There were too many questions and not enough answers. With everything that was happening lately, Romano and the others were forced to be reactive instead of proactive. It left them making bad decisions.
Dominic approached Romano and placed a heavy hand on his shoulder. “I will be right there with you, and we know how strong Kalinda is. She’ll survive because she’s too stubborn to die. She’s that sort of woman. She’s got a core of steel, and if she had been a wolf, she’d be warrior-class. Trust that.”
Would he trust it if it were Zoey? But there was no reason to ask that. Dominic had risked it when he bit her at the catering event. He couldn’t have known she would survive or have access to the no-shift potion. He’d risked it all to claim her and could have lost her too.
The last few months had been a whirlwind of revelations the pack hadn’t gotten used to yet. The community they’d built for the children of District 17 was thriving, and business was as well, but a run-in with other shifters or the Council could upset the delicate balance.
Benedict’s betrayal had put a bad stain on the Council as a whole, and perhaps taking Kalinda would be a way of storing their defenses. Romano taking a mate who was a mage could mean anything for the children they’d have. The Council was more interested in tipping the scales in their favor. Having Kalinda under their control would be a strategic move.
“Well, I can’t have you one-upping me by risking how you claimed your mate. I’m going to claim a mate, and she’s going to be a Council member. Top that!”
“You forget my mate is an Alpha’s mate. She rules anyway,” Dominic said loftily.
“Yeah, but is she a Council member with the Trinity personally wanting her? I win.”
“Zoey? Come here for a minute.”
Zoey, questions marring her features, came to stand beside her mate, and Dominic moved her close to Romano. Vegetation outside the window exploded and twisted until Romano jumped back away from Zoey.
“Low blow,” Romano argued.
“I win. My mate is the Alpha bitch and can make shit grow like the ooze. I win.”
Romano blinked. “You bitched at me for the fertilizer thing, and now you link it to green turtles in the sewer? Classic.”
“I officially hate both of you. This growing thing since the portals have been popping up is not cool. At all.” Zoey stomped her foot, and it was … adorable.
This was a jest, just to lighten the mood, and Romano was thankful Dominic could help him at a time like this.
Romano would find a way. Come hell or high water, Kalinda would survive. There was no other option.
They could deal with the mating situation, and the Viscount Pride, afterward.
Chapter Eight
Romano dressed carefully in a black suit, tailor-made to stretch across his chest, stark white shirt, and thin black tie. His shoes were Italian leather, and he made controlled chaos of his hair before strapping on a gold watch and diamond cufflinks. He tucked a singular red silk napkin in his breast pocket and put on his ring that symbolized him as a Made Man and Born Wolf. The howling wolf was nestled in a crescent moon and decorated with brilliant ruby eyes. The ring matched the tattoo across his bicep.
He’d never gone to the Council Headquarters, so he pulled out all the stops to go for Kalinda. It wasn’t every day a man proposed by bite to a woman who might or might not want to rip his balls off when she found out.
Each step was heavy out of his now quiet home—the essence of Kalinda not as vibrant now that he knew she wasn’t safe—and headed to his car to pick up Dominic. What Romano found instead was Giuliana, dressed in a fashionable blood-red dress and matching heels, diamonds dripping from her throat and ears. At the end of the day, though she was with the Lombardi Pack, she was Arturo Moretti’s niece and commanded that respect.
She waited next to a sleek sedan and opened the door for him with a bowed head. “Capo.”
He accepted her direction and climbed into the car and waited for her to get in. It seemed they all were going to stand in ceremony today to meet the Council. It only enhanced his pride in his pack and what they were willing to do for each other. Romano still didn’t know what Dominic had promised, but the fact Dominic had done it meant a lot.
They arrived at Dominic’s home moments later and both Dominic and Zoey emerged. If Dominic was a storm brewing with his slate-gray suit and matching accessories, Zoey was pure light in all white. She wore flats instead of heels, in deference to her stomach, but Romano wondered why she was coming. When they got in the car, he stared pointedly at Zoey.
She waylaid him, of course, and spoke first. “Shut up before I stab you.”
He blinked. “But I didn’t say anything.”
“Yeah, well I’m still mad at you, and since you oafs can’t deal with things any other way than violence, I figured I could practice on you. Want to show me where the carotid artery is and the right pressure to puncture it?”
Romano choked on a laugh. “When did you get bloodthirsty?”
“When a wolf started growing in my stomach. Still not answering the question.”
Zoey blinked, tears pooling in her eyes and Romano was at a loss. Danger, guns, violence, he knew how to deal with all that, but a crying woman made him uncomfortable. What was he supposed to do with her? Thump her back and go kill something? Seemed like a good option.
