Chapter eleven

The letter was handed to him by one of his men with the elbelm on it—un lobo. A wolf.

Mateo's brows raised, his line like eyes even smaller. A black envelope with the figure of a golden wolf. Everyone knew what that stood for —The Requiem.

He took a breath in, tossing the letter on the table. His hands ran through his ebony hair, his lips parted, his teeth nibbling on his lower lip.

At the mention of the Requiem, the image of his bride played in his head. How her soft cleavage pressed against the blue cups of her gown, how dark and sexy her eyes looked...

She was a territory he couldn't afford to cross. The Requiem's Bride was highly desirable but already claimed.

He sat up immediately, trying to push the image of Camellia's smile though it was almost impossible to.

His fingers slipped the letter up, finally sliding it open.

The content was brief as always. Alejandro Ricci was not a man of many words. He always just left a name and manner of death.

But when Mateo's eyes fully absorbed the information on it, his jaw dropped.

For the first time, he had listed multiple names with the same surname — Moretti.

Mateo tossed the letter and the envelope into his fireplace. His dark eyes still on the fire as it crackled consuming the pieces of paper slowly. Its embers glowed softly in the darkness, fire devouring its wood. 

This was an order written in fire and blood, but Mateo was no mindless soldier. 

Especially when it came to killing the family of the woman he loved. 

He picked up his phone dialing a number. 

***

Enzo stopped immediately Alejandro mentioned Mateo Greco. The man was efficient, brutal, and never left a single trail behind. Enzo never dared to question Mateo's orders, they were always necessary. Killing the Morettis was more than necessary. Especially that Lorenzo prick, a man like that was quick to act and even quicker to point fingers. He was a loophole and Requiem didn't keep loopholes. 

“Consider it done,” Enzo murmured. 

"I want it done after the wedding." He declared. 

"Yes, Capo." Enzo stared with his eyes filled with admiration. 

Alejandro didn’t move, his eyes still stayed glued to his cigarette as his fingers tossed it about. His sharp eyes returned to the empty balcony where Camellia once stood with her black offshoulder gown dragging against the marble floor. 

He could imagine her slender figure leaning against the balcony rails, the fire in her dark eyes, the one that burned so brightly every time she dared to challenge him. 

He chuckled, his eyes still lingering on the balcony. 

"She doesn’t know the man she belongs to yet. But soon, she will." 

Taking a final puff, he tossed the cigarette into the gamboling waters of pool, the cigarette fizzled out in the glowing blue waters. Soon, he tore his gaze from the balcony, returning them back to Enzo. 

"Let’s go," he commanded, his voice filled with authority.

Enzo's brows arched up slightly. “Where to, Capo?”

A smirk formed at both corners of his lip, his eyes were humorless, filled with uncontrollable darkness. 

“To remind my wife who she belongs to.”

---

" How dare he? "

Camellia kept pacing around. Her heels clicking loudly on the marble floor. Her body stiffened, her muscles tensing. Her heart thrummed in anger. 

How dare Lorenzo?  She thought. 

How dare he speak to her like she was less than a whore? How dare he act like her life was a mere transaction? Like she was merchandise. She had hated the way her family treated her mother and when she finally became of age, the same treatment extended to her. 

But she was much different from her mother. She wouldn't go down with a fight. She wasn't a flower, she was a fucking weed. 

Her fists clenched at her sides, her breath faster, her jaw clenched. The  rage she felt was uncontrollable like a tidal wave. She reached for her lamp attempting to toss it to the ground. 

But then, decided not to. 

She took a deep breath in, pressing her hands against her make up table. Her chest heaving. She couldn't stay docile, live the life her father and brothers wanted for her. She needed to think. To plan. Strategize.

 There had to be a way out of this. 

The sound of the door creaking dragged her from her thoughts. 

She immediately stiffened. 

Then the door swung wide opened and Alejandro stepped inside without her permission. His steps were slow, deliberate and the door made a soft sound as it shut behind him. 

Suddenly, the room felt smaller. 

Camellia didn't turn to face him, she continued staring at his reflection on her mirror. “You don't knock?”

His shoes made a sharp click against the room as he drew closer to her. Soon, she could feel the warmth of his touch around her shoulders as he spun her around. A little smirk formed on his face as his dark eyes held her. “I don’t need to, Princessa. ”

She couldn't believe he was so confidently Intruding into her personal space. “What do you want?” She asked, irritation seeping into her voice. 

The way his towering figure loomed over her was almost intimidating. He was so close she could smell the intoxicating smell of his addictive cologne, smoke and liquor —everything about him reeked of power 

His fingers moved slowly as he took her chin up between his index finger and his thumb, his eyes hovering over her ravishing features. 

“Earlier, I saw you watching me” His tone was as smooth as butter. 

“What did you see?”

She narrowed her eyes, raising her shoulders higher, challenging. 

“I saw you with Enzo, whispering around like you were little girls. ” She snapped. 

His eyes grew darker, his lips quirked. He paused choosing to ignore her condescending remark. “And what do you think it was about?”

She rolled her eyes at him, feigning nonchalance. “I don’t give a damn about your stupid whispers.”

Alejandro tilted his head, his tsk wasn't loud but it was clipped and sharp. 

His fingers roamed, subtly caressing her skin. They moved pushing a strand of hair behind her ears. His touch was light, sensuous sending a shivery feeling through her body.

“Liar,” he murmured.

Camellia took a deep gulp in, her heart felt heavier all of a sudden. Sweat trickled down her face as she tried to force herself to keep holding his gaze. 

She couldn't let him intimidate her. Not ever. 

Alejandro let out a dry chuckle. 

If she thought acting rebellious was scaring him off, then she was about to be really disappointed because he was done with letting her play her little game. 

It was time to take her out of the doll house. 

He moved closer, backing her up against the her makeup table. His hands caged her in, both were pinned against her little body locking her in. His dark eyes fell on her again. 

“Do you want to know what I was planning, Princessa?” His voice dropped to a sexy whisper.

 “I was deciding what to do about a little problem.”

Camellia looked up, her eyes challenging. “And what problem is that?”

His dangerous eyes never left her. 

“You.”