“Do you?” Leo’s smile was all teeth and venom. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like three grown men in tactical gear just tackled an unarmed civilian for absolutely no reason. Pretty sure that’s assault with a deadly weapon, considering all the hardware you’re carrying. Or did they not cover basic civil liberties in your jackboots-for-dummies training manual?”
The intelligence behind those amber eyes was as arousing as Leo’s beauty—a perfect omega who would challenge them, fight them, make the eventual claiming so much sweeter.
“Your father pays us very well to make sure his precious son doesn’t get himself killed doing stupid shit like running through the forest at night,” Stefano said, stepping close enough that Leo had to tilt his head back to maintain eye contact. The height difference between them sent a surge of possessive satisfaction through his system.
Something flickered in Leo’s eyes—recognition, maybe, or confirmation of what he’d already suspected about his guards’ true loyalties.
“My father,” Leo repeated, his voice carrying acid that could strip paint. “Right. Well, when I tell dear old dad that his hired thugs tackled me for taking a walk, I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to hear how well his money’s being spent. Perhaps he’ll even give you a bonus for feeling me up. Special services rendered and all that.”
“Will you?” Marco asked with dark amusement. “Tell him how you scaled the security fence with a backpack full of supplies? How you disabled motion sensors? How you were half a mile from the cottage when we caught you?”
Leo’s jaw ticked, the only sign that Marco’s words had hit their mark. “I’ll tell him his guards are paranoid psychotics who see escape attempts in evening strolls,” he said coolly. “I’m sure he’ll find that very interesting. Especially the part where you seem to enjoy manhandling people. Not exactly the professional conduct he’s paying for, is it?”
Being this close to Leo without claiming him was exquisite torture. Every breath filled Stefano’s lungs with winter jasmine, making his cock throb with need while something primitive clawed at the underside of his control.
“Let’s go somewhere private,” Stefano decided, wrapping one gloved hand around Leo’s upper arm. “Have this conversation where we won’t be interrupted.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Leo snarled, jerking his arm away. “Unless you’ve got a warrant or probable cause hidden in those tactical pants, we’re done here.”
“Wrong answer,” Stefano said, and before Leo could react, he’d swept the boy up and thrown him over his shoulder. He could feel every inch of Leo’s body against him—that perfect ass positioned right where he could feel it with every step. The boywas warm and solid despite his slender frame, all lean muscle and furious energy.
“What the fuck!” Leo exploded, immediately starting to thrash. “Put me down, you psychotic dickwad! This is kidnapping, you brain-dead Neanderthal!”
His fists hammered against Stefano’s back while his legs kicked wildly, but the alpha’s grip remained iron solid as he carried his struggling burden deeper into the forest.
“I’ll fucking kill you!” Leo screamed, his voice echoing through the trees. “I’ll gut you and use your intestines as Christmas decorations! My father will hunt you down like rabid dogs and feed your testicles to his koi pond!”
The threats made Stefano’s lips curl into a smile behind his tactical mask. This was exactly what he’d expected from Leo—not meek submission but magnificent rage, the kind of spirit that would make breaking him so much more satisfying.
“Promises, promises,” Marco said, flanking them as they moved through undergrowth.
“He’ll skin you alive and make lampshades out of your hides!” Leo spat, still fighting against Stefano’s hold. “You think you can just kidnap his son and walk away? You’re fucking dead men walking! I hope you’ve got good life insurance, because your beneficiaries are about to cash in!”
They reached a small clearing where moonlight filtered through pine branches. Stefano dumped Leo unceremoniously onto the forest floor, where the boy immediately scrambled to his feet, amber eyes blazing with fury.
The sight of Leo standing there—chest heaving, hair disheveled from their struggle, eyes burning with defiance—made Stefano’s control slip another notch. The boy looked magnificent in his rage, all lean lines and barely leashed violence.
“You absolute psychopaths,” Leo hissed, backing toward the tree line. “When I tell my father what you fucking animals did?—”
“Sit,” Stefano commanded, pointing to a fallen log. His alpha voice emerged without conscious thought, the kind of tone that made betas and omegas instinctively obey.
But Leo just glared at him, chin lifted in defiance. “Eat shit and die. I’m not your performing monkey, and I definitely don’t take orders from masked fetishists with control issues.”
Stefano's patience evaporated. He grabbed Leo's arm and hauled him across his lap as he sat on the log, positioning him for punishment that would teach him exactly who was in control. The feel of Leo's perfect ass positioned over his lap sent another surge of heat straight to his cock. His hands trembled with the urge to strip those jeans away, to feel bare skin burning beneath his palm, but he forced himself to maintain control.Not yet,he told himself savagely.Soon, but not yet.
"What the hell are you doing?" Leo demanded, struggling against the hands that held him in place. "Get your fucking hands off me! What kind of sick power trip is this?"
"Teaching you manners," Stefano replied, bringing his gloved hand down hard.
Crack!
The sharp sound echoed through the clearing as his palm connected with Leo's ass through the denim. The boy gasped in shock, his body jerking against Stefano's lap.
The sound that escaped Leo was pure outrage, but beneath it, Stefano caught something else—a hitch in his breath that suggested his omega biology was responding despite his conscious fury. The scent of winter jasmine spiked with something sweeter, more primal.
"You sick piece of shit!" Leo snarled, bucking against Stefano's grip. "No one has ever—my father has never even—I'm twenty-one fucking years old! This is assault, you perverted freak!"
Smack!
