Page 13 of Bound to the Mafia Guard

"It’s not like that, Andro. We haven’t talked about all the details yet, but I think he understands what he’s signing up for. I’m not leaving you or the family. I swear. But I couldn’t just ignore him. He went into heat and…it’s done. Now we move forward.” Guilt settled in my gut at not talking this over with Rowan first. I would address that problem as soon as possible, but I couldn’t change how we had come to be mated.

Andro sighed as he ran a hand through his short hair. "Fucking Urbanis, man.” Andro choked out a laugh. “Your dad did the same damn thing, as I recall.”

I hadn’t thought about it, but yeah, my alpha father did fall in love with my mother when she was an omega under his charge. “I guess it’s also in the blood.”

Andro smirked and finally dropped back into his chair. “Okay, fine. I know you can’t change things now, but fuck, couldn't youhave picked someone…I don't know...not under your protection? Or maybe spent more than just three days with the man?"

"Sorry, not sorry. When you know, you know." I shrugged, glad the worst of it was over and we were already able to joke about it. "But now that we’re mated, we just have to deal with it. He’s mine, and I won’t apologize for that. I know we did things out of order. Besides..." I thought back to how many times I filled him over the past two nights. “He could be expecting by now.”

"Fuck me, another Urbani. You guys are gonna be the death of me.” Andro pinched the bridge of his nose and then choked out a laugh. “Alright, yeah, we'll figure this out."

I exhaled in relief, grateful that he wasn't completely writing me off. "Thank you, Andro. I appreciate you."

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled. "Make an appointment with the family doctor as soon as you know for sure, so he can start prenatal care. The boys are gonna go crazy knowing there’s gonna be another baby in the house."

“A baby!” Joey appeared in the doorway with a plate of cookies. “Whose baby?” He looked between me and his mate.

Andro waved to me to do the honors.

“We don’t know about any babies yet.” I cleared my throat and tested out the words in a more positive tone. “But, um, Rowan and I are mated now and…you know. Anything’s possible.”

“Ohmigod!!!” He dropped the plate on Andro’s desk and flung himself at me, hugging me like I was back from the dead. I kept my arms to my sides. Not that I didn’t appreciate the affection, but he was my boss’s omega, and Andro was a possessive fucker. “Congrats, Trev. I’m so happy for you. For both of you.” Hepulled back and looked at me. “Where’s Rowan? I need to talk to him, stat.”

Now it was my turn to pinch the bridge of my nose. “He’s in his room.”

“Gots’ta go!” He gave Andro a quick kiss on his cheek and then disappeared from the room.

As Joey's excited footsteps faded down the hallway, I felt a familiar wave of doubt wash over me. My shoulders slumped, and I ran a hand through my hair, unable to meet Andro's eyes. "But what if I'm not strong enough to protect him, Andro? Rowan deserves someone who can keep him safe, especially if he’s going to be more involved in our world."

"What are you talking about, Trev? You're one of the toughest guys I know."

I shrugged and finally met his gaze. "I'm not the fighter I used to be. Jeremiah was lucky. What if someone comes after Rowan and he isn’t so lucky? What if?—"

"Stop." Andro's voice was firm as he came to me and gripped my shoulder. "You've got the same badass blood running through your veins that I have in mine. That means something. Your injury doesn't define you or your capabilities. You’ve been bred to do this work. Nothing will change that."

I wanted to believe him, but the doubts still gnawed at me. "It's not just about physical strength. Being responsible for an omega, for a family... It's a lot."

Andro's eyes softened as he scoffed. "You think I don't know that? Every day, I wake up terrified I'll fail Joey and our kidssomehow. But that fear is the same as that desire to protect. It makes us stronger."

I just nodded, not sure how much I believed those words applied to me.

"I'd trust you with Joey's life in a heartbeat, Trev. With our children's lives. You think I'd say that if I didn't believe in you completely? You think I’d ever let you guard my cousin if I didn’t think you were up for the task? We went over this."

His words hit me like a punch to the gut, in the best possible way. I felt something unclench in my chest as a boulder formed in my throat. "You really mean that?"

"Wholeheartedly." Andro's smile was as genuine as it was rare. "You've always been there for this family, Trev. Now it's time to build your own. Rowan's lucky to have you, and don't you forget it."

I took a deep breath as some of the tension I’d been carrying left my body. "Thanks, Andro. I... I needed to hear that."

"Anytime, man." He clapped me on the back. "Also, if you hurt him, I’ll kill you. Now, let's go make sure Joey hasn't started planning your mating ceremony without you."

As we left the room, I felt a new confidence settling over me. Andro was right. I was an Urbani, and Urbanis protected Ferrinis. Injured or not, I'd do whatever it took to always be the alpha Rowan deserved.

8

ROWAN

“Okay, so we need all the details. Don’t leave anything out!” Connor tucked his knees under him and pulled the fleece blanket around his shoulders as he settled onto the couch. He, Joey, and Jermiah had arrived earlier with a carafe of hot chocolate and a beautiful new monogrammed robe for me, telling me it was a mating present and we were having an omegas’ night. I wasn’t sure what an omegas’ night entailed, but I was down for it.

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