Mafia Vows: Mated to the Red Capo

MAKENA

The car came to a halt at the edge of the park, and before I could reach for the door handle, Lukas, my bodyguard, was already stepping out, scanning the area like the seasoned soldier he was.

I followed him, adjusting the waistband of my leggings and brushing a few stray curls away from my face before looking at him and telling him I'd see him in a moment.

But I realized he was getting ready to jog, too, as he took off his jacket, causing me to pause, frowning. “Where do you think you’re going?” I asked in a teasing tone, and he turned toward me, his mouth forming that familiar, knowing smile.

He had just returned to work after a knee injury. There was no way I was going to let him run with me. “No way you’re running after me tonight.” I motioned toward one of the nearby benches. "Sit down... doctor's orders," I continued and he opened his mouth to argue, his entire body exuding the stubborn protectiveness I'd grown up with.

Lukas had been my bodyguard for as long as I could remember; he was human, but he was tough as nails and fiercely loyal. He was the only human my father trusted enough to know our secret.

Before he could respond, I ducked back into the car, grabbed a bottle of water, and shoved it into his hands. “Hydrate,” I commanded with a wink. “And sit your stubborn butt down. I’m an alpha wolf, remember? I can handle a few laps around a public park by myself.” He sighed, but the corners of his mouth raised in a reluctant smile as he accepted the bottle.

“Fine,” he muttered. “But take your phone with you and I’m timing you.”

I laughed and tightened the laces on my shoes before jogging backward along the path. “Good! I plan on breaking my own record.” He watched me go, arms crossed, the ever-vigilant guardian. I adored him, and he had no cause for concern. I had been running in this park for years and no one ever bothered me. They knew my father; they wouldn’t dare.

The evening breeze swept across my skin, putting a spring in my step as I prepared to accelerate, and I turned my head, intending to give Lukas one last look before rounding the bend and disappearing from his view.

But I froze as soon as my eyes lifted. Three men emerged from the tree line behind him, moving low and fast like predators stalking their prey, and my heart stopped. "Hey!" I yelled, coming to a complete stop. "What are you doing?!" Lukas tensed up at the sound of my scream, but he had not noticed them yet. "Behind you!" I yelled again, panicked, and pivoted, ready to sprint back toward him.

Lukas reacted quickly, and before the men could reach him, he spun around, pistol in hand, and moved to meet them halfway with a roar of defiance. I ran as fast as I could, but before I could get to him, tires screeched across the pavement.

A dark, windowless car accelerated toward me from the shadows and skidded to a stop right next to the trail. Three men jumped out, moving toward me, and my wolf let out a growl as we began to shift. But everything happened too fast; the men had already closed in, and before we could finish the transformation, something cold and sharp pierced the skin on my neck. My legs buckled as the poison rushed through my veins, and I immediately felt my strength ebbing away.

Hands grabbed me from every side and I thrashed and kicked, my wolf snarling inside me, my mind frantically reaching out in a mind link to my father. 'Father!' I screamed in my head. ‘The park... I’m at the park.’

But before I could finish my thought, something cold clamped around my throat. I knew what it meant, Silver, and I fought it, every instinct screaming at me to shift, tear them apart, but my limbs would not move, and my wolf whimpered deep inside me, strangled and trapped.

I barely heard Lukas' grunts and shouts as rough hands shoved me backward, and I tumbled helplessly into the trunk of the car, where the lid slammed shut with brutal finality, plunging me into complete darkness. And then my lights went out.

•••

Rough hands slapped my face, startling me awake. "Wake up!" A sharp, cruel voice barked, and I blinked, disoriented, the surrounding shadows swirling and shifting until they gradually sharpened into shapes.

I had no idea what was going on or where I was as my head lolled forward. And I couldn’t move. Thick ropes bound my wrists and ankles, pinning me to a chair, while a man shoved a camera in my face.

"Smile for your father," he sneered, then turned and laughed with the others. “I want to be home by dinner. She’s awake; let’s do this and get the hell out of here.” His voice remained distant, but I snapped out of the haze when rough hands untied me, only to drag me forward.

My body was still weak, and I couldn't feel my wolf as they continued to drag me, but then recognition hit me. I knew this place. I had been here numerous times before. I was in my family's morgue, specifically the cremation room.

Just then, we rounded the corner, and I saw it, the heavy iron pit in the center glowing with pulsing embers while the thick stench of burnt flesh clung to the air. A scream ripped through my throat and I thrashed, but the men only laughed, the one with the camera egging me on.

“That’s right,” he chuckled. “Scream. Let Daddy hear you.”

I tried to break free with all of my strength, but my body betrayed me, still weakened by whatever they had drugged me with and the collar around my neck. One of them yanked open the heavy metal door to the fire pit, and the searing wave of heat hit me immediately, forcing another guttural cry from my lips.

"No! Please!” I begged, my voice hoarse and desperate, as my feet skidded against the grimy floor and they dragged me closer, the fire's hungry roar becoming louder, the flames licking the edges of my clothes with unbearable heat. "Father!" I screamed, my tears obscuring my vision. "Please help me, Father!"

The man holding the camera made a mocking bow. “Throw her inside,” he ordered.

But before they could obey, a deafening crash shattered the air from the other side of the wall and they froze. The wall to our right separated the room from cold storage, where bodies were stored in steel drawers. The men tensed and exchanged panicked glances.

"I thought you made sure no one would be here," the leader growled. “No one was supposed to be,” another stammered. But his words died mid-sentence as an icy chill swept through the room, so cold it made my breath fog in front of me.

My gaze followed theirs, and we all stared at the doorway leading to the freezer. And there, half-hidden in the shadows, stood someone... a man stark naked, skin pale in the flickering light, steam rising from his heaving chest like mist.

His eyes glowed a deep red in the darkness. And the moment my gaze locked on the burning crimson of his, about to scream for help, my breath caught... not with fear, but with something that shot heat through my bones like fire.

Everything froze as I struggled to breathe and think, while my wolf, whom I could not feel just moments before, stirred with a rush of heat that sent a gasp through my mind. Everything fell silent, and then... a single word shook the foundation of my soul, ripping the very fabric of my being.

"MATE!"

TWO DAYS EARLIER

VAL

My gaze shifted to the clock on the wall as the razor slid across my jaw, scraping away the last traces of shaving cream. I had an hour or two at most to beat the storm, and this was an important meeting I couldn’t miss. On cue, my barber wiped my face dry and stepped back with a respectful bow.

Getting to my feet, my valet was already approaching, tuxedo in hand, moving with a sense of urgency I appreciated as I raced against the elements.

The robe fell from my shoulders, and I put on the tailored blue pants he handed me. My shirt came next, and as he rushed forward to adjust the cuffs and buttons, my thoughts drifted to my brother, who needed to brief me quickly before I left.

As if he had read my mind, he walked in just as I was shrugging into my jacket. I waved my hand for everyone to get out, and they all scrambled out while I turned to my brother, who whistled and smirked.

“Look at you,” he said. “If I didn’t know any be