8. On the radar
2149 Words
His luck runs out that evening and all the happy, relaxed vibe he’s got after spending a nice afternoon at the Fire station is gone. His mother is waiting for him in the garage and the words she speaks send a cold spike of fear through him:
“Your Uncle is waiting for you in the living room.”
“Now? Why?” Alessio asks his mother and she must have seen the surprise on his face.
“I didn’t ask, but he doesn’t look happy. And neither does your father.” She shrugs and walks back inside.
Damn, he swears silently. What did he do to land on his Uncle's radar? He is keeping a low profile in the pack, not asking questions and not going anywhere near the elders, including his Uncle Vito. He sends a quick text to Allegra to warn her about the situation at home and turns his phone on mute. No need to get in more trouble in case it rings when it shouldn't.
Putting up his poker face, he walks into the living room all casually and with his jacket in one hand. His Uncle is reigning in the recliner his father favours and nobody else is ever allowed to sit there, so the expression on his fathers face is not happy and the overall atmosphere in the room is heavy. He centers his wolf and pulls on his calm to help him through whatever his Uncle has planned for him. Nothing good, is the feeling he gets by just looking at him.
“Hey, Uncle Vito!” He greets. “Nice seeing you here.”
“Cut with the pleasantries! We both know you don’t mean it!” Vito growls at him.
“If you wish…” Alessio trails off and keeps looking at his Uncle.
“I heard you’re associating with a human. I would advise you to break it off, your future mate is waiting for you and you’re running around town with a human.” Vitto tells him coldly and he gets another pang of fear.
“What mate?” Alessio asks carefully.
“The one I picked out for you. It’s time you settle down.” Vito says like it’s all decided.
“I can’t just marry a random wolf. What if I don’t like her? What if she doesn't like me?” Alessio asks and tries to keep his anger in check. It would do him no good to piss off his Uncle.
“You’ll learn to like her. This is important for me, for the pack.” His father pipes in.
“Just like that? Didn’t the pack abolish arranged marriages a long time ago?” He wonders out loud and he tries to think of a way out of this.
“We still have them, when needed. Especially when the young generations start to forget tradition! You are not human!” Vito yells at him. “Stop seeing that woman. That’s an order!”
“How do you even know about Grazia? And she’s not even my girlfriend! We went out once.” Alessio asks and this time he almost loses his cool. He needs to chill down or he will be in serious trouble. As if arranged marriage is a small thing?
“I have my spies around. I know about the coffee and the dinner and the ride with the bikes.” Vito hisses and the coldness of his voice sends chills down Alessio’s spine. “I like the bike, but that still makes her only a human with good taste. Emphasis on human.”
“This makes the pack look bad in the eyes of other Alphas. You’re going to ruin all the alliances with your reckless behaviour.” His father tells him.
“Me? I have no rank in the pack. Why would it be of any relevance with whom I hang out with?” Alessio frowns at his father who only shakes his head.
“Not just you! All of you. You make the pack look weak! My own sons included. Traitors, all of you!” Vito growls, menacingly.
“We’re only working on a project together.” He tries to pull himself out of the mess by evading the truth. He likes Grazia a bit too much. Not to think about what his wolf thinks about her. His Uncle must never find out about that.
“I know all about that. It’s all about and for humans. No wolf pack was affected by that fire on Sicily. If the Commissioner did not favour the project, I would have pulled all the wolves out by now!” Vito shakes his head. “My word is final. Stop seeing her!”
His Uncle storms out after that and his own father only shakes his head at him. Have they all gone insane? What the hell is going on in this pack? First the attack on Vittorio and his weird disappearance, now this? Arranged marriages? Are they back in the dark ages or something? What’s next? Women are not allowed to work anymore? They will all live in an enclave in the forest? He better stop thinking about it, because it leads to only more questions and he has no one to ask or answer them.
Alessio drops on his bed and stares at the ceiling. He tries to empty his mind and not think about anything. Not thinking about the alluring Grazia Pietro and her smile. Damn! If his wolf is right and she is his mate, he’s in for a long miserable life. His Uncle means business with the threats and arrangements. Can he live without her? Even if he rejects her? Who can he ask? Is it safe to talk with anyone in the pack? Anyone could be a spy for Uncle Vito. Maybe Vittorio knows something?
Reaching for his phone, he sees two missed calls and a message from Grazia. Just his luck, the one girl he is forbidden to see, wants to see him. And she planned a weekend getaway in Lozano. How to turn her down gently, if he really doesn’t want to? And he’s got the feeling that Vittorio is in on the thing, because he told him about the change to the work schedule right before they left for home. Will she hold it against him if he ignores her message? He doesn't know what to say to her right now. He wants her so badly and he can’t have her.
Calling Vittorio is the best of the two bad choices he has, so he hopes his cousin is free to talk. He needs some advice about the situation he found himself in. His gut tells him it’s exactly the same situation Vittorio was in, only that Grazia really is human.
“Hey, cuz! What’s up?” Vittorio answers.
“Your father just ambushed me when I came home. He’s planning an arranged marriage for me and he knows about Grazia.” Alessio tells him.
“s**t! I thought Mateo was joking.” Vittorio exclaims.
“What did Mateo say?” He wants to know, all curious, because Mateo is more known to be a recluse than a fountain of information.
“He told me about fathers plans, I just thought we had more time.” Vittorio says and he can hear desperation in his cousin’s voice. “Kara is on the line too. I wonder how Aunt Marra will deal with that?”
“He did what? Is your father nuts? What does he hold over Aunt Marra to pull this off?” Alessio asks, perplexed to hear the news.
“I don’t know. Mateo has some inside information, but he doesn’t know how reliable it is. You know he is on bad terms with our father.” Vittorio answers.
“How does your father know about Grazia?” Alessio inquires.
“Elio. The new enforcer, he’s spying on me all the time. My bet is, he’s got someone on you as well. He was probably at the station today and he saw you.” Vittorio tells him. “Watch out for anyone following you.”
“Is he completely crazy, now? What is he trying to do? Bring the pack back to the dark ages?” Alessio just rants a bit, not even expecting an answer.
“It feels that way, yes.” Vittorio sighs. “Sometimes I think that Morrana should have just killed him. As harsh as it sounds, we would be better off without him.”
“Could we ask her to finish the job?” Alessio inquires, because that would be the easiest way out.
“Sorry, no. That is the reason Veles is only guarding Vannessa and he teaches her how to fight. The gods have some rules to follow and they can’t interfere if nobody insults them directly.” Vittorio murmurs.
“I see you asked already.” Alessio chuckles. “Any advice on how to get out of this mess?”
“I’d say avoid Grazia for a while to protect her and find your mate before the arranged marriage comes through.” Vittorio sighs. “I’m sorry, I have no better answer.”
“My wolf thinks that Grazia is my mate.” Alessio decides to trust Vittorio.
“You’re screwed. You can’t live without your mate.” Vittorio whispers and dread pools in Alessio’s stomach.
“Not even if I reject her?” He asks quietly, because he is afraid of the answer, but he really wants to know it.
“You can reject her, but it will drive your wolf slowly insane.” Vittorio tells him.
“Thanks for that bleak outlook. What should I tell her about the weekend plans? And don’t front, I know you had your fingers in that one.” Alessio changes the subject.
“Pretend you’re busy all week to keep my father away and go with her on the weekend. Try to explain things to her. She seems like a reasonable woman.” Vittorio advises him.
“You mean: tell her everything?” Alessio is shocked.
“Yeah. She is friends with Vesna, maybe she knows about the supernatural world? Just be careful with her.” Vittorio tells him and makes him think.
“I’ll ask Allegra what she knows. Maybe she can give me some pointers. She knows Grazia well.” Alessio decides to get more help and his little sister is always good for it.
“Good luck.” Vittorio laughs and hangs up on him.
Alessio walks down the hall to his sister’s room and knocks carefully. The door swings in instantly and he is pulled in and hugged fiercely. The show of affection means a lot to him and he hugs her back. Just her presence calms him down immensely.
“I was home already. I was eavesdropping on the top of the stairs.” She whispers into his chest and he lets her go.
“What should I do?” He asks his little sister.
“I don’t know.” She shakes her head. “Run away? I would hate to see you marry some bimbo Uncle Vito imported.”
“Thanks. That is not the only problem I have right now.” He tells her sadly.
“What?” She is surprised. “What else is there?”
“Grazia. I really like her.” He admits to Allegra. “My wolf even thinks she’s my mate.”
“Oh, damn!” Allegra exclaims and slaps a hand over her mouth.
“You know something?” He smiles at her as his suspicions arise. “Tell me!”
“She likes you too. A lot.” Allegra smiles. “I promised her not to say anything, but since you’re on the same page now…”
“But she’s human.” Alessio sighs. “And you know what Uncle Vito thinks about humans.”
“I heard that one, too.” She nods. “She doesn’t know. Anything. Not about Vesna, not about us. Nothing at all. I have no idea how Vesna managed that, but Grazia is clueless about our world.”
“Shit.” He glances her way. “I was hoping she knew something. Vittorio told me to come clean with her. He thinks I should tell her everything in case Uncle Vito does something drastic again.”
“Marrying you off to some bimbo is a drastic measure.” Allegra nods. “I think you can trust her. She is a reasonable person.”
“Thanks, little sister.” He hugs her again and he is happy to have her. Lately they are all they have with the mess in the pack. They have to stick together to make it through.
“Allies forever.” Allegra laughs into his shirt and hugs him back.
- Writer
