Ever since we moved to Union, Senu has been coming to see me almostevery day, except on his doctor appointment days. So I have my brother with me again, the way we used to be, the way I always wanted. And it’s bliss!
I was so afraid our paths would split, but they didn’t. We are solid and thriving. On top of that, we both have our True Mates; everything is simply perfect.
"Do you remember when we were kids," Senu says, his voice full of emotion, "and we used to draw our future sometimes? I remember drawing four kids for myself, and you always drew three. Back then we did not even know which genders we would manifest at puberty. We both hoped we would be omegas."
Eliano looks at me. "Really? Omega? And three kids?"
I puff out my lips. "After this delivery, I changed my mind. One is enough. Probably." Then I add dryly, "Okay, maybe two, but that’s the absolute max."
"I have a feeling sooner or later you’ll talk him into that third one," Senu says with a grin, looking at Eliano, who replies,
"Who knows. As I like to say, dream big."
"You’ll be the one giving birth to them, asshole! My crotch would not survive that," I grumble, pretending to be offended, though the expression does not last long. A smile wins as I watch Senu holding my son and Eliano leaning over them, staring at the tiny face.
I smile. I cannot help it.
I have been smilinga lotlately. What a personality shift for me. I am filled with pure happiness, as if it flows in my veins.
The last six months have been truly wonderful and so kind to us.
Ennio contacted Eliano a few hours after that short phone call.
He presented him with a very interesting offer. The Ferro family had quietly bought a fairly well-known press agency some time earlier through intermediaries. They wanted media that would present the family in a more favorable light, or at least a neutral one. Ennio wanted someone there who could gently suggest article ideas that showed the actions of the new capo in a positive way.
So Ennio offered Eliano a position there. We talked about it briefly, including the moral side, since Eliano always wanted to be an investigative journalist, not a paid mouthpiece for the mafia, but in the end, Eliano said he wanted to give Ennio a chance as the new capo.
As it turned out, he didn’t have to force any fake praise into his articles, because Ennio introduced such positive improvements within the mafia that Eliano could write favorable pieces with a clear conscience.
On top of that, Eliano reconnected with his brothers, Mauro and Luca, and from time to time we would meet them for family dinners.
Their broken family slowly healed after Rocco’s death.
Also, the accounts belonging to Eliano and Mauro were unlocked by Ennio just a few hours after that first conversation, and we knew then that we would be able to afford to buy a house in Union.
Three days after Rocco’s death, when it was officially confirmed by the authorities, Blue Lowen reached out and told us we could join the Beta Activation Follow-Up Program. In exchange, we’d allow a team of betas to monitor my health at a small research facility in Union.
We were honestly relieved we didn’t have to buy the house on installments. We could just pay for it outright.
Someone might ask why we still wanted to be part of the crazy program after everything that happened.
The answer was simple. Even though Tanner was sentenced to death for his crimes, I was still a convicted felon.
However, thanks to Eliano’s connections, I was granted a retrial. My sentence was reduced to fifteen years, thanks to the Ferro family’s sharp, ‘creative’ attorneys. They built a temporary insanity defense, and the judge agreed to run the sentences for all four shootings concurrently. That made me eligible for parole after nine years, especially with my participation in the Second Chance program working in my favor.
I still had to wear an ankle monitor, though. The judge’s condition was clear: I could only move within the boundaries of a single designated property.
Union qualified as one property, technically the entire lot remaining under the authority of BA Follow-Up. Because of that, I was free to move around the whole tiny ‘town’. I could go to the stores, the preschool, the kids’ playground, a restaurant, a smallclub, and of course see a doctor. I could walk through the park and the wooded area they owned, even visit the stretch of beach at the edge of the grounds. Not bad, right?
Eliano hasn’t fullyunchained meyet, but he’s set me on the path to it, for sure.
And my prospects look good!
In about nine years, when our kids are older, I’ll be able to leave Union for good, and the whole process of ‘unchaining’ me will finally be over.
Another cool thing happened.
The mental healing we got from our fated bond actually surprised us with this extra layer. Eliano finally came to terms with his past in martial arts! He just accepted the brutal training as part of his old life and moved on from the anger and pain. The result was unexpected. When one of our neighbors, who’s got two kids from his previous marriage, asked him to teach the boys some basic martial arts, Eliano, to my surprise, said yes.
