GIOVANNI'S POV~
For the first time in my life, I was frozen in place, my mind racing.
I tasted metallic and then swallowed it. My dangerous glare moved from Penelope to Leon who had punched me.
I couldn't even believe what I had just heard, my mouth slightly hanging open in shock. My eyes moved back to Penelope. My jaw clenched and my eyes narrowed.
I tried to form words, but nothing came out. My thoughts were jumbled, my brain trying to process what had just happened. I felt like I was in a dream, unable to speak or move. All I could do was stare at Penelope. Her nerve of rejecting me.
I wanted to lash at her. I wanted to ask her who the f**k she was to reject me.
For the first time in my life, I felt worthless, that someone had rejected me. Not just someone but a fragile female, who had deceived me.
I had rejected so many women in the past, played with many, they ended up kissing the ground I walked on, rejected so many marriage proposals and yet this fragile lady had in turn rejected me.
I wanted to give a mocking laughter, but I was too shocked to do anything.
The ward turned eerily silent. Everyone turned to stare at me,waiting for what I was about to say next but my gaze was glued on Penelope, whose eyes were red and misty, her jaw clenching in anger.
Who was she to even get mad at the things I did? She was just a f*****g Luna in name! She doesn't even know how dangerous of a force I am.
Rage began to build, my chest tightened in fury. My teeth bared and my claws were ready to dig out but my wolf didn't share in either of my emotions, instead he was strangely silent.
I didn't feel him stir or react or say a thing. It was as though he was not here. Inside of me.
A strange, burning sensation began to spread through my body. At first, it was a slow, creeping heat, but then it intensified, becoming a sharp, stabbing pain.
It was like my blood was on fire, my body consumed by an inferno. I felt the heat spreading to the parts of my body, my limbs throbbing with pain. I couldn't breathe, the air too hot, too thick. I groaned, a low, guttural sound of agony.
My wolf growled as well. My heart hitched.
What the f**k was happening?
Oh s**t! It was the rejection affecting our mate bond!
Tell me why I wouldn't hate having a mate?
I felt like I was being consumed by the flames, burning from the inside out. But still, I couldn't move, could only writhe in agony.
I gritted my teeth in fury and anguish. Taking an agonising step toward Penelope, only for Leon to shield her.
My wolf growled, and I wanted nothing but to rip off my Beta's head off his body. I snarled.
"I, Giovanni f*****g reject your rejection!"
I should have agreed right? And be free of her forever but here I was saying the opposite of what I wanted.
Whyyyyyy?
My mother became worried, but I didn't need anyone's pity. Whirling around before she could say a word, I stormed out of the ward and slammed the door with a bang.
"Find me that b***h! Find me that Jannie! Drag her here in whole or in pieces. I don't give a f**k!" I roared out the order to my men who were scattered outside the ward.
One of them flipped out of their phone and began to make a call.
I seethed.
Bloody b***h!
I was going to kill her with my bare hands.
"Yes sir." They echoed.
I strode down the hospital corridor, my men close behind me. My face was like thunder, my eyes like lightning.
My rage was evident, radiating from me in waves. As I passed by, people scrambled out of my way, their faces etched with fear. I could smell their terror, like a thick, cloying scent in the air.
They knew I,their Alpha, was not to be trifled with. And they were right. I was like a storm, leaving a trail of destruction in my wake.
Jumping into one of the waiting cars, my men drove me back to the pack house.
Jannie was already on the ground, tied and writhing on the ground, snarling and screaming at the men to release her. My eyes darkened immediately our gazes locked.
She froze.
"G-Giovanni… you're here? I don't know what I did, your men came to grope me." Her false tears began to flow. I would have previously ignored it but right now, Penelope's words were like a taunt to my senses.
And like a tight leash on my neck. I couldn't seem to breathe well anymore.
"Are you happy now?" I ask, curling around her.
Jannie shrank back, a look of dread and confusion crossed her features. "Giovanni I –"
"It is Alpha to you!!! Don't you ever call me by my name. Ever again!"
Her eyes widened in shock, and her mouth snapped shut.
"From today onward! I don't want to ever set my eyes on you. Get lost and never set your feet in my mansion ever again or you'd be a corpse. I'm sure you don't want to test me." My fangs bared and she gulped.
"Giovanni please. I love you. You know I do…" The b***h began walking toward me, her pity face on display. "Please don't hate me. I can't imagine a life without you."
Not waiting for her to touch me, I push her forcefully to tell ground, causing her to yelp in pain and she began to wail.
Turning to the guards, surrounding her immediately, I pointed. "Take this b***h away, and lock her up."
Jannie screamed like a f*****g banshee and I wished to tear her large mouth off her.
She kept screaming she loved me. Begging me not to let them take her away, glaring at her I looked away, and then made my way into the house.
I sat in the bedroom shared with Penelope, staring at her things in a daze. There was this strange emptiness that I felt in my heart that kept expanding with every passing seconds.
I held a scotch in my left hand and my face in the right hand.
I didn't love her but yet I felt strangely guilty. She would have died.
Sighing, I sipped my scotch and then straightened. My eyes quickly picked up the sound of engines roaring into the compound. My chest tightened at the thought of Penelope meeting me here.
Her facial expression of hate had unnerved and I was sure I wasn't going to sleep quite well tonight.
Doors banged and then quick footsteps began to approach the room I was in and still I didn't move.
What was I to say when she meets me here?
The door's knob twisted and with a click, it opened.
"Wonderful! Just the way I expected! Look at you here, sitting and drinking while your mate is in a coma fighting for her life because she was bitten by the rogues and it's such a gruesome wound!" My mother's mocking tone resounded, which made my chest squeeze painfully.
I didn't bother to turn to stare at her, I kept a stony expression and kept sipping my scotch as though she wasn't present.
Iris clicked her tongue in distaste and glared. "Oh mother! I warned Giovanni but he wouldn't listen! I told him to stop this illicit affair with his w***e now that he has found his mate but he wouldn't listen! Now take a look at what you have done! If anything happens to Penelope, I wouldn't ever forgive you."
My anger bubbled and I could no longer rein it in anymore. I rose violently from the chair, causing it to fall and roared at Iris who took two steps away from me.
"Is that so? Then answer me, why is she wolfless? Was it my fault too? Why would her people deceive me and want to sell off a weak female to me, for her to become a burden? I'm a f*****g—"
"Language boy!" My mother cut me off ,with a hiss.
Ignoring her I continued. "I'm a f*****g alpha! Who f*****g needs a strong woman by his side, not otherwise. If everyone had been honest, there wouldn't be any problems between us."
My mother's expression broke while my sister seethed. Iris was about lashing out when my mom tapped on her shoulder, halting her.
"It's all my fault." Her voice slightly broke. Iris turned to give her a confused look, but my expression never changed.
"I shouldn't have given you all the responsibility of the Pack so early. This made you the cruel man you're today. It makes you think the pack is more important than a mate. You don't even feel remorseful about what you've done and yet you blame an innocent girl for being wolfless?" My mom's eyes reddened and I looked away.
Seeing I was saying nothing, mom sighed while Iris rubbed her back soothingly.
"I think it's best you don't show your face to Penelope till you learn to be remorseful!" My mother ordered, causing me to snarl.
My eyes flashed my wolf and my teeth bared. "Is that so? To hell with you all!"
Whirling around, I stormed out of the room but before I left I heard my mom sob.
My rage kept bubbling. I could barely see.
Why was everyone suddenly taking Penelope's side, when she was just someone who had come to stay here for some days?
My wolf rumbled out, barking at me. I tried silencing him but he wouldn't budge.
He hated my guts. He hated how I was ruthless to our mates.
My f*****g wolf was pacing around and urging me to march back to the hospital and lay out my apologies to Penelope or he would cease be my wolf ever.
I snarled for him to shut up, wishing there was a way to put a leash over him. I was f*****g tired of everyone seeing me as the villain, when Penelope had caused all these.
Storming to the bar in my house, I chugged down an entire bottle of alcohol before setting it down and then went for another.
I needed something to distract my mind for a while. I thought of Jannie but I had driven her away.
Growling, I threw the glass bottle to the wall and watched it break into many pieces. But it wasn't enough to make my rage vanish.
Why was everyone blind to Penelope's deception?
She had deceived me without informing of having a wolf and it was equal to me cheating.
We both were cheats, why was everyone on her side?
Several minutes passed by before my anger seemed to boil down.
It occurred to me that if she recovered from her injuries, she would definitely want to get out of here.
A thought occurred to me, and a dark glint flashed through my eyes.
The only way to keep her was to imprison her here or I would lose her completely.
My teeth gritted, my hands tightened on the glass.
If that's the only way to keep her trapped here.