Fire and Sweets (Book 3 of Wolves of Milano)

17. Letting go of the pride

He told her a little bit. Will it be enough? No, not by a long shot. He will have to count on her to come up with good questions. No matter how badly he wants to tell her all about himself, he can’t get the words to leave his mouth. The wolf holds the Alpha command in high regard, so he doesn’t let Mattias utter a single word. The chance of getting his father to release him from his wow is slim. This is not a life or death situation and he thinks that his father would choose death over breaking the wow any time. Heir to the pack means nothing, if you can’t uphold a simple wow.

He better stop moping around the rooftop terrace of the Galleria d’Arte Moderna, he’s got work to do, people to call and pickups to arrange. The two days of open exhibits have brought in a good amount, top that off with the money he got for Kara’s paintings, he had a great week. Not anyone can say they earn six grand in a week of work. Too bad not every week is like this. His home town gallery brings in enough for a comfortable living, but he needs to be picky and select only the best works. He sells local artist’s works with his own reputation. His good name in the art world is what allows him to get good prices for artists that nobody ever heard of. He went on a lim and took Kara’s painting to an exhibit here solely on the word of Devana. It paid off, but what if it hasn’t?

It was a gamble with his reputation and now it’s a gamble with his life. If he can’t get Kara, he might as well die. In the time it took her to think and open up to give him a chance, he fell completely and utterly in love with her. He is nothing without her.

“Wow! You are a tad overly dramatic, don’t you think?” Devana chuckles.

“Stop spying on my thoughts!” Mattias growls. His voice came out in the low tone of his wolf. Menacing. Not that she cares, she is unmoved by his display.

“Hm? You are a mess, little wolf.” She shakes her head at him. “You need to chill and think who you’re talking to.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” He nods. “She opened up. She gave us a chance. And my father screwed me over with his Alpha command. How do I let her know that I’m serious, if I can’t even tell her who I am?”

“I’m sure that between the two of you, you can come up with something.” She winks at him. “Now that you’re actually talking.”

“You’re right.” Mattias nods.

He calls the buyers after Devana leaves him. He knows she will stay a few days longer because of him. To keep an eye out for him and protect him, if things go wrong. It’s nice to have a guardian that can’t be killed, too bad she can’t solve his problems for him. She is a bodyguard, not a miracle worker. Even gods have limits, he learned that the hard way a few days ago. She has even more rules to observe than he has. The workarounds are even harder. He is not entirely sure that she can interfere if Vito grabs him. She can’t help him in a fight, he knows that much. But she trained him well. As a child, he always wondered why an artist would know martial arts and all kinds of weapons training. Now he knows better. She told him her secret ten years ago. Now that she’s got her powers back, she is deadly. He’s not sure he wants to see that.

Swallowing a lump in his throat, he calls his father next. It doesn’t sit right with him to ask for help, but he can’t do this on his own. At least he needs to explain to his father what’s going on. He might not get help, but he might get an idea as to what to do. If his father picks up. The double standards are grating on his nerves. Father demands that everyone picks up right away when he calls, but he lets them wait on the line till the end. Sometimes he doesn’t even pick up. Will he leave him hanging?

“Mattias! When are you coming home?” His father answers on the last ring.

“I don’t know. Something came up. Something really important.” He answers.

“Something with the exhibition? I thought that was over?” Alpha Max drawls.

“No. That went great.” Mattias says. “I met my mate.”

“Ha, ha, ha!” His father laughs wholeheartedly. “Let me guess? She wants you to work for her, she’s not a delicate flower who just falls at your feet and worships you?”

“Down to a t. And she’s even more complicated than that.” Mattias sighs.

“Tell me? Who is she?” His father shows genuine interest.

“Kara Tottzi. Unfortunately the Niece of Vito. She is his Beta's daughter.” He explains. “She fights the bond all the way. She is a special wolf, her will power is astonishing.”

“Wait a minute!” His father exclaims. “Kara Tottzi? The Kara Tottzi? The Michelin star pastry Chef of Rialto? Are you out of your mind? He’ll never let her go, her mother even less so. They lose the star if she goes.”

“And you think a Michelin star is more important than fated mates? Is nothing in our world sacred any more?” Mattias wonders.

“Depends on who you ask.” His father says. “What does she say?”

“She is willing to give me a chance, but I have to meet her half way and give her some information. The good thing is, she doesn’t believe I’m a lone wolf.” He answers.

“I can’t absolve you of your wow of silence. You know how dangerous it is for others to know who you really are?” His father says with a hardness to his voice.

“Devana is here. She’s my guardian. You know she won’t let anything happen to me.” Mattias tries to convince his father. “Please let me tell her something.”

“No. That’s final. Succeed or fail on your own. You are not telling her anything about our pack.” Max growls and disconnects the call.

He decides to go to Rialto for a late lunch. If he can’t be with Kara openly, he can at least indulge his wolf’s passion for sweets. And there is no better place than Rialto. He sits in his usual spot at the bar, even though he could get a table now. The crowd is down to a few late lunch dates, but he likes the semi private atmosphere of the bar. Nobody else sits there and he can pretend that he’s all alone.The passing waiters leave him alone and nobody is talking to him. He has the blessed time to do what he wants, so he Googles Kara. His father seemed to know more about her than he does.

The findings are a nice surprise. She has a huge following on i********:, he knew that, but the pictures there are mostly of her creations. She never posts anything personal and she is rarely in a picture to start with. How can a person that is this private, be so famous? He finds a few articles about her and one single interview. Rialto is all over the gourmet scene, their Chef is a star, but there is practically nothing of Kara. He reads the interview and smiles. Of course it was Ilona that got the pleasure of interviewing her. The questions are out of the norm for an interview as well. So very different, just like she is. But he has to hand it to Ilona, she got her to open up and tell things not many people know. He would expect the interview to revolve around food, but it was mostly about art.

“What did you order today?” Kara asks him. He missed her coming close. Kudos to her for sneaking up on him.

“Coconut - mango cake. It’s very refreshing under all that sweetness. A pleasant surprise, I must say.” He smiles at her.

“I’m glad you like it, it’s one of the newest creations.” She smiles back.

“I didn’t know you have a Michelin star. How does that feel?” He asks her. It’s safer to talk about the restaurant here as the things he would rather know about.

“It was a joint effort of the team. We got that with the completed menu, not just sweets. So, I guess, I can say it’s only half mine. Fernando is the main creative force here. I started off with designing my sweets to go with his main courses. Sometime in the process, we went our separate ways, but you can still get a well-rounded tasting menu.” She explains.

“So modest. You should be proud, it’s not a common thing to even get on their radar, yet alone get a star.” Mattias tells her.

“We still need to talk, but mom’s not here and I have to run this ship.” She whispers to him before he is left alone.

“Let me know.” Mattias responds. He understands the risks of prying eyes and sensitive ears. This is another thing that complicates their forming bond. If she is periodically responsible for the restaurant, can he take her away? There is no chance his father would let him move here. Who in their right mind would even want to, considering Vito and his crazy ways? That is one more thing they have to talk about without him telling her why. Maybe she is good at the guessing game and she can figure it out? He can only hope so.

Mattias returns to the Gallery to be there for the pick up of the sold paintings. He must finish his part of the deals, no matter what else is currently filling his head. He secretly hopes that Kara calls him tonight, but he understands that she’s busy at the restaurant. He is used to being alone, but knowing you have a mate out there and you can’t do anything to help her or just be with her is driving him crazy. Is there a time limit to the bond? Will his feelings get more intense every day that they are apart? Will it suddenly just stop, if they don’t accept and finalize the bond? His father is no help whatsoever and he knows not to ask his mother for anything. The less he deals with her, the better. Mother is a cold b***h that only cares for looks and appearances.

He could ask Devana, she seems to know a lot about wolves. Where is she anyway? He hasn’t seen her since morning. Is she at the hotel or with her daughter? Ilona seemed nice, but too busy. Is everyone here only working? Nobody has a personal life anymore, no one takes time to spend with family or friends. He doesn’t like this kind of life. Was he a privileged son of high society? He started working during his college years, he founded his gallery right after he graduated, but he always had time for other things. He is realistic enough to know his line of work is not hard, even if he spends all day in the gallery. But he has days when he's not even there. He can spend days away and just enjoy life. Could Kara do that? Would she want to? There is just so much he doesn’t know about her.