The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

Chapter One Hundred Ninety-Five DRAVEN The look in Gio's eyes now, is much different than I've cto associate with him. The sharp, intense calculation is gone. The glowing fiquid gold irises that remain bright even when he appears emotional, are dim with pain. I can see the veins that ride over the tops of his hands to curl along his forearms, pulsing as he squeezes the glass in his hand. Its obvious this conversation pains him, but he promised to answer all my questions and it appears its tforto ask them.

You said your father had her killed, I reprise. "How does that becyour honor, if he's the one who sent someone after her? Again he swirls his glass, chuckling sadly. "Because, I had a chance to leave her before anyone even discovered her existence, knowing danger that would likely follow if I stayed, but I chose to be selfish. I stupidly thought I could keep her safe. That we could remain hidden. I was willing to give up everything for her. As it turns out... she ended up giving everything for me." "I don't understand," I say carefully. "Who is your father? Why would he want her dead at all if she's what you wanted? Although you haven't told me, I assshe was your mate." He nods and I continue, "So then, what was the problem? Do shifters not accept mat where you cfrom? Or They do," he replies coolly.

"Okay. So then, what gives? Why couldn't you have yours?" Go takes a deep breath, then downs the rest of his whiskey. Setting the tumbler on the coffee table, he loosens a few more of the buttons along his sleeves and at his throat. Almost as if he's feeling suffocated. To understand that, you have to understand that pack laws in every county vary, much like human laws do. In Italy, things are done differently. First, there are the fire families of power. The strongest. richest, most capable, and most deadly of the bloodlines. Each family reigning over a different territory and each territory being made up of any number of packs that - while still independently governed - cunder familial rule. Out here, it's different. Packs move independently of others. They can move as they want to. Govern how they want to. Answering to their Alphas and their Alphas alone. In Italy, pack Alphas answer to their respective Lords. Their... Alpha Lords if you will. Referred to as Lord Alpha at each and every setting. It is done this way to keep our numbers controlled and our humans unaware.

the old days, just before the Great Migration, there was chaos. Disorder crippled the land. So many humans were being killed that it was becoming unsafe for us to walk around freely. Until, the richest and most powerful Shifter families in each region cto an agreement to take control of every pack in their respective territories. Those who swore fealty to their Lords were given a plot of land and resources. Those who refused were either outright slaughtered or ran out of the country.

"Now understand, the problem with humans and shifters at that twas widespread. All of Europe was experiencing much of the same. Asia and Africa as well. War between species was on the horizon. But then something started happening. I cannot tell you exactly why, but more and more shifters were finding themselves mated to humans, Call it nature's fix to what would have been an inevitable end of both species. When it becapparent that shifters and humans that were motes could reproduce, a protective order cinto effect, barring all shifters from revealing themselves to humans without due cause. New mind you, shifters and shifters can reproduce with each other, any day of the week. For a shifter to reproduce with a human, he or she must bear the mark.

"The five families decided they would not be integrating the acceptance of human mates. So if a shifter found himself mated to a human and he or she wanted to keep that mate, they had to leave the country. Go rogue or die. These were our laws for a very long time. Now if a shifter applying for leave was not approved and left anyway, they were considered international fugitives, hunted down and executed. It was not done this way to be cruel. It was done to keep our secrets safe, I swallowed thickly. Is that what happened to you? Did they not approve and you loft anyway?" shakes his head. "No. The laws have changed since then. It is different now, Nok, there is no forbidding the acceptance of human mates. However, in sterritories there is a stipulation that all human mates be approved by their respective Lords prior to acceptance. Then if approved, the couple in question is given no more than three years to produce an heir. If at the end of three years there is still no heir, born or unborn, the human mate's asylum is revoked. But that isn't what happened toeither." sighs heavily, looking at his empty cup like the damn thing betrayed him.

1/2 Chapter One Hundred Ninety-Five: Without asking him, I simply got up from my seat and retrieve the covered bottle of whiskey and hand it to him. He smiles gratefully, his eyes filling with an alien sort of fondness. An affection forthat I can almost welcome, Probably because I yearned for it for so long. but presently, I am still at odds with "Grazie bambina mia, he says lovingly and I suddenly find it hard to look into his eyes.

Thank you my baby. Why do I understand what that means? But of course, deep down, I know why. And honestly, I can feel a bank of memories hovering in my mind, just waiting to be acknowledged. Likewall full of pictures that you walk by every day and stubbornly refuse to look upon. Knowing that the things you see there will cause you a great deal of pain, you simply exist alongside them. Wondering if there will ever ca day you will be strong enough to look. Wondering... if it's worth the pain to remember the love..

Lord knows why I say what I say next. Maybe because he looks like he needs to hear it. Or, maybe, because deep down inside I've been wanting to acknowledge him. Despite that he leftfeeling so alone and abandoned, blocking every memory of him from my mind. So far I haven't been able to think of a way to let him know that he's still somewhere in here. Somewhere in me. Perhaps this is how I let him know without making any sort of real promise of forgiveness. He stares into the glass of whiskey and I say, "Sei il benvenuto papà." You are welcdaddy, in full on Italian and it rolls off my tongue like I've been using the language my entire life. Which I promise you, I have not been! The pure shock that comes over him when I say it sends him reeling backward into the couch. His eyes widen and glow, ripping upward to connect with mine. I keep myself stoic, my face serene and I'm stillnot heady to address my pain, but damned if my heart doesn't swell right to bursting when his eyes fill with tears and he takes a minute to breathe. Cold, calculated, looks so vulnerable right at the moment that I almost don't know what to do. I need to keep going. To keep tellingthe story of what happened to my mother. So I give him something else too. Another tiny consolation, another olive 'twig (not quite ready for the branch yet) that I know he needs. Reaching inside of my collar, I pull up the chain I'm wearing so the locket is visible, and clutch it to my chest. I say, "Go on. You were saying?"

His eyes follow my movement completely, then he smiles faintly and nods his head. He takes a deep drink before clearing his throat and saying, "Each of the five families has an heir. Never are they without one. Should a day cthat an heir is not present, it will mean the end of an ancient bloodline. The Boniface's have Sicily, the Zeno's Sardinia, the Cesi's rule Rand central Italy, the Medici's have Northern Italy, you know Venice, Milan, Florence..." He looks at me, his gaze wavering, "And everything south of Rall the way to the Jonian Sea, is ruled by the Piccolis

Mike a I'm nodding as I listen. Right up until he says that. Actually, no, I think Im still nodding, even after Almost broken wooden doll... a moron. Maybe that's my body's way of absorbing absurd information, "I'm sorry, what was that?"

And almost like clockwork, the front door opens and one of hisbodyguards comes inside saying, "Lord Alpha, there's a boat approaching. Now Fm the one who's shocked.

Lord Alpha? What?