All Chapters of The Mafia's Forbidden Heat: Chapter 171 - Chapter 178

RIN POVWe found temporary shelter in an abandoned summer camp two hours north of Network Haven. Twenty three people and eight children crammed into rustic cabins that had not been used in years. It was not ideal but it gave us distance from the manipulated network we had escaped.The first night everyone was too exhausted and traumatized to do much beyond settling the children and trying to sleep. But through our reduced collective consciousness I felt questions brewing. Anger. Confusion. Fear about what came next.Iris could not sleep. She kept reaching through the network toward the friends she had left behind in Network Haven. "Why did we have to leave. I do not understand.""Because the people in charge were not being honest," I explained for the third time. "They were using the network to control everyone.""But it felt good. Everyone was happy.""They thought they were happy because the network made them feel that way. That is not real happiness."She considered this with thre

RIN POVFive years after we published the network guidelines Iris turned eight and asked the question I had been dreading. "Do you and Papa ever wish you were not bonded."We were sitting by the lake near our permanent home. A small house we had finally bought after years of temporary shelters. Just the three of us and our small network living nearby but not on top of each other."Why would you ask that," I said carefully."Because sometimes through the bond I feel you being sad about it. Both of you. Like you miss something you used to have."She was perceptive in ways that normal eight year olds were not. Growing up networked meant she read emotions with perfect clarity. There was no hiding feelings from her."We do not wish we were not bonded," I said honestly. "But sometimes we miss privacy. Being able to have thoughts that are just our own.""You have private thoughts from me all the time. You and Papa have your special bond channel that I cannot access.""That is different. That

RIN POVIris turned fifteen and fell in love with a boy who was not networked. His name was Daniel and he had no idea that collective consciousness existed or that the quiet girl in his history class could feel his emotions if she focused hard enough."This is a disaster," Iris said through the network while lying dramatically on her bed. "How do I talk to someone who cannot feel what I am feeling. Words are so inadequate.""Welcome to how most of humanity communicates," Kai said with amusement through the connection. "You use your words and hope they understand.""But I already know he likes me. I can sense it when I am near him. His emotions are so clear. But I cannot tell him I know because then I would have to explain the network."Through our bond Thorne sent concern. "She is going to have to tell him eventually if this continues. She cannot have a relationship built on deception.""She is fifteen. This might last two weeks.""Or it might last longer and then we have bigger probl

RIN POVIris met someone new six months after Elena's return and this time she was honest from the beginning. His name was Aaron and he was part of a different network community two hours north. When Iris told him about collective consciousness he just nodded and said his family had been bonded for three generations."He understands," Iris said with relief flooding through our connection. "I do not have to explain or hide anything. He just gets it.""That is good," I said while feeling uncertain through my bond with Thorne. Dating within network communities was easier but it also meant limited options. What if Aaron was not right for her but she settled because he understood collective consciousness."You are overthinking," Thorne sent through our private channel. "Let her be happy. We can worry about whether he is right for her if it gets serious."Aaron visited the following weekend and I felt him before I saw him. His network presence was strong and confident. Not intrusive but de