Prologue
6 years before the start of our story…
Athick cloud of smoke hung in the air around me as I leaned up against the hood of a dark SUV, a cigarette hanging lazily from my lips as I waited for the rest of my pack to arrive.
Dreary, drizzling rain filled my ears, insulating the typically echo-filled parking garage where we always met to carry out the boss’s wishes. It was dark, moody and the perfect night for the task we were about to undertake.
Such a thing would have normally made me feel giddy not only because I knew that the evening would go much smoother with these sorts of conditions, but also because I usually craved the adrenaline rush things like this brought.
But I didn’t feel giddy tonight.
No, instead I felt downright antsy as I sucked in a long drag of my cigarette and tapped my foot, eager to get this over with so I could go back to the house we all shared and lock myself away in my room.
Tonight, I had done something so stupid that I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to come back from it.
I kissed her. I’d really done it and there was no taking it back.
Luscinia Amante, the only daughter of the crime boss of the Amante family and the little sister of my best friend.
All of the good sense that I usually prided myself on having was absent tonight and I still couldn’t figure out just what the fuck I’d been thinking.
The party itself was a dull affair, just like all parties at the Amante estate were. They were always full of pointless conversations and the cajoling of my parents to talk to the daughter of such-and-such and make a connection with the son of so-and-so.
It was supposed to be a birthday party for Cini, but if it hadn’t said so on the invitation we had received, I wouldn’t have believed anyone was having a birthday at all.
Not that Alessandro Amante Sr. had ever treated Cini like a father should treat his daughter. Sure, on paper she was spoiled with the nicest clothes that money could buy, but I knew better and so did the rest of my pack.
Cini, from the moment she had been born functionally deaf, had been what Alessandro Amante Sr. had called a disappointment, and then when she failed to awaken as an omega during her teenage years, her value had plummeted even more.
The only reason a party was being held for her at all was because Alesso insisted, refusing to do anything for his father until it happened.
I’d never seen someone love their sibling quite as much as Alesso loved Cini. When we’d been younger and Cini had been just a toddler, Alesso had carried her on his hip like a proud father, showing her off to everyone and anyone who would listen.
She was his ultimate treasure, the reason why he followed his father’s orders, and since I was his Alesso’s best friend, she was completely off limits.
It was a rule that had been blatantly obvious and easy to follow… right up until I’d lost my fucking mind tonight.
Scrubbing a tired hand over my face, I dropped my finished cigarette and twisted it out with the heel of my shoe before reaching into my coat pocket for another.
“Those things’ll kill you, you know?” a voice said from behind me, nearly making me jump out of my skin.
“Make some god damned noise next time, asshole,” I grumbled, trying to calm my anxious nerves as I wheeled around to face Alesso.
He’d arrived with the rest of our pack in tow, still dressed in their party finery as they chatted amiably amongst themselves, completely oblivious to what I had been doing at the party.
“We did make noise,” Alesso said with a grin as he ran a hand through his silvery-blond hair—the same hair he shared with his little sister. “Why are you out here so early? You dipped from the party before it really got started.”
I shrugged, not meeting his gaze. “It was boring and I doubt anyone would miss me.”
Alesso’s blue eyes narrowed.
He always knew when I was lying—we’d been together practically since we were both in diapers and probably knew each other better than anyone else—but I was hoping he would let it go because we had a lot of shit to do tonight and I did not want to have to admit to his face that I had kissed his sister.
The other alpha surrendered me to my own secrets with a sigh, shaking his head. “Cini was upset you left so early, y’know, so at the very least she missed you.”
My shoulders stiffened at the mention of her name. A flash of her big blue eyes as she stared up at me, her lips swollen and the shimmery gloss on them completely messed up filling my mind without permission. The inner-alpha that I had spent years learning how to control seemed to stir at the image and I pushed it back down inside of my mind.
Now was not the time to be reminiscing about kissing my best friend’s sister, no matter how good of a kiss it was and no matter how much I wanted to run back to the party and do it all over again.
