Page 25 of Mated into the Mob

“No. The baying part.” He moved his hand across the console, and I yanked mine away but was almost disappointed when he didn’t pull it back. “They’re more angry at me.”

“So what? I’m your shield? Hi, everyone, instead of being pissed at something I did, look at this guy. He did something way worse.” Gods, I might not make it out in one piece. “What is wrong with you?”

“That’s my line,” he muttered as I curled up in the corner, making myself as small as possible. “Look at me, Tony. Please.”

“No. I can’t stand you.”

He exhaled and something changed inside the vehicle. The temperature? It was a little chilly, and more goosebumps crawled over me. The penetrating scent was no longer his, the alluring one that signaled danger combined with something I refused to name. Now it was more feral, and I shivered, afraid of what or who sat beside me.

And then there was the growl. Not the gravelly grunt from earlier but something prehistoric. I put a hand over my heart, the comforting beat reassuring me I wasn’t dreaming, though if it continued to gallop, I might need to see a doctor.

This was silly. What was I going to see? Did he have a gun pointed at me? Killing me in the car when he’d had the opportunity in or near the woods was kind of ballsy and messy.

I gathered my courage and twisted my body, angling it toward him. His eyes were darker than before, if possible, and his nose and mouth combined to form a… a… snout? His nails had extended and become claws, while his stubble was now furry. He snarled, a guttural sound from deep in his belly.

I was frozen, unable to scream, though one clogged my throat in case I needed it. I couldn’t extend an arm to touch his face but concentrated on breathing. My brain couldn’t brain, and I counted the seconds as time warped and wove around me.

And in an instant, the fur and snout vanished and he was him. Except the eyes remained, boring into me, as if trying to read my thoughts.

Inside, my mind was blank. I was incapable of rational thinking. Flint must have come around to my door and helped me out, because I was in an elevator, with him holding my arm, flanked by two bodyguards. At least I hoped that was what they were. Their unsmiling faces didn’t give me confidence I could make my escape or steal the weapons they couldn’t conceal under their coats.

We entered a huge room, filled with people talking, shouting, and gesturing. There was a logo on the back wall of a dog, maybe a wolf, the name La Luna Noir circling it. Damn, I should have asked him why he couldn’t correct the typo. It bugged me, and I wanted to add an E to noir and change luna to lune. Did no one in this place go to school?

The cacophony of noise hurt my ears, and I couldn’t distinguish what they were saying. But as they sighted us, they went quiet, like a wave across the room. Some were curious, standing on tiptoe to catch a glimpse, others sneered, some sat and grimaced at their neighbor while pointing at me. Or was it Flint.

He led me to the front of the room. My heart sped up, my hands were clammy, but his grip was so tight I couldn’t shake him off.

“My La Luna Noir family, I’d like to introduce you to my mate.”

14

FLINT

“I’m not your friend,” Tony hissed. He must have recovered from catching a glimpse of my wolf.

It was low enough that most humans wouldn’t have it picked up. But everyone here except him was a shifter with supercharged hearing.

There was a collective gasp from the room. No one spoke to me that way except maybe my dad, who chose that moment to stride into the room and gave me a thumbs-up. I admired his confidence. Or maybe he, like me, was putting on a brave face.

Emilio walked in and stayed near the back, arms folded as he scrutinized the crowd, while my security guys manned the exit. My brothers, Ranger and Hunter, also stood close to the front, their wolves’ eyes swapped with their own.

“The Alpha Omega is correct.” I squeezed Tony’s hand, hoping my tight grasp would send a message but worried that Tony wouldn’t translate,Be quiet andlet me take over. “He is my fate, the one the universe placed before me, until I meet the goddess and beyond, for all eternity.”

“Your fate? Does that mean something different in the mafia than it does in the outside world?” Tony tugged, but I couldn’trelease him. “Bringing me here was a big mistake.” He faced the pack members, puffing out his chest, and I couldn’t help being proud of his spunk.

“Flint kidnapped me.” He waved his free hand toward the La Luna Noir shifters and then pointed at me. His self-satisfied smile deserved to be kissed away. His gaze swerved from me to the pack as silence settled over the group. “Even now he won’t let me go.” He raised our joined hands.

A chuckle broke free from a young shifter near the front, and another from one of the council members. Dad guffawed, a little too loudly, and more laughter tumbled into the space. Faces lit up with broad smiles, some of the pack clapped, while others slapped their thighs and nudged their fellow shifters. Like me, Emilio and my brothers didn’t join in but were gauging people’s reactions by scanning the crowd.

Tony fumed, and my beast wondered if he had a dragon ancestor as he checked for a plume of smoke.

No one snarls like our mate unless he can breathe real fire.

I let go of Tony’s hand, and he put both on his hips. “Why are they laughing?” He narrowed his eyes at me as if I could control the pack’s reaction.

I hid a smile, the laughter was infectious, and my mate was spirited as usual. But I wished he was as passionate about caring for me as he was with his loathing.

“You’ll have to askthem.”

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