Chapter 4: Anger

She blinked, feeling her body tense up. "I'm sorry, what?" she questioned, thinking she must have heard him incorrectly.

He took a tentative step towards her, "I'm both an alpha and boss because our pack follows mafia law as well. It's a long story because of my grandfather–"

"No. Stop! You're not serious right now."

When he didn't answer, she felt all senses of control leave her being. It was going too far. How was she supposed to take this?

"No, no! This is–Victor, what the f*ck?!" she heard someone yell. It must have been her voice, but it didn't sound right to her.

Victor extended a hand towards her, but her body recoiled from it.

"It was for your safety." he began.

"Bull! Safety would be my knowing about it so I could practice some precaution. Or, I don't know, not be involved in a life I didn't choose!" A sudden dread encompassed her and she found her eyes flitting to the window in paranoia. How much did this rival know? Mafia usually know everything, and shifters have a supernatural advantage; they could just sniff her out.

"I would and will never let harm come to you Enora." he answered evenly.

If she believed those words, now was not the time for her to be sure. Her mind raced with the idea of getting out of there or hiding, but what about her job? Would she be safe there? Aware of the fact that Victor watched her, patiently waiting to continue, struck a nerve. This was all his fault and she wanted to be angry.

"What are you doing?" he asked, close on her heels as she entered her bedroom.

She fetched a prepacked bag from her closet and shoved her chargers and devices inside,

"I'm leaving, I can't handle this right now." she answered on her way to the front door.

Her body instinctively jumped back when Victor practically teleported in her path, towering over her with authority.

"You can't leave. It isn't safe. I'm guarding you for the next twenty-four hours."

Her mouth opened in shock, "And when were you going to tell me this?"

Enora appreciated that he at least had the decency to look somewhat ashamed before answering with a small, "Right now...."

Pulling her phone out, she threw her bag at him with as much force as she could muster. The door slammed behind her harder than she had intended, but she figured it served him right. It was all she could do to keep herself from hitting him. Though she doubted it would do anything. Against his sturdy frame, Enora probably had the same effect as a fly hitting a window; nothing more than an annoying thumping.

A sigh escaped her, it felt like she was throwing a tantrum. It was ridiculous and embarrassing, but she felt helpless and small. She groaned at the idea of her nightmares returning, of reliving the trauma night after night as she had as a kid. She had never told Victor about it, and why it was the reason she had sworn off getting involved with a shifter.

After texting the manager of Pawsitivity Time–her dog café–that she had an emergency and wouldn't be coming in, she rolled over and closed her eyes; the exhaustion hitting all at once.

***

A knock at the door startled her. The clock on her nightstand read after two, and she realized she had fallen asleep. A fleece blanket covered her, meaning Victor had come in to check on her. A smile tugged on her mouth at the thought. But wait, hadn't she locked the door?

The knock sounded again,

"Enora, I bought food. Come eat." Victor announced.

"It's ok. I'm not hungry." she said while bringing her knees to her chest. The sound of the floorboard outside the door squeaked to indicate Victor was there.

"You haven't eaten today."

"I can starve."

"You will do no such thing on my watch." his voice commanded; the strength of it coursed over her skin.

"Uh, it's no big deal if I eat later." He didn't answer, but the sound of the floorboard went off again and she relaxed. She couldn't hide in here all day, but maybe another hour or two wouldn't be bad. Evidently, Victor disagreed.

The door flew open, and he strode towards her with purpose.

"Hey! Don't use my key without asking! Wait, what are you doing?!" she questioned. A squeak of surprise escaped when he picked her up and went right back out with her slung over his shoulder.

"This is dramatic even for you Vic. How shameful." she accused dryly, eliciting a laugh from him.

"Had to do something."

He dropped her lightly on the couch, the coffee table covered in the spread he had purchased. Right away, she noticed her usual order from their favorite Indian place, and she had to suppress a smile. She absently touched where his hands had been a moment ago.

"I'd like to tell you the rest of what you need to know. If you're up for it, that is."

She hesitated, knowing that once she was in, there was no going back. A deep breath helped steel her nerves and she nodded.

"My rival, Alessandro Bianchi, used to be my best friend. We grew up together because we're both sons of pack leaders; I under the Lotus and he under the Quercia. But where my family was inducted into our mafia clan to succeed, his family are the original founders and successors."

Enora thought for a moment, "I've never heard of him, but wait, Bianchi? Like Bianchi's Car Wash on Broadway?" she asked.

He nodded in response, mouth full of chana masala.

"But there's a Bianchi bakery across the street. And a restaurant four blocks down..." Her mouth gaped like a fish out of water; she lived in their territory.

"Then you shouldn't be here. And I shouldn't be here. I'll have to leave because I'm not safe!" she rambled in response. A million scenarios played through her head, and they all ended poorly. Panic was settling in. A hand grasped hers gently.

"Hey, it's ok. You notice they're all on the same side of the street? That's because we split this area. This side is my family's and across is theirs." he explained, voice soft and soothing. "I already told you; I'm keeping you safe. On my life."

She felt her head nod, but those last three words echoed through her mind. She didn't want to imagine what that could mean.

"Anyway, he started changing. Our conflicting views forced us to grow apart, so after high school he moved to Italy. Haven't seen him since, but he returned to become boss after his father passed last year."

A minute of silence passed between them, and Enora found herself looking through the window; two fancy SUVs were in front of her building. Odd.

"Now, I know some of his tricks. Which means I have to have you watched twenty-four seven. I already have my men outside the building every day, but I'm giving you bodyguards for when I have to step away. At least eight or ten..." he began.

Enora nearly choked on her samosa. Bodyguards? So those SUVs were his men?

"You already know Gil, so he'll be the first choice."

"Stop!"