BLOOD AND MOON : (A Mafia Werewolf Romance)

Chapter 2: The Pack

Giuliana didn't sleep.

How could she? Every creak of the old house made her jump. Every shadow seemed to hide something with glowing eyes and sharp teeth. She'd paced the room for hours, tried the door—unlocked, surprisingly—contemplated running, dismissed immediately—where would she go?—and finally collapsed on the bed as dawn light began filtering through the heavy curtains.

She must have dozed off because she woke to knocking.

"Giuliana?" Marco's voice. "It's time."

Time. Right. Meeting the pack. The pack that wanted her dead.

She dragged herself up, caught sight of her reflection in the ornate mirror, and winced. Hair wild, eyes shadowed with exhaustion, still wearing yesterday's café uniform that smelled like coffee and terror.

More knocking. "Giuliana? Are you decent?"

"Define decent."

The door opened anyway. Marco stepped in, and despite everything, her traitorous brain registered how unfairly attractive he looked. Black jeans, dark grey henley that clung to broad shoulders, hair still slightly damp from a shower. He looked rested, composed, every inch the powerful heir to a criminal empire.

She looked like something the cat dragged in.

His eyes traveled over her, something softening in his expression. "You didn't sleep."

"Brilliant observation."

"The bathroom is through there." He gestured to a door she hadn't noticed. "Shower, change. I'll wait."

"I don't have any—"

"Closet. Isabella left clothes. Should fit."

Giuliana wanted to argue, but she also desperately wanted to not smell like yesterday's crisis. She grabbed clothes from the closet at random—jeans, a soft grey sweater, undergarments that were surprisingly her size and expensive enough to make her wince—and escaped to the bathroom.

The shower was a miracle of hot water and excellent pressure. She stayed under longer than she should have, trying to wash away the memory of gunshots and shifting bones and amber eyes that saw too much.

When she emerged twenty minutes later, dressed and slightly more human, Marco was sitting in the armchair by the window, scrolling through his phone.

"Better?" he asked without looking up.

"Marginally less terrified."

Now he looked at her, and something flickered in his eyes. "You look beautiful."

"I look exhausted."

"That too." He stood. "But you should know—wolves have excellent senses. They'll smell your fear. Try not to let them see it."

"That's easier said than—"

"I know. But you stood up to my father last night. You have courage in you, Giuliana. Let them see that instead."

They walked through the mansion in silence. Morning light made everything look different—less threatening, more elegant. They passed servants, human? wolf? she couldn't tell, and several people who stopped to stare at her with undisguised curiosity.

The dining room was enormous, dominated by a table that could seat thirty people easily. And it was nearly full.

All conversation stopped when they entered.

Twenty pairs of eyes turned to assess her. Some curious, some hostile, some calculating. All of them predators evaluating potential prey.

"Everyone," Marco said, his hand settling possessively on her lower back, "this is Giuliana Hart. My mate. She's under family protection. Anyone who threatens her answers to me."

A woman stood—the same stunning brunette from last night. Isabella. "A human? Really, Marco? This is what the Moon Goddess chose for you?"

"Careful, Isabella." Marco's voice dropped to a growl. "She's your future Luna. Show respect."

"Luna?" Isabella's laugh was sharp. "She doesn't even know our ways. How can she lead us when she doesn't understand what we are?"

"She'll learn." Marco pulled out a chair for Giuliana. "Sit, cara."

Giuliana sat, acutely aware of every hostile stare. Marco took the seat beside her, his thigh pressed against hers in a clear signal of possession.

Breakfast was torture.

Servants brought food—more food than Giuliana had seen in her life. Fresh fruit, pastries, eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes. The wolves ate with single-minded focus, occasionally glancing her way with expressions ranging from curiosity to contempt.

"So," a young man with kind eyes said, "you're human? Completely human?"

"As far as I know," Giuliana managed.

"I'm Luca." He smiled, and it seemed genuine. "Welcome to the family. It must be overwhelming."

"That's... one word for it."

"Don't be nice to her, Luca," Isabella said sharply. "She's a liability. A weakness. Mark my words, within a week, the Russo family will find out about her and use her against us."

"Then we protect her," Luca said simply. "That's what pack does."

"Pack protects pack. She's not pack." Isabella's eyes were cold. "She's a human who got unlucky and witnessed something she shouldn't have. The kind thing would be to put her out of her misery quickly."

"Enough." Marco's voice carried that Alpha authority Giuliana was beginning to recognize. "She's my mate. That makes her pack. End of discussion."

"For now," Isabella muttered, but she fell silent.

An older woman, grey-haired but with the same predatory grace, studied Giuliana with shrewd eyes. "Tell me, child. What do you know of our kind?"

"Just what I saw last night. People who turn into wolves. Who apparently run the mafia." Giuliana met her gaze. "And who are debating whether to kill me or not."

A few wolves chuckled at that. The old woman's lips twitched. "Honesty. That's refreshing. I'm Rosa, pack healer. If you're going to survive here, you'll need to learn quickly."

"I'm a fast learner."

"You'll have to be."

After breakfast, as people dispersed, Isabella blocked their path.

"Marco, this is ridiculous. She's human. She'll never be fast enough, strong enough to survive here. You're wasting your time protecting her."

"Then it's my time to waste."

"Or..." Isabella's smile turned sly. "We test her. See if she's really worthy of being your mate."

"No."

"Afraid she'll fail?" Isabella's eyes gleamed with challenge. "If she's going to be Luna, she should prove she can handle pack challenges. Unless you think she's too weak?"

Every wolf within earshot had gone quiet, watching. This was a trap, Giuliana knew. But refusing would prove Isabella's point—that she was too weak, too fragile, too human to belong here.

"I'll do it," Giuliana heard herself say.

Marco's head snapped toward her. "Giuliana—"

"If I'm going to be here, I need to show I'm not completely useless." She met Isabella's gaze. "What's the challenge?"

Isabella's smile was all teeth. "Simple. Land one hit on me. Just one. You have three minutes."

"Isabella, she's untrained," Luca protested. "This isn't fair."

"Fair? Since when has life been fair, Luca?" Isabella stepped into the center of the marble foyer, the space clearing around her. "What do you say, human? Ready to prove you're not completely worthless?"

Marco's jaw was tight with fury, but he gave Giuliana the slightest nod. Your choice.

This was insane. Isabella was a werewolf—faster, stronger, trained. Giuliana was a barista whose only fighting experience came from two self-defense classes she'd taken in college.

But if she backed down now, she'd lose what little respect she might have earned.

"Fine." Giuliana stepped onto the marble floor, her heart hammering. "Three minutes."

"Marco, time us." Isabella bounced on her toes, predatory smile firmly in place. "And don't worry—I’ll try not to break your pet human."

"Break her and I break you," Marco said coldly. "Begin."

Isabella moved before Giuliana finished processing the word. Pain exploded in her ribs as Isabella struck—pulling the blow enough not to break anything, but hard enough to send Giuliana stumbling.

"Thirty seconds. Two-thirty left, human."

Giuliana struggled back to her feet. Isabella was playing with her. Showing off. Humiliating her in front of the entire pack.

Fine. Let her be overconfident.

Giuliana came at her again, trying for a punch that Isabella dodged effortlessly.

"Better!" Isabella laughed. "But still pathetic."

She struck again, and again Giuliana barely dodged. This was impossible. Isabella was too fast, too strong, too—

Wait.

Giuliana's foster mother had taught her one thing before the state moved her to another home: Everyone has a weakness. You just have to find it.

She watched Isabella circle her, noting the way she moved. There—a slight favor to her left side. An old injury, maybe. Something that made her protect that area just a fraction more than the other.

"One minute left, human. You planning to actually try?"

Giuliana came at her from the right. Isabella moved to block, confident. At the last second, Giuliana pivoted left, dropping low, and drove her elbow into Isabella's protected side—right where the old injury had to be.

Isabella's eyes widened in shock as she stumbled.

Giuliana had landed a hit.

The room erupted. Some wolves looked impressed. Others angry. Luca was actually clapping.

"Time!" Marco called, and there was unmistakable pride in his voice.

Isabella straightened, her face a mask of fury. "Lucky shot."

"Maybe. But it counts." Giuliana's hands were shaking, adrenaline crashing through her system. "I met your challenge."

For a long moment, Isabella just stared at her. Then, slowly, something shifted in her expression. Not quite respect, but acknowledgment.

"You have instincts," Isabella admitted grudgingly. "Better than I expected. But instincts won't keep you alive here, human. You'll need more than that."

"Then teach me."

The words came out before Giuliana fully thought them through. But she meant them. If she was stuck here for thirty days, she might as well learn how to survive.

Isabella's eyebrow rose. "You want me to train you?"

"You clearly know what you're doing. And you want me to fail." Giuliana met her gaze steadily. "So either teach me and prove I can't learn, or refuse and everyone will wonder if you're afraid I might surprise you again."

Several wolves made sounds of appreciation at that. Luca outright grinned.

Isabella's smile was sharp. "Clever. Fine. Training room, tomorrow morning, 6 AM. Don't be late."

She swept off, and the other wolves dispersed, some still muttering.

Rosa approached, her shrewd eyes assessing. "That was either very brave or very stupid, child."

"Probably both."

"Definitely both." Rosa pulled out a small jar from somewhere. "Here. For the bruises. Isabella pulled her punches, but you'll still hurt tomorrow."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. You've made an enemy into a reluctant teacher, but Isabella doesn't do anything without reason. She'll push you harder than anyone else, hoping you'll break." Rosa's expression softened slightly. "But I think you might surprise her. And yourself."

After Rosa left, Marco pulled Giuliana into an empty sitting room.

"You continue to surprise me," he said, studying her face. "First my father, now Isabella. Most humans would have broken by now."

"Most humans didn't grow up in the foster system." Giuliana sat heavily, suddenly exhausted. "You learn fast there—how to read people, find weaknesses, survive. Guess those skills transfer."

Something in Marco's expression shifted. "You were in foster care?"

"From age seven. Parents died in a car crash. No other family. I bounced around until I aged out at eighteen." She shrugged like it didn't still hurt. "That's when I came to New York. Figured I'd make something of myself."

"And instead you got pulled into my world."

"Yeah. Life's funny that way."

Marco sat beside her, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from him. "I'm sorry. This isn't fair to you."

"Nothing about my life has been fair. At least here, the rules are clear—survive thirty days or die. That's actually refreshingly straightforward."

His laugh was surprised. "You're not what I expected."

"What did you expect?"

"Someone weaker. More fragile. Someone who'd cower and beg." His golden eyes held hers. "Instead you challenge my father, face down Isabella, and ask the woman who wants you dead to train you. You're either the bravest person I've ever met or completely insane."

"Can't it be both?"

This time his laugh was genuine, warm. The first real smile she'd seen from him. It transformed his face from dangerously handsome to devastating.

"Come on," he said, standing and offering his hand. "I'll show you the estate. If you're going to be here, you should know your prison."

"Is that what this is? A prison?"

His expression turned serious. "For now, yes. The Russo family knows I killed their men. They'll be searching for witnesses, for leverage. Until we're sure you're safe, you can't leave the grounds."

"So I'm trapped here."

"Under protection. There's a difference."

"Is there?"

He didn't answer.