Page 4 of Valentine's with the Cartel

A moment later, Aunt Mara emerged from the vehicle first, her head held high and shoulders squared. She looked just like I imagined—elegant with an undercurrent of coldness, as if she could cut you down to size just by looking at you a certain way.

My attention, however, wasn't really on her. It was already zeroed in on the occupant still in the car: Anan, my future mate and husband-to-be who I would be claiming here soon, for good.

Everything slowed as he got out of the sedan, rising up and turning to face me for the first time. And every thought inside of my head fled away immediately when I saw him properly for the first time, too.

He was exquisite—a delicate, otherworldly beauty who didn't seem like he should actually exist in real life. Fine features and soft curves that made me want to map his body out with my fingers—and later on with something else too. Delicate hands that would be perfect as they clung to me while I made love to him or struggled beneath them.

The sight of the omega stirred an unfamiliar ache inside of me, a hunger for something more than mere physical possession or political gain. There was just an inexplicable pull toward this beautiful creature in front of me.

I found myself unable to move from my spot, as if my feet had taken root into the earth beneath them. My chest felt tightand hot all at once like my whole being reacted instinctively with pleasure, possessiveness, and urgency rolled up in one ball inside it for this omega I only now saw.

As I said, I'd seen him before in some pictures, but nothing equaled seeing him in person, even from a distance.

He was even more breathtaking in person, his youthful innocence clashing perfectly with what we both knew awaited him on our wedding night. The slight hesitation before he climbed out of the car showed how nervous he felt. I wished I could do something about that, but it wasn't the right time to talk to him yet.

Those grey eyes had a way of boring right into one's being in a second, his gaze softening as it clashed with mine. The slight furrow of his eyebrows gave a silent question I wanted to answer by any means, but couldn't.

Still standing in the same place, my gaze locked with Anan's, a commotion broke out behind me. My second-in-command, Diego, came running up, his face etched with urgency.

"Boss, we've got a problem," he said, coming to a stop beside me and lowering his voice. "It's about the missing shipment."

I tore my eyes away from Anan, annoyance flickering through me at the interruption. But I knew I had to deal with this, no matter how much I wanted to focus on the omega in the distance.

"What's going on with it?" I demanded, not bothering with pleasantries.

"We've tracked it down," he said grimly. "But we don't know who took it yet. We're still working on that."

I swore under my breath, frustration boiling up inside me. "And what about the men in charge of transporting it? Where are they?"

"They're gone, boss," Diego replied, looking uneasy. He knew that disappointment wasn't something I usually tolerated. "Disappeared without a trace."

Without a trace? He really wanted me to believe that? My eyes narrowed dangerously and I stepped closer to him, looming over his smaller frame.

"You mean to tell me that not only did someone steal a million dollars' worth of our product, but they also managed to take out the men guarding it? And you don't have any leads on who's responsible? Are you really that unreliable?"

"No," Diego said quickly, holding up his hands. "But we're close. I swear it, boss. We'll find them and bring them to you. Alive."

He emphasized that last word, knowing full well what my intentions were for the traitors responsible for this fiasco. And the other people would meet my wrath soon, too.

I stared at him for a long moment, my mind racing with possibilities and implications. If someone had the guts and resources to pull off something like this, it meant they were a formidable opponent. And that was a challenge I couldn't ignore.

"We'll talk more about this later," I said finally, straightening up and smoothing down my suit jacket. There was something else more important I needed to deal with, after all. "For now, get back to work on tracking them down. And Diego?"

"Yes, boss?"

"Bring me the men you think are responsible first, before you do anything else," I ordered. "I want to deal with this myself."

Diego nodded, his expression grim as he turned to hurry away and follow my orders. I watched him go for a moment before turning back toward the house, my jaw clenched tight.

Stalking up the steps, with my mind already jumping ahead to the interrogation that would follow, I couldn't help but think of Anan and the way he had looked at me with those wide, innocent eyes. There would be time enough for that too, I promised myself.

I'd make him mine, in every way possible. And no one, not even a traitor, would get in my way of doing so. They'd all pay if they tried to do that. It was a certainty.

Chapter 3

Anan

As I stood in the middle of my bedroom, surrounded by a flurry of activity, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by it all. Aunt Mara had left me in the capable hands of her staff to prepare for the wedding, but the sheer number of people milling about was almost too much to take in. I never thought that so many people were needed.

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