6. THE WARM PROTECTOR 

~VIKTOR

I saw it coming. 

I anticipated this outcome and I pushed through to make it happen. 

I knew Marco Bianchi too well to predict his moves and make him play out my plan like a puppet. 

He was an impatient man who always liked to assert control over the weak— especially women. 

He was a sadist and it was a crime to have him breathe the same air as me. But for the sake of the truce and all the lives lost, I had to let him be.

But not anymore. He had something precious of mine. He had the woman I had been looking for my entire life. He had my peace and I couldn't let him be. 

It was either she came with me willingly, or I kidnapped her. She never had a choice from the start but thankfully, she made it easy for me and all I had to do was play around with Marco's impatient personality. 

Dragging the Priest into this was all part of my plan to escape smoothly and I made sure that it all happened in my favor. 

I let myself be the victim and instructed all of my men not to pull out their weapons. This was so that the priest would name only Marco as the offender. 

The Priest was well known in the Mafia world. He used to own his empires back in the days, as well as call the shots before he retired. He was respected by all Mafia members and had a black card that kept  him and everything he involved himself with, safe from all mafia threats. 

And no one dared to go against him or break the rule. 

"You clearly are trying to cause chaos in the house of the Lord. You were the first to draw blood, thus, you're trying to start a war with me," The Priest stated firmly. 

There was a dangerous coldness in his tone. He looked like he was ready to pull the trigger on him and Marco felt it too. 

So he dropped his gun immediately and surrendered to the Priest. 

"Forgive me, Priest. It won't happen again," Marco stated in a small voice. 

The Priest didn't move. No one did. I could not leave without his consent either and I was not allowed to hurt him too. 

So, I could not risk angering him. I instead looked down at my bleeding wrist. Once I got the burning bullet out, it would begin to heal. 

"You will all drop your guns and walk away. The bride will go with whomever she wants and you both can go continue your war somewhere far away from my territory!" The Priest ordered. 

I smiled and I turned to see that Scarlett had almost become as white as the dress that she had on. 

"You heard him," I told her softly. "Let's go." 

I began to lead her away and Marco was about to leave but the Priest pressed the gun harder to his skull. 

"I am not stupid, Bianchi." The Priest stated. "The moment I let you go, you will proceed to shed blood right outside the church. I cannot have you do that. You will wait until they leave before you go ahead and pursue them." 

I saw the way that Marco clenched his teeth and I sent him a cold but triumphant smile. 

"You can go for now, Marcelli. But know that you have restarted the dangerous wars between both our families. I will not rest until I tear you to shreds and feed you to my dogs— who are your kin!" 

I shrugged and kept leading the terrified Scarlett out of the church. Despite being an Alpha and Mafia boss, I knew that I was not to take Marcelli's warnings lightly. 

He came from a family of Hunters and that was the main reason why there was enmity between both our families. His people hunted my kind. They knew just how to take down werewolves and they were very good at it. 

Despite knowing this, I did not feel threatened in the least bit. I was the terror that he was supposed to fear. I was the monster here and the one with the greater advantage.

We finally exited the building and met the rest of my men lined on both sides of our path like they always did and stopped at my car. 

"Boss!" They echoed and Scarlett flinched. 

She seemed unsure of where she stood, so I sent her a reassuring smile. She needed to know that she was the safest with me. 

There was no one else in the world who could give her the protection that I was willing to offer. She was mine to keep.

We reached the car and I pulled the door open for her but she hesitated as she stared suspiciously at the seats. 

"W—here are we going?" She asked shakily. 

I kept my warm smile. "I am taking you to my home. You're welcome to stay for as long as you like. At least, until I find a way to get Marco out of your hair." 

I lied. I never planned to let her go. She was stuck with me forever and I was ready to seduce her if it meant that it would make her want to be with me. 

I resisted the urge to run my fingers through her beautiful red hair. My injured arm twitched and I gestured at the door again. 

She began to enter when the shrill voice of her mother pierced the peace of the air. 

"Scarlett Vaughn!" 

I clenched my teeth as I watched her approach us. If I could attack her and punish her for every pain that she had caused Scarlett, then I would have done it. 

But I could not risk getting on Scarlett's bad side. She seemed attached to the selfish psychopath she knew as her mother. 

Scarlett stopped and turned to face her mother. But the moment the ugly witch reached Scarlett, she lunged forward with the intention of slapping Scarlett when I intervened and caught her wrist. 

"I will not tolerate a single hair on her head harmed or you will unleash the sleeping monster within me," I stated in the coldest and most terrifying voice I could summon at that moment. 

Ramona was visibly shaken by my words and she staggered back. She swallowed hard as she glared at me, obviously shocked by my entire presence. 

"Who are you? I have never heard of the Marcelli's before," she stated bitterly. 

"Then you must be living under a rock. . ." I trailed as I narrowed my eyes on her. "You do not deserve to know who I am." 

She balled her hands into fists and angrily turned to Scarlett. "So you're all grown now and you think you know what's best for you?" 

Scarlett did not speak. She only stared back at her mother with teary eyes. 

"One thing you should always know is this. . . Mother always knows best." She lifted her head high at Scarlett. "If you proceed into that car, forget I ever exist to you. Forget that I am your mother. You will instantly become dead to me." 

A shocked gasp escaped Scarlett and tears began to roll down her cheeks. I clenched my teeth even harder, hating that the horrible Ramona was making my Scarlett cry. 

But my hands were tied. 

"Why do you hate me this much? What did I ever do wrong?" Scarlett asked in a broken voice and her mother shot her a look of disdain. 

She reached out and touched Scarlett's red hair, a totally different color from the black locs on hers. 

"Your entire existence is wrong. . . How could I ever love you? A diabolical product of rape!" She spat and I saw the hatred blaze in her eyes. 

Scarlett staggered back in shock. "I never asked to be born. . . It was your decision alone." Her voice came out shaky but she tried to be strong as she faced her mother. "So don't blame me for your misfortune. Goodbye Mother." 

With that, she instantly turned away from her mother and got into the car. 

"Please take me away from here, Viktor," she called in a broken voice that affected even my wolf. 

I threw her horrible mother a disappointed stare as she watched her daughter cut ties with her in disbelief before I entered the car and shut the door behind me.