered from the deep chocolate brown to the black and back again as if an internal fight was ensuing which I imagine there was between James and his wolf. James won as the chocolate coloured years stayed peering at me.

"You're the mafia princess." he sighed.

"Not a princess think of it more like a prisoner." I grumbled.

"What can he do?" he asked as I gulped. " If I took your hand now and walked out of the office door you think your father could stop me?" he asked as hint of a snarl on the tone.

I shook my head frantic he would do this and then the door would slam shut behind me.

"Sure against a mafia family or another man you ran away with he could rage a war and destroy everyone associated with you but he is no match for the royal pack." he responded by way of reassurance.

"I can't..." I began again but he cut me off.

"You want to saty here in the mafia?" he asked as I shook my head. " Then what? What is he holding over you?" he asked finally reading the desperation in my eyes.

"Luca." I responded as a tear rolled down my cheek.