Chapter 28 – Mating Night (Ivy’s POV)
As dusk drew closer, so did my doom.
I was to mate with Damian.
The maids came at dusk; three of them, silent as shadows, carrying pale fabric and gilded combs. Irene led them, silent as ever but I could read the fear in her eyes. None said a word. They didn’t meet my eyes as they set down the dress, white as a shroud, and unwrapped the silken cords.
I didn’t speak either. For some reason, I was as silent as ever.
They said nothing. Instead, they worked together, swift and practiced. Hands pulled at my torn clothes after a warm bath; hands guided me into the cold silk. I clenched my teeth, refusing to cry while they pinned up my hair, slipped ivory combs into it, and powdered my face as though I were a bride instead of a prisoner. The whole while, bile swirled in my throat.
When they stepped back, I barely recognized the reflection in the tall mirror: a woman draped in white, hair woven in gold pins, a lamb dressed for slaughter.
And then, I held my hair tighter with a hair pin. That was what I was going to drive into Damian’s neck.
Yes, I was going to kill Damian Lucenti tonight.
Afterwards, these psychopaths led me for dinner.
Damian sat across from me at the long table, a glass of red wine untouched at his hand. The Elders had arranged this grotesque ritual—silver platters, roasted meat, bowls of fruit gleaming under candlelight. Epic. Everything was made to look gothic.
Damian barely looked at me. His jaw was hard, his shoulders tense, as though the sight of me in this costume offended him.
For a moment, his gaze locked with mine, and I saw it—the disgust. At me. At himself. At the situation. He looked away first.
The dinner ended in silence.
They marched us upstairs. Two guards opened a carved door, and the air inside smelled of cedar and cold sheets. Candles flickered on every surface, casting long shadows on the walls. I spotted Elias just outside the door; a concerned look on his face coupled with what made it look like he was pleading with me… like he was sorry. And then the guards locked the door behind us with a heavy click.
I stood frozen near the bed, fists tight at my sides. Damian stalked to the far side of the room, running a hand through his hair, breathing hard as if the walls pressed in on him.
“This is pointless,” he muttered.
“Then leave me alone,” I snapped.
He turned towards me, slow and deliberate. “You think I want this? You’re nothing like my type of woman, Ivy “Isabella” Romano, and I am only here because duty calls… because years ago, your father messed up ad now, you must pay for his sins. It’s that simple.”
“Do you mind telling me what exactly my father had done to you all?”
His expression tightened. “I’m not a storyteller, Isabella. They want us to complete the first night tonight and time is running out. They believe that if we consummate the bond, your blood will settle. Your resistance will ease. The pack will be safe.”
I stared at him, blood draining from my face. “They want us to—” My voice broke. “No.”
“Yes,” he said. “It is necessary.”
“No,” I said again, each syllable sharp. “I am not sleeping with you, Damian Lucenti. I despise you. You are everything I had spent my life hunting – a mafia lord, a beast, a criminal, a cartel boss… Don’t be deceived, Damian. I will kill you right now if I had the chance.”
“I don’t want to force you,” he said softly, switching to that certain darkness I always found in him. “But, if you do want to make it hard, then… so shall it be.”
“I mean every word,” I said. “If you come near me, I will slit your throat. You think I won’t? Try me.”
“Do you truly believe I’m the worst thing in your world?” he asked. He didn’t sound angry as he prowled round the darkness of the room. He sounded dark and dangerous. “If you do, then kill me.”
His eyes burned at that, but he said nothing. He stepped closer from behind, slow, deliberate, until the space between us shrank. I smelled the wine on his breath, the heat of his anger. My heart slammed against my ribs as he slid his palms from behind me, around my waist and ever so slowly, up my sides until they cupped my breasts. The sensation hit me as I leaned backwards towards him.
“There you go.” His voice echoed in my head. I moaned softly and felt him smile, dark and wicked.
“That is it, Isabella. You’re mine to devour.”
I moaned harder as his strong arms ripped the dress open as they squeezed harder at my breasts, his index fingers rubbing my nipples.
“Damian…” I moaned.
“Call me Alpha.” He whispered darkly as he pounded his thighs against me from behind. I felt an unbelievably huge bulge press against my ass. I moaned so hard that he grunted in delight.
“See? It didn’t have to be so hard.” He growled. “You didn’t have to make me hate you more than I already do.”
“Fuck me!” I cried as I twisted my arm from behind and grabbed his crotch, the thick of his jeans standing between my palm and his raw flesh. He chuckled darkly.
“Let me let you.” He slid the jean open and his dick slid out softly for me to caress.
“There you go…” He growled. It was unbelievable huge as I wrapped my fingers around his girth and slid them back and forth while my other hand slid to my hair, fingers brushing the gold pin buried there. My pulse roared as the heat soared, sweat dripping down my forehead.
“I’d fuck you so hard, you’ll never forget a mafia alpha ever again.” He growled his promises as he grabbed my ass. “Thick.”
I ripped the pin free.
Nicely played.
With one clean, powerful strike, I stuck the pin into his neck.