The Alpha's Chosen Bride

CHAPTER FOUR: The Confrontation

Dante controlled his fury with his brother carefully. The only sign that anything had changed was the tightening of his jaw and his hands drew into fists. A frisson of fear rippled through Sunset's body at those small movements, and to her shock, she could almost swear that she felt the surge of his blood, the furious beat of his heart and smell the anger that he was holding back. She could hear his breath, and the rustle of the fabric of clothes as he shifted to pull a phone from his pocket. He spoke softly in Italian and then put his phone away.

He paused a moment before apologizing, "I had no idea my brother had married and while I knew his behavior was appalling, I thought it only extended to himself and not an innocent child. I cannot force him to be what he should be, but I can cut his money supply off until he has had time to contemplate his future in our family and the one he's created." He stood and she, thinking she was being dismissed, stood as well until he brushed a hand over her waist to gently return her to her seat. "Please, bear with me a few moments."

He stepped behind a large desk and began working efficiently behind a laptop screen before he once again used his phone to issue soft orders. Sunset stared at him, helplessly enraptured by his every movement and breath. Even his elegant fingers enthralled her.

He smiled to see her openly staring, but she didn't blush as she once would have. No, something about him made her feel she had the right to stare at him, to touch him and to even put her mouth on him. She had to force herself to repress such feelings, sensing how ridiculous it was to be lusting after a complete stranger.

He stood, only to join her on the sofa and take both her hands in his. Her entire body sighed at the rightness of his hands on her. His voice was firm when he announced, "I am having your sister and nephew moved to a new home, one that is safe. They are Giambancos now and must be protected from the dangers that come with that. I have hired a nanny to help your sister, one that helped my own sister, so I can vouch for her experience and discretion. She's also a registered nurse, so she can keep an eye on your sister's condition."

Sunset sprang to her feet and frantically began to search through her purse to call Trish, when Dante put a soothing hand over hers. Somehow, he was there with his arm around her and the beat of his heart was in her ears. His voice, soft as silk, wound around her and said, "Mi amore, you are exhausted. Stay the night in one of my suites. I'll have dinner sent to you and some fresh clothes."

As he spoke, she found that she was exhausted. All she could manage was, "Thank you, yes I'm so tired." Her eyes began to close and he caught her faltering figure as she slid helplessly into sleep.

Dante smiled with masculine satisfaction. At last he had found her, his mate. Yes, they had expected him every year to take one since his eighteenth birthday, but no one was right. This human was his mate, and it couldn't be said that fresh blood was bad for a pack. It made them stronger and this woman was strong. She had faced him down without fear, had stood without flinching in the face of danger to protect her little pack. He carried her to a bedroom that adjoined his own suite to lay her down to sleep.

He undressed her, taking his time, smelling all her secret places. She whimpered with desire and he hardened to the point of pain. He could not help himself and he buried his face between her legs, relishing her smell. His tongue edged under the lace so he could take just a small taste. She opened her legs for him and he growled with the overwhelming desire for her. It took every ounce of his control to cover her with blankets and yet, he still kissed her mouth softly before stepping away.

She stirred as if aware he was leaving her room, and he understood her disquiet. It was physically painful for him to leave her, his mate. He had to let her come to feel that same need. He had to teach her about the changes that her body was going to experience and hope with all his soul that she would accept him. It was dusted and done. They were mates. He left her to sleep alone, though it hurt him physically to do it. He needed his body next to hers, but she had to feel that pain of their separation so that when they were joined, the joy would be even sweeter.

He didn't understand how his brother could have used her sister in such a disgusting a fashion, but he would pay for it in more ways than he could ever have imagined. He couldn't have known that his discarded wife would be the sister of his mate, but in a way it was the justice he deserved. He would finally understand the true consequences of his own cruelty.

His punishment wouldn't touch the true offense of what his transgressions against others amounted to, but he could not kill his own brother. Sergio might wish he had killed him when he tasted the pain of what was coming to him. He would recover though, only so he could be a father to the child he had created. He would eventually find his mate, though he had been avoiding it so he could play. That was over and because of his own foolish behavior.

He would give Patricia the most generous divorce settlement. Sergio deserved to be forced to make her his mate, but Patricia didn't deserve that kind of misery. She would be freed from her love for his brother and, though Sergio would hate seeing the mother of his child with another, it was what he deserved. He should never have had a child with her. It was forbidden unless they were mated and they clearly weren't. His anger with his brother mounted, but not just at his selfish actions, but because it meant he had to punish him, something he despised. It had to be done. No one was above the laws of their pack and the family.

He heard the helicopter delivering Sergio to the casino. He frowned at what was to come, knowing his brother would wear the scars of this day for life, but it couldn't be avoided.

He entered his office, without a thought to its plush elegance. He sat at his desk, stoic in his manner and yet, his stomach was in knots at what was to come. He closed his eyes and remembered his father before the first time he had received his only flogging.

He had deserved the flogging, he had been careless and caused the death of his bodyguard. The weight of the guilt he felt had not been enough and he took the beating willingly, knowing his body would heal quickly. His mother had wanted to lick his wounds so they would heal even faster, but he refused. He needed to feel that pain.

What he never wanted was her to know the pain, though he couldn't spare her what was to come. He had to convince her to stay. The full moon was coming and she'd change. Without him, she would be lost and afraid. He would be there to soothe her, temper her wild anger that would come and then seal their everlasting bond with what was going to be the greatest in centuries. His instinct was never wrong and his instinct told him that within Sunset, there was a power so great that even he would struggle to contain it, but he would. Their child would be the anchor he needed.

The one thing that puzzled him, but he let to the Gods, was why her? There was no answer that he knew, and deep inside himself he understood that it was immaterial. When the Gods spoke, the answer was felt and obeyed. He would obey it, no matter what the reason. He would fight for his family; his pack. Soon she would be his Luna.