Protecting Him (White Wolves Family #1)

Prologue

Emilio

One Year Earlier

I slammed on my horn, pissed at all this fucking traffic. I’d known I should’ve just shifted. Now, I was gonna be late, and I’d promised Nico I would be there for this.

“Fuck! Come on, you little shit stains, move.”

Of course, that did nothing. I was tempted to get out and show my face to all these assholes clogging up the road.

That would get them out of the way quickly enough, but Nico hated when Santino and I manipulated civilians like that.

Those in the life, we could do whatever the fuck we wanted with and my favorite, little omega wouldn’t bat an eye, but he’d be furious if I used my power as the second-in-command of the White Wolves in this situation.

I didn’t want to upset him on his eighteenth birthday.

After another few excruciating minutes, I pulled to the side of the road.

I was safely in our territory now, so I didn’t have to worry about anyone touching the car.

I sent a quick text to one of our men to come pick it up and then dug out a carrying case I had in the back.

It was small enough that my wolf form could handle it without slowing down, but big enough to hold my clothes and weapons so I wouldn’t have to walk into the tattoo shop naked.

Not that anyone would bat an eye if I didn’t get dressed first. I’d have to leave my shoes, though.

Star owned the place and was the only one close that carried the special ink that made it possible for tattoos to stay on shifters, even with our rapid healing.

They were used to all kinds of shit. Still, it was Nico’s birthday, so I was gonna try to be civilized, even though he liked how close I was to my wolf.

I placed my phone and weapons into the bag and started stripping right where I was. If anyone noticed, they wisely looked the other fucking way. Not that I really cared if they watched. I would not miss Nico getting his family insignia and officially becoming one of us.

Santino and I had grown up together as brothers. My father had been his father’s second, and we’d been trained to take over those positions. I’d been raised to believe the family was the most important thing and that it was an honor to dedicate my life to them.

Then, Nico was born. It hadn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone that Tomasso Diangi, Santino’s father and the Patri of the White Wolves, had slept around with any woman willing.

Still, all of us had been a little shocked when one of those women had shown up with a little bundle in her arms and told Tomasso the baby was his problem now.

I’d felt an attachment to Nico almost immediately.

I might have only been ten, but I’d known I’d give my life to protect that little, squishy potato that had grown into a feisty, brilliant, scrappy young man.

Santino had felt the same way, and we’d done everything to make sure Nico was protected and could handle himself in this world.

We’d dealt with anyone who’d looked down on him for being the product of an affair, and later for being the only omega in the Diangi line, until eventually everyone had gotten smart enough to keep their fucking mouths shut.

Once Nico had shifted into a pure white wolf, something only someone from the Diangi bloodline could do, that had ended the grumblings anyway.

I loved that kid like a little brother. Even knowing I had business on the other side of the east district, I’d promised I’d make his tattooing and I’d make good on that.

I shifted, and as an alpha and second, I was bigger than most. My wolf was largely brown, but the white around my muzzle and paws made it clear exactly who I was.

Just like being pure white was the defining trait of the Diangi’s, the white markings were the sign of mine.

I grabbed the bag with my teeth and took off.

I pushed my wolf to my all-out speed, but he didn’t mind.

He loved Nico as much as I did. Anyone who saw us immediately got out of the way, a lot of them tilting their heads in respect.

We were good to the people in our district, much better than most of the other families, but respect was still expected.

As soon as I got to the shop, I saw Santino pacing in front of it, his phone to his ear. Fuck.

His eyes narrowed as I slowed to a walk and came up next to him. “There you fucking are. Nico wouldn’t start till you got here.”

My stomach turned, the softness I only felt for Nico pushing its way forward.

I easily returned to my human form. It was usually hard for me to shift back.

I’d spent so much time in my wolf form, especially after Tomasso had kicked the bucket and Santino had taken over, that my wolf normally fought me on relinquishing control.

Today, though, he was as eager for Nico to officially become one of us as I was.

“Sorry, business took longer than I expected, and then I hit all kinds of fucking traffic.”

Santino frowned in concern. “Everything go okay?”

I had taken a little trip into reptile territory. They had been doing some business without our approval, and I’d needed to give them a little reminder of who was in charge around here, and it wasn’t them.

“Of course.” I took care of my shit, and if there was a problem, Santino would be the first to know. We didn’t hide anything from each other.

He gave me a sharp nod but didn’t ask for any details as I started to get dressed.

It wasn’t unusual to see shifters naked in the street, though most businesses still had rules about clothing.

There were even some drop boxes around our territory that people could donate old clothes to, in case anyone changed unexpectedly and found themselves butt-ass naked in the middle of the city. It happened more than you’d think.

Santino leaned against the wall and finished up his cigarette.

He was dressed “casual” today in black slacks and a royal-blue button-down with the sleeves rolled.

He even had a few buttons undone on the top and no tie in sight.

For him, it was the equivalent of going out in pajamas.

He kept his sandy brown hair short and so close to his head that the curls couldn’t form, but today it was soft and unruly, and it was almost a glimpse inside the mask that Santino wore for the world, that even I only sometimes saw through.

I finished pulling on my jeans and black T-shirt. I’d never gotten into the stereotypical dress code. I only wore a suit for business deals, otherwise fuck that. I didn’t need to be dressed to the nines to earn the respect of my people.

I ran my fingers through my brown hair, but it was as good as it was gonna get.

Santino stubbed out the cigarette with the heel of a shoe that had cost more than most people around here made in a year. His amber eyes met mine. “Let’s go before he loses his shit.”

Grinning, we walked into the tattoo parlor. Nico spun on his heel as soon as he saw me, his face lighting up.

“There you are! I wouldn’t let Star start until you showed up.”

I smiled at my favorite person ever. “Happy birthday, little wolf. Sorry I’m late.”

Nico threw himself into my arms, and my whole world stopped.

My instincts were always heightened, but that took on a whole new meaning as Nico rubbed his face on my chest, scenting me.

I could sense everything. His heartbeat.

Santino, his two guards, and Star watching us.

The sensation of his hands on my back, the softness of his tight dark-brown curls that he kept longer than his brother.

It was like the world was moving in slow motion and it centered around Nico.

He stopped and pushed away, but I still couldn’t breathe. Fuck, he smelled delicious. Sweet like honey, with some kind of floral undertone. Had he always smelled like that? I took a step closer, desperate for more.

Nico frowned at me, so similar to his brother that it brought me back to reality. What the fuck was I doing? I could feel Santino’s eyes boring into my back, but I ignored it and forced a sheepish smile.

“C’mon, little wolf. It’s time to officially make you one of us.”

Nico’s bounced on his toes in excitement, and I was struck by how beautiful he was now.

Which . . . what the fuck? I’d never thought of Nico as beautiful before.

What was wrong with me? But his golden-brown skin was smooth and perfect, not a scar or blemish marring him.

His amber eyes were the exact same color as Santino’s but had more of an almond shape to them and were tilted slightly downward. His lips were full and kissable.

I stopped in my fucking tracks. Kissable.

Holy fuck, I needed to get it together. I was in a room full of wolves.

Someone would scent how turned on I was becoming, and if that person were Santino, it would be a really big fucking problem.

I might be like a brother to him, but Nico was his brother, and I was under no illusions whom he would choose if he thought I was going after him.

Which, obviously, I wasn’t. That would be insane. But as Nico sat in the chair and excitedly chatted to Santino and me the whole time Star tattooed the White Wolf insignia on his forearm, I couldn’t stop thinking about how drawn I was to the little omega.

My wolf kept screaming mine in my mind, but it made no fucking sense.

Nico was pack. Family. He always would be.

But he wasn’t ours, not in that sense, and if Santino had his way, he’d never be anyone’s.

I had no idea what his plan would be once Nico had heats, but that was well over a year from now.

Most omegas started them within six months of their twentieth birthday.

That was also when they could start scenting who might be a good mate for them.

Which was why I didn’t understand my sudden onslaught of feelings for Nico. Even if we did have mate potential, it should be a while before we could sense it, so why the fuck did it feel like he belonged to me?