CHAPTER 23 MAURO
Present day
Living under the same roof as Jared without telling him the truth is an enormous challenge for me, but both Renato and Silvio believe we should get to know each other first before he learns who I really am.
We debated whether Jared would feel deceived or betrayed, yet they both insisted it would be healthier if he and I built some kind of relationship in the ordinary world first, simply as two normal people.
Bringing magic into it from the very beginning isn't a good idea because, as important as it is, it can't be the foundation of our everyday life.
Then… there's the truth about my past.
And that's the part I'm struggling with the most, to the point of fear.
Perhaps that's why I'm subconsciously putting it off, pushing it away, prolonging these innocent moments when everything is simple and sweet, when we flirt and brush against one another like two teenagers just getting to know each other.
Sadly, I have a feeling that once it all comes crashing down on him, it will break us.
Jared will be forced to accept that I spent years inside the mafia, that I'm the brother of the man who raped him and threatened his life for so many years. He’ll have to also accept that my own uncle, Vincenzo, founded the Ring, and that all those people in it are close associates of the mafia, many of them firmly in its pocket.
And beyond that, will he understand that my own involvement ultimately played a part in Mark's conviction?
There are still so many unknowns, so many things that could go wrong.
It weighs so heavily on my conscience that I wake up every day hating myself for my cowardice, for still not confessing the truth to him, while at the same time prolonging it as much as I can, reveling in the pleasure of being close to him.
All of these sweet moments we share are so elusive, so fleeting. Fragile.
Rocco remains a very real threat, and I shouldn't stay here in Renato's house for too long or draw unnecessary attention to myself.
I should go back to my little cabin in the woods, but I simply can't.
Jared is finally here. It's unbelievable. He came here on his own. I didn't have to reach for him, he reached for me instead.
I dreamed about this for so many years, and it materialized, as if my prayers were answered.
Yeah, someone sent him here, telling him this was where he'd find his True Mate. And he gave it a shot, no matter how unbelievably strange it sounded; the enigmatic place in the middle of the forest.
My sweet, bold Jared took the chance. My perfect mate, determined to find me no matter what, only to stumble upon this incredibly confusing situation in the forest…
I simply couldn't stop myself when I saw him walking toward my little cabin. I should have left him alone, stayed hidden from him, but I couldn't resist. And then came his… heat call.
Nothing could stop me.
Those days in the cabin were like a perfect dream come true… but they had to end. Then I watched him on the security cameras as he made his way through the forest, swaying with exhaustion yet somehow forcing himself to keep going.
It was almost uncanny. The route to where his car was parked was actually very straightforward, but he completely veered off it and headed toward Renato's estate, where I was, as if our Bond were leading him there by an invisible thread.
That journey he took to find me… it felt inevitable. Destined.
Then came the moment he stood in the doorway, his impossibly beautiful face looking as though it had been crafted from every perfect face in the world. The sweetest lips, enormous pale green eyes, unbelievably long lashes, and shimmering light blond hair flowing like spun flax.
Jared is utter perfection.
His beauty almost hurts. His flawless appearance freezes every thought inside me with pure admiration.
For six years I've lived believing he was my True Mate, and the day he entered the forest, the day I revealed my second form to him, I finally received absolute confirmation.
Now I feel something I haven't felt in years. Happiness.
Deep, unwavering elation because everything has finally fallen into place. Our paths have finally crossed, and now so much depends on me guiding our fate in a way that brings Jared peace of mind… the safety he deserves more than anyone.
Although the last part of it is the hardest.
Yesterday, we got back from the fireworks very late, and Jared went straight to bed. It was obvious that even though his heat recovery was easing, he still wasn't back to full strength.
But I think he'll be back to normal by today.
I open the wooden box sitting on the desk in the bedroom that has belonged to me ever since I spent my childhood summers here while my parents were still alive.
Inside rests the other half of the leaf pendant, and my fingers brush gently over its surface. I don’t wear it around my neck, since it would make it obvious to Jared who I am.
Even so, my hand closes around it for a second before I finally let it go.
Jared kept it safe, cherished it, and wore it around his neck for six long years.
Like a subtle thread between us, thin but unbroken.
It makes me strangely thrilled to know that he never knew it was a gift from his True Mate, yet still treated it as something precious.
At last I leave my room just as I hear Emilio's footsteps in the hallway. He's heading downstairs for dinner, and so am I, hoping Jared will come.
When I reach the dining room, I find Veyron, Uncle Emilio, Gianni, my granddad, and Uncle Renato already seated at the table. Jared still isn't there.
My lips tighten slightly at the sight of Veyron.
I know he's a good guy, but I can't fight my alpha instincts or the jealousy that's woven into my Sicilian blood.
I struggle against it because I know Jared's life has already been scarred by a man whose jealousy escalated into violence, yet some things are simply stronger than I am.
Jared is mine.
Finally, I hear his footsteps.
They're light despite the fact that, for an omega, Jared is remarkably tall and fit. He's lean and athletic, with the kind of toned, harmonious musculature that comes from regular training.
He's changed into clothes from the small suitcase he brought with him: a simple black shirt and dark navy jeans. They're modest, but he still looks elegant. With his striking face and his proportionate, well-balanced build, he could make even a potato sack look good.
Jared’s eyes immediately find me.
He doesn't seem to notice anyone else as he walks toward the table, almost as if an invisible string is pulling him straight to me.
Our gazes remain locked together until he slowly takes his seat while Granddad Silvio greets him with cheerful remarks about needing to bring him a much more diverse wardrobe.
I barely hear any of it because I'm too busy looking at Jared.
Fate, have mercy, I sooo love looking at him, almost obsessively.
His hair is braided into a single braid that falls down his back, its pale gold standing out beautifully against the black turtleneck. One delicate strand has been tucked behind his ear, revealing a tiny earring, and the sight steals the breath from my lungs.
It's a miniature copy of the pendant I gave him, as though he'd asked a jeweler to recreate the exact same shape. My heart beats a little faster because it feels like a silent message… but I don't know what it's trying to say.
Does Jared believe I'm the man from back then, or does it mean he still doesn't believe we should be together… and is still waiting for his True Mate?
Jared takes the seat beside me even though the other empty chair is next to Veyron. I can't deny that it pleases me.
The lovely scent of orchids and lilies of the valley fills my lungs. Everyone who catches the Allure scent of their fated mate knows immediately that this is it! But I knew for sure only from the day I met him in the forest.
Jared used scent blockers before.
Somewhere at the edge of my awareness, I had always known what his scent would be like, almost as if through a seventh sense, recognizing it like an imprint, and now I can finally breathe it in completely.
It would be so simple if I stopped taking blockers and let him smell my Allure.
Sure, I use products specifically chosen to complement my scent, but even though artificial fragrances capture the general tone of my pheromones, they’re not the real deal.
They might smell very pleasant to him, but it’s still not the same.
It’s another unpleasant part of keeping the truth from him—I use different brands with similar scents, so he won't associate me with the scent I was wearing at the cabin.
Jared leans over his plate, his slender fingers with their pale green opalizing nail polish wrapping around his fork. He spears a slice of fried zucchini and slowly lifts it toward his plump lips, and I simply can't stop staring.
Those pale celadon eyes turn toward me.
They're such an unusual color.
A very light green with an almost silvery undertone. I could look into those eyes forever, and as cliché as it sounds, I feel like I could drown in them too.
Jared is a natural blond, so his eyelashes are light as well, but he darkens them.
I've always had long lashes that people admired, but I think his are even longer than mine.
They give his face an almost haunting beauty, and whenever he lowers his eyelids and those long lashes nearly brush his cheeks, something wistful seems to surface in his expression, something tragic, heartbreakingly sad…
and I know there's a real reason for that sadness.
Jared gives me a shy smile. I answer with the slightest lift of the corner of my mouth.
Dear Fate, he's so breathtaking, so completely dazzling, that sometimes I catch myself wondering if he's even real or if he's some idealized image created to show what perfection looks like.
Whenever I close my eyes, I see him exactly as he was that day in the forest, frightened like a startled doe, yet consumed by hunger.
The scent of his heat had drifted through the entire forest. It was a miracle that there weren't any loggers working nearby or tourists hiking along the trail.
I can still picture his face, those rosy, damp lips, the flush spreading across his cheeks as he lay beneath me while waves of desire shook his body, craving a pleasure he couldn't stop no matter how hard he tried.
It feels like another lifetime, as though we met years ago and now we're living in a different reality where I have to build everything with him starting from the very beginning.
Silvio and Renato are busy talking with Veyron about promoting our Timber & Construction company on his billboards.
Emilio is telling Tony about the dishes we had during the fireworks show yesterday, while Tony, of course, criticizes the chef who prepared them, whom he knows personally. He thinks the chef makes everything too greasy. Gianni sits quietly, as usual.
But I’m far from them, in a whole other world, deeply immersed in the sweet presence of my fated mate.
I can feel Jared's attention on me the entire time.
Every now and then I catch him sneaking a quick glance my way, our forearms resting on the table only a short distance apart, and I notice that he's rolled his sleeves up.
Then I wonder if I'm imagining it… or if Jared is actually inching his elbow a little closer to mine.
I'm not about to leave that unanswered. I slowly slide my own elbow toward him, and a moment later I feel the warmth of his skin brushing against mine.
Wow… damn. A sweet little shiver shoots straight through me, all the way down to my groin.
Touching Jared is nothing like touching any other omega I've ever been close to. Every tiny brush of contact feels like a small dose of ecstasy in a pill, a shot of pure bliss that floods my body.
Jared's eyes meet mine every few moments, and those brief exchanges are so intense it's impossible to put into words the electricity that flashes between us. We don't need to speak. Those glances alone say more than an entire conversation ever could.
We sit through breakfast listening to Silvio, Renato, Emilio, and Veyron carrying on their discussions, while Gianni stays focused on his plate, but neither of us is really present for any of it.
We're somewhere else entirely, engrossed in each other, while the voices around us fade into background noise.
Inside me, an overwhelming wave of happiness keeps churning and surging, yet somewhere at the edge of that joy, fear lingers, whispering that something bad is surely about to happen, that Fate is getting ready to throw one more obstacle into my path.