SWNOVELS Chapter 22 - Nikolaos
I hate being this far from my own territory and deep in someone else's, but as I watch Giovanni's massive mansion come into view, I know this is something that needs to be done. A phone call won't suffice when it's something this important.
Maxim is still at the pack house overseeing things while I tend to this matter; no way am I leaving the place without a leader at its head. Especially not after what happened.
Giovanni's guards usher us in and when I get to his office, I can hear his booming laugh already. I grit my teeth; my respect for this man burnt to a crisp after finding out what he did to Mirabella all her life.
Cecilia was his lifelong mistress; I don't want to know how many of his children she got rid of before Mirabella was born. Did she think having his baby would keep him at her side? I suppose most mistresses would think this way.
But her one decision led to her daughter having the worst life - abuse on top of abuse.
I gnash my teeth and enter his office with a forced smile, noticing he’s on a call. He sees me and beckons me over while saying goodbye to the other person on the line.
Huge, all muscle, graying beard, and long black hair - Giovanni isn't just an Alpha by name. This man is powerful, more powerful than me and my father in his prime. There's an unmistakable cruelty behind those soft blue eyes, a cruelty I was always aware of but never knew how deep it went.
I had respect for this man, I looked up to him - what godson wouldn't?
“Niko, my boy!" he exclaims while getting up to embrace me. “I haven't seen you in years!"
I swallow down my revulsion and force out a chuckle. “Months, uncle Gio. It's good to see you.” "Ah, years, months; all the same when you haven't seen your boy!” He says while clapping my shoulder. “Come, let's have some bourbon while we talk. Your message made me worried.”
It should, you fucking asshole.
He pours us each a glass and gestures for me to sit down opposite him on his leather couches. “So, what is this all about?”
Giovanni's eyes narrow. “She wanted to escape Mikhail? Why?”
“You gave her to Mikhail without knowing what type of fucker he was?” I ask incredulously. What the fuck did he think I was talking about all this time when I mentioned she escaped from Mikhail?! “Gio...he abused her to the point where she can barely walk properly, her bones have been repeatedly broken and healed slowly...the sexual assault she suffered doesn't even compare to that. You gave her to a fucking monster, and that's saying a lot coming from someone like me.”
As I am saying this, it's not lost on me that I had someone so broken forced to bear my child. Did I truly not care at all back then, even though I knew what her body had suffered?
The old Alpha sits back and heaves out a sigh. “I admit I knew what Mikhail was capable of, but I didn't think he'd harm Mirabella like that.”
Liar. Mikhail is a fucking serial predator; he knew what he was doing when he gave her away.
“Be that as it may, she’s pregnant now. We cannot let her leave the country when she’s carrying both our legacies in her belly,” he says, and I nearly smirk at how I guessed the way he would think. I shake my head and frown. “She signed a contract to leave-"
“Tear it up. You're to marry Mirabella and fortify our alliances. We will arrange this to happen after Rosa's banquet - I want you to come with Mirabella and I'll invite Mikhail to declare our alliance severed.”
My mouth drops open and I look at him as if he's lost his fucking mind. “Gio, insulting Mikhail at such a large gathering will not bode well for any of us-"
"He needs to be insulted for what he did to Mirabella!” He says and I almost burst out laughing at the sudden care in his tone. “She's my only link to Cecilia, and you know how much I loved Cecilia.” I clench my jaw so hard that my teeth nearly shatter. This fucker... there are no fucking words for how much he disgusts me right now. Insulting Mikhail will be a bad idea; this will cause a ripple effect and destroy the peace we have now.
“I beg you, please think about this more-"
“No,” he cuts me short and gets to his feet. “This is what I have decided. Bring Mirabella to this banquet next week and we'll announce your engagement from there. Then I will arrange a wedding to unite our packs under our powerful banners!”
There's no stopping this fucker. He's going to put us all at risk just to prove a fucking point and there's nothing I can do. He controls most of the country and if he so much as breathes a bad word about me, there go all my alliances.
I nod tersely and walk over to him with a hand outstretched. “If that is what you wish, but I will bring my own men to make sure Mirabella is protected by people she knows.”
"Of course! I would expect nothing else out of you. I'll have my hall checked hourly for any planted bombs, then announce the new venue a few hours before the banquet. This should make the fucker worry a bit.” He says, then pulls me in for another embrace and smacks my back.
I nearly fucking vomited.
"Ah, my godson and daughter! What a splendid occasion, indeed!” he says with a grin. “Leave the wedding planning to me while you get everything else sorted. The bride's family pays for everything, after all!"
“That I'll do. Thank you, uncle Gio," I say with a tight smile and we say our goodbyes.
The drive home leaves me breaking out in a cold sweat. Giovanni's plan is madness, this will not bode well for any of us, especially knowing how Mikhail fucking thinks. His insult will leave a lot of people dead.
Now I just need to speak to Mirabella about coming to this banquet. She won't be safe there, especially after the announcement, but I'll have to get my private jet ready to leave right after.
I don't want her anywhere near the fallout.