The Mafia Don's Omega

Chapter 7: Marku

My wolf had been growling nonstop in my head since I left the omega in my room. Its mood was nothing short of furious, although I could not tell if it was more vexed at me or the situation at hand.

The day started normally, and I was swamped with my usual work as Alistair's right-hand man. That was until I caught word of Ezio and the omega strolling in the garden. I was immediately on guard. It was clear to us what Ezio's position was concerning our mate, and his reputation for trouble-making precedes him. I could not let this news reach Alistair, or there would be an even bigger mess.

I could not say I was surprised to see Ezio with our semi-conscious mate in his arms, in 'his' room, although I was definitely disappointed. I thought he had more discipline than that.

Thankfully, our mate seemed unharmed, and my wolf was more than delighted to have her readily accept our guidance and protection. But that joy was short-lived when she suddenly went into a panic attack.

Now, I was left trying to reclaim myself.

The sun was already high up in the sky when I arrived at the pool area. The canopy of leaves from the group of palm trees provided ample shade on the lunch table I had arranged. It had a perfect view of the sunlight sparking on the turquoise water. I sighed in relief when I saw the omega sitting on one of the white wicker chairs.

I approached her and sat opposite the table, which was heaped with an assortment of dishes and beverages, none of which had been touched yet.

"I apologize for my late arrival," I said to the omega, then, in a much lower voice, I added, "And I apologize as well for what happened earlier."

Her head snapped up, but she bowed down again before I could meet her eyes. Her fingers played with the corner of her notepad for a few moments until she wrote her answer and showed it to me. 'It wasn't your fault. My mind just plays tricks on me.'

"Does it happen often?" I asked her as I began loading up my plate with food.

Her answer took a while longer before she could show it to me. 'Kind of. I don't like The Shadow touching me, and I can't help but see him through other people.'

Reading her words, I had to stop myself from outwardly growling. This was yet another reminder of our failure to keep her safe. It did not matter that we were not aware of her presence throughout her years of suffering. The main point was that we could not protect her.

I decided not to question her further about The Shadow right now. However, I needed to know if she had any other issues. "You have a touch aversion. Is there anything else that makes you uncomfortable?"

She looked at a distance as if thinking of her answer, then slowly shook her head.

"What about your voice?"

It was a testament to how deep her trauma was when she looked surprised after I brought it up. "I hope you do not mind, but Alistair ordered that you be medically examined after we brought you here. The doctors did not see anything of concern, but it is clear you have problems with speaking."

She hesitated in answering. I could see her writing, erasing, and rewriting in her notepad. Eventually, she showed me her response. 'He doesn't like my voice.'

An inherent trauma then caused by The Shadow. A behavioral issue more than a physical wound.

"It is alright." An idea formed in my mind. "Would you like to learn sign language?"

She tilted her head in question.

"It is a hand language. It will be easier to use it than constantly writing. We can also sign you up with a speech therapist if you want. Perhaps, through time, you can use your voice again," I explained to her.

'Do you know sign language?'

"No. We can learn it together if that is what you prefer."

I could see that she was about to disagree, so I hastily continued and appealed with her reason. "This will make things easier not just for you but for us as well. Communication will be much more efficient. Please, consider this..."

I wanted to say her name but stopped. O-16 sounded odd, as Ezio eloquently pointed out before. As if sensing my thoughts, the omega wrote something and turned her notepad to me.

'Ezio said I could pick a new name. I chose Violet.'

Turned out my brother had not been an entire fool. "It is a beautiful name, Violet. It suits you."

For the first time, I saw a flicker of a smile from her, and it gave me enough hope that perhaps not all was lost. "Would you consider my proposal, Violet?" I repeated my question.

Finally convinced, Violet nodded her head in agreement.

I was about to resume eating when I noticed she had not touched any of the dishes throughout our conversation. I mentally chided myself and hurried to fix my negligence.

"You can eat now, or is the food not your liking?"

Violet rapidly shook her head and wrote, 'There's just too many options.'

"Just pick your favorite. If it is not served, I can ask the chef to make it."

Her brows only creased further. 'I don't know what my favorite is.'

I was filled with sympathy after reading her answer, but I hid it behind a mask of nonchalance. If I were in her position, I wouldn't appreciate anyone's sympathy either.

Taking the liberty to choose for her, I reached out and arranged a set of dishes in front of her. "We can sample everything until you find your favorite. But do not be pressured; just enjoy the moment and eat to your heart's content."

My wolf preened when she began eating, and I relished the feeling of triumph that coursed through me. This had always been the case, the alphas providing for their omegas, and it was a pleasure to do it for my mate.

We descended on a companionable silence for a while until Violet raised her head to show me a question she had written. 'How did you talk inside my head?'

I placed my spoon back on my plate and then linked my fingers in front of me. "It is through a... resonance. Do you remember what Alistair asked you when you woke up here at the mansion? It is a type of connection between wolves."

'But I don't have a wolf.'

My mind raced as I thought of how I could best answer her. The thing was, I did not have an answer at all. It was as much as an enigma to us as it was to her.

"You have a wolf. You have just yet to... reconnect with it," I said in the end, although I was not quite sure of how true that was.

Not to be deterred by my hesitant answer, Violet continued asking. 'Does everyone have a wolf?'

"Yes, they do."

"Even The Shadow?"

"Yes. Even him," I answered truthfully.

'Why did he keep me in that dark room?'

"I - I do not know, Violet. I am sorry. But we are working on finding his motives and him."

'Will you tell me when you find him?'

I did not want to. If I had the choice, I wanted to shield her from all the evil of this world. But she had the right to stay informed, especially because this directly concerned her. "I will try to give you constant updates on the case."

'Thank you.' She bit her lower lip, the plump flesh denting against her teeth, and my wolf stirred inside my consciousness. I had to grapple against it to keep it calm. Finally, she showed me the question she wrote. 'Why am I here?'

Because you were our mate. This was your rightful place. You belong with us - with me. Those were the words I wanted to say, but we were interrupted when Vincenzo came running towards us.

Vincenzo stopped before me and handed me a brown envelope. "A client reached out to us. He wants to buy a huge supply of weaponry. The transaction is too high value to just assign to a cadre."

I accepted the envelope and scanned the proposed contract. It was true. With this amount of money, a high level of access was needed to process the transaction. Besides, this was from the Borgias, a very... sensitive client indeed.

"I will see to it tomorrow. Thank you, Vincenzo."

Vincenzo bowed and left immediately. I looked back to Violet and saw her eyes were wide and curious.

I thought back to the room where we found her and speculated on how much freedom she had had these past few years. The compound must have been the largest area she had explored. Even so, she mostly stayed in her room with Annetta.

But what about her safety? The killer was still on the loose, and we had not yet discovered who The Shadow was. Still, this was only a sale transaction. With me by her side, everything would surely turn out alright. Besides, this would be the perfect distraction for her while we address her other problems.

With my mind made up, I asked her. "Would you like to come with me on a business trip?"