Page 4 of Love & Violence

“Our fathers have always hated each other. I’m sure they would kill each other if they were given half a chance,” he says.

“What are we going to do?” I question even though I feel silly asking. There was no way our fathers would let us be together. It didn’t matter that we were a mated pair, and this was our only chance at having a family and being happy.

God, if my father forbade me to be with my mate, it would kill me.

“I’m not sure, but I will figure something out. I won’t just walk away from my one chance at happiness.”

We both freeze when we hear someone approaching.

“Someone’s coming this way,” I say. “You must go. How will we be able to communicate?”

“We won’t, but I will come for you. Now go. We’ll see each other soon.”

He presses a hard kiss to my lips, shifts, and runs off.

I smell the air, and my anxiety rises to a new level when I scent my brother, and a few others headed my way. I shift quickly, race to the creek, wade into the water, and lay down, washing Draven’s scent from my fur even though it’s the last thing I want to do. When my brother finds me, I am calmly drinking from the water.

“What the fuck, Ari?” my brother Domenico growls.

I stare at him, taking a moment to compose myself before shifting. “I was coming home. I needed a drink.”

“Everybody’s looking for you. Isabel said there was an unknown shifter in our territory.” He scanned the area around us, always looking for a threat.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry anyone.” I keep my gaze trained on my feet so my brother can’t see the lie.

“Come on,” Domenico says. “Father is going to want to see you.”

“I’m right behind you,” I say and shift again.

My animal glances back to where Draven went, but we can’t spot him. Turning, I follow my brother toward the mansion.

It feels like Draven took a huge part of me with him when he left, and I know I won’t feel whole again until we’re together. I need to keep my wits around my family and keep my mate a secret until we figure out a solution. I clear my mind of all thoughts of Draven. I can think about him later when I’m alone. It’s all I can do until Draven comes for me.

Chapter Two

Psych

It goes against every instinct I have to turn tail and run from Aryanna. My panther howls inside my mind, wanting nothing more than to return to his—our—mate, and ensure she is safe. I also want to sink my cock so deep inside her, that she never forgets who I am or who she belongs to. But I know I need to leave until I can figure this out.

I never considered the possibility of finding my mate in my backyard. It was always a far-off notion that perhaps I would someday meet the person that completed my soul. But this? This was a major fucking problem. Our fathers, our families, despise each other. They always have.

I never would have known she was my mate if my asshole panther hadn’t driven me to shift. I wanted to handle business, and all he wanted to do was run. The constant noise inside my head finally had me giving in to his incessant demands and allowing my beast free reign. Thinking back now, it seemed like he knew exactly where she would be. But that’s impossible, right?

My panther bounds out of the forest and into the compound where the Fallen Legion clubhouse is located before I shift back. My skin ripples with the effort of keeping my panther under control, and I breathe harshly as I try to win the fight between us for dominance. He wants to return to Aryanna, but now isn’t the right time.

“What has you in such a twist?” my older brother Cian asks as he comes up behind me.

“None of your business,” I snap.

I don’t want anyone to know about me finding my mate. Not yet at least. Already, I’m protective of the beautiful cougar shifter. I need to take some time and figure out what the fuck I am going to do because knowing she’s out there, unclaimed, is driving me fucking crazy.

Cian studies me closely. “He wants you in his office,” he says before walking away.

He doesn’t explain his words because he knows I will understand. My father has summoned me. The last thing I want to do is spend time with my father. He isn’t a bad man by any stretch of the imagination, but he currently stands in the way of what I want most—Aryanna. The perfect mafia princess.

The moment I caught her scent, I knew my life would never be the same again. But that could never compare to having her pinned beneath me. Hair the color of caramel, eyes so light blue they’re almost white, and perfect alabaster skin I can’t wait to leave my mark on. My cock hasn’t gone down since I laid eyes on her.

I knock loudly on the thick wooden door of my father’s office before entering. Zero, my father’s vice president, is beside him as always. They are looking over papers strewn across the scarred wooden desk that dominates most of the space. I sit in a cracked dark-brown leather chair and wait for either one to address me.