Page 42 of Omega's Vengeance

“Valentino, I never planned onstayingwith Alessio. You must know that. Just because I have trouble killing him doesn’t mean I want to be with him. As I said, I don’t want to be married with a kid. I don’t want to be tied down.”

“It’s high time you thought about doing that, Dario. You’re twenty-eight. You’re of the age when an alpha would usually take a mate. This union would bring you power and wealth.” He purses his lips, watching me. “I’m sure you’d like to have more power than you do now.”

“Not really.” I frown. “I’m happy being your second.”

“And I certainly don’t want to lose you from that position. That’s why I’m proposing weabsorbthe Abella syndicate into the Black Knives. We would grow even more powerful, and the Abella syndicate would thrive. They’re weak right now. After losing Joeseph, and with Alessio running around trying to kill me, they’re becoming a laughing stock. It’s only a matter of time before they’re taken over. Hell, that’s what Carlo was trying to do. I say we do it first. Let’s take a truly fucked up situation and turn it into something that benefits us.”

I blow out a shaky breath, flustered by Valentino’s persistence. “Even if I were willing to… marry him, Alessio will be livid at your suggestion. He’s angry enough without me suggesting to him that the Black Knives take over his family syndicate.”

“Too bad,” Valentino rasps. “He has to pay for what he’s done.IfI’m going to allow him to live, he needs to pay a huge price for my leniency. For God’s sake, Dario, he came against the Black Knives’ secondandit’s boss. He has to pay for that. Agreeing to this marriage would satisfy my grudge against him. He’d be dead already if I’d had my way. Don’t forget that.”

“I haven’t,” I say softly.

He rubs his jaw, nodding. “If you’ll just think logically for a moment, you’d see that this could actually work, Dario. The Black Knives would become untouchable, and I’d have areasonto keep Alessio alive without losing face.”

As I listen to him, it’s obvious Valentino feels he’s come up with the perfect solution to punish Alessio. But I know Alessio will never willingly go along with his plan. “Having spent a time with Alessio, I’m a hundred percent sure he’d rather die than be a part of us.”

Valentino lifts one shoulder dismissively. “Then maybe we just kill him and take over his syndicate the old fashioned way. At least I’m giving him an option. Not that he deserves one. He’s insolent and arrogant. But I’m willing to overlook all of that and spare his life,ifhe’s willing to go along with this plan.”

My stomach sinks because I know Valentino very well. He’s not bluffing. He will end Alessio’s life if he doesn’t cooperate. It won’t matter that I don’t want him to do it. Valentino will do what’s best for the Black Knives. The bigger our syndicate is, the safer we are. He knows that and he’s not wrong that this move is perfectly timed. The problem for me is I’m in the middle. I’m linked by my bite to Alessio, but also bound to Valentino by years of loyally standing beside him.

He leans toward me and says softly, “You need to remember that this isn’t about what Alessio wants, Dario. This is about coming to a solution that pleasesme.”

I say in frustration, “And the fact thatIhave no desire to marry doesn’t sway you at all?”

He shrugs. “I’m actually looking out for you. Nico thinks it would be good for you to marry, and I’m inclined to agree. It makes you look respectable to have an omega and a child. You can’t remain a bachelor forever. You’ve already given Alessio your bite, so this works out perfectly.”

“For who? Certainly not for me. Are you really going to force this on me?” I grip the arms of my chair, feeling cornered. If I don’t give Valentino what he wants, Alessio will die. But if I do go along with Valentino’s plan, I’ll be stuck with a mouthy omega I don’t want,anda kid.

“You’re being dramatic. It’s not the end of the world. As I said, it would merely be a marriage of convenience. Your life would hardly change.”

I widen my eyes. “How can you say that? You’ve met Alessio. He’s nothing like the type of omega I eventually planned on settling down with. He’s way too high strung. I like my life just the way it is. Alessio would turn my life upside down. Especially since he won’t want the marriage either. He’ll probably take his frustrations out on me. How does that equal ahappy home?”

Valentino’s expression darkens. “If you refuse, he’s going to die. Is that what you want? This was my way of allowing him to live.”

I grimace. “I appreciate you’re trying to think of ways to punish him without killing him. But why am I being punished too?”

“Need I remind you that you actually helped exacerbate the problem?”

I scowl. “If he hadn’t kidnapped me, I’d never have been in a position to give him my bite.”

He narrows his eyes. “It’s your fault you were kidnapped. If you’d been thinking with your big head instead of your little head,noneof this would have happened.”

“Not true. He was always going to come for you.”

“The problem isn’t that he came for me,” Valentino growls. “The problem is you gave him yourbite.If that hadn’t happened, he’d be dead already. We both know this. Even he knows it. But you claimed him and now here we are, Dario.”

I clench my jaw, embarrassment washing through me. He’s not wrong. My stupid actions have brought us to where we are today. I let out a shaky breath. “So he dies if I don’t agree to this?”

“Of course.” Valentino shakes his head. “There is no other way out for him.”

Feeling resigned, I grate out, “What if I can’t convince him to marry me? I can’t force him and drag him down the aisle.”

“Dario,” Valentino rumbles. “You know the answer already.” He sighs and comes closer to me. “I’ve only kept him alive this long because of my friendship with you. But that can only take us so far. You know as well as I do how things work in the syndicate. You make a mistake, you pay a price.”

“I know?but?”

“I’m offering him a way out of a situation that should, by rights, end with hisdeath. He should be grateful, but I know he won’t be. I don’t have to give him this chance. I could take everything he has and kill him today. I’m doing this for you, Dario. Because, if he dies, you’ll suffer. I don’t want that. I don’t give a fuck about that kid, but I care about you. I don’t want you to have to go through the physical and mental hell that you’d endure if he dies.”

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