Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
ROSALIA
Stretching my neck from side to side in my shorts and shirt, I pull off my top to remain in my sports bra. I don’t want to be caught unawares on this mat, and the room Dario booked for us at the gym is private enough that I’m comfortable wearing less here.
I hide a smile as I begin braiding my hair back, wrapping it into a bun so it’s harder to yank on.
“Does anyone plan on pulling her hair?” Pablo asks, his eyes on me as I secure the bun. It’s not too tight, yet I know it’ll stay in place.
“Her scalp is sensitive lately. I don’t suggest doing it unless you plan to get punched in the face,” Vero smirks.
“Here’s the thing,” I say, grimacing at what I have to explain. Dropping onto my ass, I begin stretching. Raising my brow at Vero and Pablo, they both squeak and follow my lead.
“Ugh, you’re so militant,” Nico groans, getting on the floor with his brothers. “We are going to be the most well stretched pack in Savannah.”
“Mi amor,” Pablo laughs. “I don’t think you meant that the way it came out.”
“Fuck me,” he says, blushing. “Please, continue, dear wife. I need to pull my foot from my mouth.”
“You’re almost cute when you’re embarrassed.”
“As long as I’m cute to you, Rosa. Now, explain so I can pin someone to the mat to work off this erection,” he grumbles.
“Fine. My way of sparring may be more violent than yours. It wasn’t every time I would spar with my father’s men, but they never went very easy on me.
If I was on his shit list for any reason, his goons would throw me around.
As in across the room,” I sigh. “Sparring hasn’t been fun in over a year.
It’s more an exercise in how to stay alive. ”
“I’m so glad we’re killing them all,” my husband breathes. “Can we light your father on fire after we pour gasoline on him? Fuck, this isn’t helping the blood continuing to flow to the wrong places.”
“Down boy,” I murmur. “I think I may be a better observer. I can point out different ways of doing things, but I’m too aggressive for a beginner class.”
“That’s fair,” Dario says. “Playing dirty isn’t necessarily a bad thing, Rosalia. Nico is one of the dirtiest fighters I know.”
No one tells me I’m a freak or shows an inordinate amount of sympathy, which is a godsend. I need them to know how bad certain things were so I don’t become a problem. I can’t be the weak link here, and past trauma has a way of leaking out onto others.
“Pablo, want to have a go?” Ciro asks, grinning.
“Are you going to teach me a thing or two, or is your dick going to be hard the whole time?” he asks.
“I promise to pin you to the mat every chance I get.”
“Dario, how are you at sparring?” I ask him.
“I’m passable. Verona, I already know you have claws. Now, I want to show you what to do with them,” he says, getting to his feet.
“It looks like you’re not pinning anyone to the mat with your cock, mio caro marito,” I murmur, moving toward the back wall.
“Ugh, you’re no fun, Rosa.”
“This is about staying alive,” I remind him, getting comfortable on the ground. “Not fun.”
I watch as Dario begins to explain to Verona how to keep from being pinned down. “It’s more difficult to get a man twice your size off you once you’re on the ground. Not impossible, but do whatever you can to keep it from happening.”
Dario and Verona haven’t had much one on one time, and I curl my legs underneath me as I watch them. He’s patient as he advances on her, while Verona squeaks as she moves back.
“Only retreat until you have to strike back,” I call out to her. “Go for the squishy bits.”
“I’m not squishy!” Dario yells, just as Verona strikes. She kicks at his thigh, her heel hitting him hard as he grunts. They’re sparring without shoes, and I smirk as he hunches over and she punches him in the face, pulling on his hair to keep him in place.
This is why I pulled my hair back. He has all of that floppy, brunette hair. It’s perfect for yanking on. Too bad he didn’t think of that.
She doesn’t pull back on the power behind her punch either, though he grabs her face before he sweeps her legs out from under her. While Verona’s gasp is adorable, it gives Dario the chance to pin her to the mat.
She never once let go of his damn hair, so he was going down either way.
“Now,” he growls softly. “Show me how you're going to get out of this. It’s not going to be from bucking me off, Princess, so don’t try. Fuck. I suppose, spitting in my face is a choice.”
Covering my mouth with my hand, I watch as Verona’s spit slides off Dario’s face.
“Pull your pinned ankles out from underneath him,” Nico drawls. “Fucking wildcat, I swear. Now I know why Dario says she has claws.”
“Come on, baby,” I gasp, trying to swallow back my laughter. “Flip the arrogant prick.”
“You really don’t play well with others,” my husband mutters, dragging my body over and depositing me between his legs.
“I was fine where I was,” I complain.
“You’re too far. Be a good wife and give me this.”
Rolling my eyes, I turn my attention to Pablo where he’s holding his own against Ciro.
As they move, Ciro teasingly explains why something is a mistake, which allows Pablo to counter move.
Dropping my head against Nico’s chest since he’s not going to let me move anywhere unless I throw a fit I’m too tired to have, I watch the four people in front of me spar.
Slowly, I begin to breathe in scents I don’t typically smell. The alpha blocker is firmly under my nose, but Savannah is hot, which means I’ve been sweating.
Could that be an issue? Did I sweat off the damn lotion?
Shifting my legs so my knees are bent, I squeeze my thighs together as I try to figure out what I’m experiencing.
Are the blockers failing? Fuck.
Throwing caution to the wind, I face it head on as I close my eyes to isolate my senses and inhale deeply.
“Are you alright?” Nico whispers, his lips at the shell of my ear. Whimpering as I smell caramel and peaches, I force my head back until my nose is shoved in his throat.
“You were right,” I whisper back, my body shuddering in understanding. I didn’t know alphas could have bond sickness, but it’s the only thing that makes sense. The headaches, the anxiety when he’s away from me.
“Wife, I would love to be right, because I haven’t been in a while. Care to share?”
“Fuck!” Verona screams, making me jolt. Glancing over, I see she managed to flip Dario over so she’s now on top of him.
“Damn. We aren’t done yet, Princess. Now you have to keep your throne,” he says, grinning.
“They’re going to kill each other.”
“Or fuck it out. The jury is out for them,” Nico murmurs, kissing my temple. “I need to touch you. It hurts when you’re too far away from me.”
“Have you ever heard of bond sickness for alphas?” I ask, waiting for him to realize why I’m asking as his arms slide around me.
Ciro and Pablo move closer to us as they grapple and I stiffen as the scent of raspberries and cream washes over me. It fits so well with Verona and my scents. I would swear I was sitting in the middle of a damn bakery as all their scents fill my lungs.
Even Dario’s cedar and orange scent makes my mouth water, and goosebumps rise all over my skin. This is what Papa tried to rob me of to keep me pliant. I’m not saying I’ll make anything easy for the Domino brothers, I won’t.
But fate rarely chooses wrong, even when your scent matches are shitheads.
“Rosa… Is this a random question, or are you saying you recognize our scent match?”
Gasping in a breath, I let the tears slide down my cheeks. “You smell like caramel and peaches,” I rasp.
“Oh thank fuck,” he whispers, wrapping his arms around me. “I know we’re still in the doghouse. Make us crawl, mia cara moglie. Please don’t reject us.”
“I…” Verona told me about how Pablo insisted she reject him if she didn’t want him. As much as I hate so many of the things the Domino brothers say and represent, I don’t think I have the strength to do that. It’s too final. “Prepare to crawl through nails and fire, husband. Prove you deserve me.”
Sucking in a breath, Nico nods against my hair. I can feel warm drops of water falling onto my neck, and I wrap my arms around his. There have been many times where I’ve thought Nico and I could be friends if he wasn’t so overburdened with familial duty.
It’s a burden I know too well.
“Is it getting worse?” I ask tentatively. Bond sickness can kill an omega without their alpha, and I’m beginning to feel heavy with guilt.
“I can take it,” he says dismissively.
“Nico,” I growl, turning my face to glare at him. Unfortunately, he’s still pressed against me, and my lips brush against his.
Groaning in a way that has my pussy clenching on nothing, he deepens the kiss. His arms squeeze my body tightly before he remembers his strength, relaxing into a more comfortable embrace. His lips devour me until I’m pressing further against him, and I have my first kiss with my husband.
I didn’t exactly get one on our wedding day because it was disrupted and I passed out.
“What the fuck just happened?”
Gasping for breath, I turn to face the amused and confused people in the room.
“An accidental kiss,” Nico grunts, scrubbing his face and tears away. “So—”
Throwing my elbow into his stomach, I casually interrupt his sentence.
“Don’t finish that, Nicolai.”
“Ow. Fuck,” he groans.
“Nico is suffering from bond sickness, and he’s pretending it’s not as bad as it really is.”
“Whose bond?” Pablo asks curiously, searching my face as I blush. “Oh. Welcome to the chaos, hermosa. It’s about damn time. The alpha blockers failed?”
“Savannah is too damn hot today,” I sigh. “How about you switch partners?”
“Verona doesn’t play fair,” Dario warns Ciro, standing.
“No remotes,” Ciro chuckles, watching as Verona shrugs sheepishly. Despite what happened earlier, all three Domino brothers are still wearing their dog collars like good little boys.
Fucking masochists.
“You’re very calm about this,” Nico says, watching as Verona and Pablo switch places. I should be a more active participant in this, but I’m lacking focus.