SUN #2
Rocco swears and finally lets me go. I don’t waste a second.
I sprint across the lawn toward Summer, but that black-haired omega is still sitting next to him and there’s not much room left.
Frantically, I glance around and spot Anzo at a distance, talking to two men.
One of them is the scumbag Dante Moll, the other is Ennio. Doesn’t matter. I bolt toward them.
"Anzo, can we talk in private?" I blurt out.
He frowns. I can tell he’s not happy about me interrupting, but he nods to the men and lets me lead him aside. I tug him deep into the garden, far enough that no one can hear us.
"Anzo," I stop and look him straight in the eyes, "I’d rather tell you everything now than have you hear it from Rocco later."
He says nothing. His face stays completely still.
"Just now, when I was talking to Jared, I told him that if I disappear, he should tell my dad I love him. I wanted you to hear that from me before Rocco tells you. He said he’d keep it secret, if I gave him a sexual favor in return.
And since I’m not doing that, I figured I should come to you directly. "
I don’t even see it happen.
One second he’s standing there, the next—pain explodes across my face. My vision goes dark as I hit the ground.
Anzo’s mechanical arm moves faster than my eyes can register.
Strangely, I’m relieved we’re far enough from the guests that they can’t see my humiliation. My head buzzes for a moment. I sit up slowly and stare at Anzo, completely lost.
"If you’re trying to stir shit between me and Rocco, you’ll have to do better than that. Playing games like this is gonna land you in a cage, pet."
"I’m telling the truth, Anzo! He told me he’d keep it all secret if I gave him a sexual favor!" I shriek.
Anzo just stands there, silent, staring down at me.
"Rocco wants me! Sooner or later, he’s gonna make a move."
I lift my arm and show him my elbow, already bruised from Rocco’s grip.
"This is from him. Are you okay with this?"
Anzo doesn’t react. Doesn’t respond. Just turns around and walks away.
What the hell is going on?
Does Anzo have some kind of… complex that keeps him from standing up to other men when it comes to his fucktoys? Is that why he used to hand them over to Rocco?
Suddenly, it hits me—hard.
What if… Rocco didn’t wait for Anzo to hand them over? What if he simply took them? And Anzo just played along for the sake of keeping the peace? Maybe every time Anzo finds a new toy, it’s only a matter of time before Rocco claims them. And when he does, Anzo doesn’t even try to stop him?
The thought sends a cold shiver down my spine, because I’m on Rocco’s radar, definitely.
And now I start to wonder… What happened to Moon? Did Rocco take him from Anzo? Raped him? Killed him? Did Anzo and the rest of the brothers just stand by and let it happen?
My mind spins. I stay frozen, sitting alone on the lawn, feeling like absolute shit. Lost. What the fuck am I supposed to do now? This place is even less safe than I thought.
Is Rocco the one I should be more afraid of than Anzo?
Eventually, I force myself to my feet and head back to the couch where Summer’s sitting. The moment he sees me, he swallows hard and lowers his eyes. He doesn’t need to ask, he knows how things work around here.
That other omega is still here, but I don’t care, and I drop down beside him, squeezing in. I only make sure I take the right side, so he doesn’t see that my cheek is swelling.
My nerves are vibrating, and Summer glances at me, uneasy.
The black-haired guy obviously doesn’t see any problem, since he smiles. He’s really pretty, and seems ageless.
"Hello," he says, extending a tiny, graceful hand. "I’m Darien Ferro."
Duh, I’m not in the mood for polite social niceties.
But the name rings a bell. I read on The Truth Only I Know blog that all four Ferro brothers had to be placed under the care of a mature alpha during puberty to prevent them from entering Musth .
They were sent to live with Anzo’s old uncle, Alberto, and his husband, Darien—college beauty pageant winner, stunning, much younger omega.
"Oh, right, now I remember… you’re the one who helped raise the new generation of the Ferros?" I say, trying to fake a smile, but it comes out crooked. It’s not exactly a compliment. Helping to raise Rocco to what he is now should be punishable by law.
Darien lets out melodious laughter. Or should I say oblivious, since he doesn’t catch my jab.
"You’re giving me way too much credit. The boys were with us for maybe a year each, tops. I didn’t really get involved, my energy couldn’t affect them. Alberto did all the work! These days, I’m more like a forgotten relative, rarely invited," he adds with a wide grin.
I really, really don’t want to talk to some random Ferro relative, so I make an effort to remember what Darien does and decide to let him talk.
"You have a charity, right? What does it do?" I ask, despite knowing it already. But people can talk about themselves for hours, and I really need a mental break.
"We offer free legal aid to pro-bono organizations like Second Chance. We also take on private cases of people who were harmed by unfavorably written marriage contracts. We give them both legal and financial support."
I stare at him blankly. I wish I could say, Dude, I'm very likely to be killed and you’re talking about some unfair contract shit?
Darien makes a subtle gesture with his hands and adds, "Anzo invites me to these banquets from time to time because he knows my charity needs all kinds of people to keep it going. Events like this are great for chatting folks up…" He shrugs like it’s just an innocent little pleasure, hunting for donors over hors d’oeuvres .
Unfortunately, his sweet voice does nothing to soothe my nerves.
I just sit there, still in shock, dazed, and just nod politely, and let Darien talk about his last case, where he helped by offering legal support to some beta accused of killing four alphas.
Supposedly they raped and killed his brother and it was revenge.
With Darien’s help, Second Chance found some solution for him…
Listening to him with barely one ear, I observe Anzo, my eyes narrowed. The fucking pathetic capo spends the time at the banquet talking with Dante Moll, who’s giving him serious heart-eyes like he’s the love of his life.
They stroll around the garden paths, chatting. Honestly, I couldn’t care less about those fuckers’ conversation. The whole Beta Empowerment movement could vanish tomorrow and I wouldn’t blink.
Hello, I’ve got way bigger problems!
Eventually, sometime after 11 pm, some of the guests start heading home. Others stay at the tables, gossiping, drinking, helping themselves to the free coke. Darien is also gone, finally.
Summer and I are left alone on our sofa.
It’s only then that I decide to ask him, "Does Darien know what’s really going on with us?" I keep my voice quiet enough that no one else can hear.
"No. Darien was friends with my brother, Moon. He’s somehow convinced Moon OD’ed and that me and Anzo got close after that."
"OD’ed? I looked online but the articles claim that there was a divorce and he moved away."
Summer presses his lips together and stays silent for a long moment. Then, in a whisper so quiet I have to lean in to catch it, he says,
"My brother ran away from The Sun. That’s why Anzo brought me here as a replacement."
He took Summer as a replacement ? I swallow hard, that’s new information for me.
"Then why did he make you his husband? Why not just keep you around as his lover?"
"I don’t know."
A strange thought flashes through my mind.
Is this Anzo’s way of… keeping Rocco away? Rocco used to steal his lovers before Moon. And Moon managed to last here more than two years.
Was it only because Anzo married him? Maybe marrying Summer is how Anzo protects him from Rocco? It’s just a theory… but potentially there’s something to it.
"Do you know where Moon is now?"
"No."
I figured. Even if he did know, he wouldn’t tell me. I already know too much. Can’t blame him for being careful.
Summer closes his eyes slightly, and suddenly says,
"My brother… he really had some feelings for Anzo. But it was a toxic relationship, and Moon kept struggling with substance use issues…"
"Moon actually had feelings for him?" I can’t wrap my head around that.
Summer’s lashes lower. "A bit, but it faded quickly. He once told me there’s something in Anzo’s past he knows about, something that made him feel sorry for him."
"That’s… also hard to believe."
Summer just shrugs and falls silent.
My mind is racing with all this new information. We’re so fucking trapped here. Every last one of us.
Around 1 am, we’re finally allowed to go back to our rooms, and thank fuck for that. I collapse into bed, telling myself tomorrow is a new day. New day, new me. Full of good plans on how to escape and save my family.
Maybe it’ll be better?
But I can’t be more wrong.
***
Somewhere around two or three in the morning, I get yanked awake by a hand on my shoulder. It’s Matteo.
"You’re coming with me," he says, his voice cold.
I already know this isn’t good. I slide out of bed, and he grabs my arm, practically shoving me into the hallway. We head downstairs, straight to the basement. And with every step, I feel a knot tightening in my throat.
I step into the black room and see the scene laid out before me. Summer stands beside the table, completely naked, head bowed, arms limp at his sides.
Matteo shoves me forward and I stumble against the table. From the shadows, Anzo emerges. He grabs the back of my shirt and rips it open.
Then he grabs Summer’s arm and pushes him down so he’s half-sprawled beside me.
Matteo leaves, locking the door behind him. Now it’s just me, Summer, and Anzo.
He says nothing. He walks over to the dresser and pulls out… two whips.