Vincenzo

After I left Eric in my room, I spent the morning with my brothers going over various details regarding our business. That afternoon, I was sent out in the field, visiting production facilities along the coast and collecting payments. I used to enjoy being gone for days at a time because it gave me the freedom to do whatever I wanted without my family standing over me in judgment.

I could travel, soak in the sights, let those who wanted the Santiago family in their favor court me with fancy dinners and expensive booze.

But now, it just meant I didn’t get to see Eric.

That gorgeous, kind, silly omega had been worming his way under my skin for a long time, but lately, his pull had been getting harder to resist. I thought about him constantly and found myself looking for excuses to stay close to home so I was near him.

Maybe on my next trip, he could come along with me. It would be boring for him during the day, but we could spend our nights together. Until Dominic had the baby, me and Orsino would be doing most of the traveling for the family.

It was just what we did for our family.

On this trip, we’d gotten some critical information about one of the businesses the Dombrusos were taking over, so at least, my trip had not been in vain.

My first order of business when I returned home was to find Lorenzo to give him an update.

I walked into my brother’s office suite located on the first floor. He was sitting in his armchair with his laptop in front of him while Eric and Dominic were on the sofa, holding up baby clothes and giggling about how cute and tiny they all were.

I didn’t anticipate seeing Eric in my brother’s space like this, though I shouldn't have been surprised considering how close he and Dominic were. Seeing Eric holding on to the light blue onesie that had a smiley face moon on it did things to me.

For a moment, I imagined what he’d be like if he was my omega, expecting my child.

The boys froze when they saw me walk in, like I was intruding on their moment. That was weird, but I didn’t let it bother me. Not much, anyway.

I looked over at my brother. “Hey, got a few minutes?”

“Yeah, sit down.” He gestured to the chair opposite him. “How’d it go?”

“Good.” I took a seat and leaned back in the chair, then my foot began to tap on the hardwood. I wasn’t sure how much I should say in front of Dominic and Eric. We generally didn’t like to worry the omegas with business matters, and with Dominic‘s pregnancy always at the heart of our concern, I didn’t want him to have any additional stress. “Do you want to take a walk?”

Lorenzo glanced at his husband and then back to me. “Yeah, let’s go find Orsino so you only have to tell this story once. I assume it’s information we both need to hear.”

“Yeah, it is.” I was glad to get everyone in one room to do this. Nothing was worse than repeating the same story over and over again when I had better things to do.

We both stood up, and I finally made eye contact with Eric. Fuck, I missed him. I wanted nothing more than to pull him into my arms and take a big whiff of his sweet scent.

I could always find my center with him pressed against me.

But I didn’t think that would go over well with my brother, so I didn’t let my gaze linger.

Lorenzo wanted me to be happy and to find an omega of my own, but not from the pack.

As his second-in-command, I had a duty. Not only to my family, but to all the families we worked with. Like Lorenzo, I was expected to marry someone based on their power and what they could bring to our organization.

Eric didn’t check any of those boxes politically, but he sure as fuck checked every box for me emotionally. “Hey, Eric. Dominic. Are the two of you staying out of trouble? Getting ready for the baby?”

Dominic gave me a smile as he nodded. There was something off about it, like it was forced and disingenuous, nothing like the radiant smiles he usually shot my way. “Yeah.”

Eric merely looked down at the T-shirt he was holding. I didn’t like the look on his face, but I couldn’t get into it right then.

I knew better than to keep my brother waiting, but I hesitated a moment. “Don’t have too much fun. Then again, do whatever annoys Lorenzo the most.”

As we walked through the family wing and into the office we usually reserved for meetings, I listened to my brother spout out a bunch of updates from the past few days.

But my mind wasn’t focused on him. It was back in that room with Eric, desperately wishing I had a few minutes to spend with him to find out what made him look so reserved and why he hadn’t been able to meet my gaze. I’d been gone two days, but we had only exchanged a handful of texts during that time.

Usually, when I got home after a trip, he was happy to see me. His eyes would light up, and he got a bashful smile because he knew I was thinking about him in the same way he was thinking about me.

But not today.

Today, he just seemed upset, and I couldn’t imagine what was on his mind. Then again, being around Dominic and all the baby talk had to have some kind of affect on him.

As an omega in the pack, he was on strong suppressants to make sure he never had a heat or got pregnant, but that didn’t mean his biological clock wasn’t ticking inside him. He’d mentioned off handedly a few times how he wished he could have a family someday.

If I asked, I had no doubt that he would want to build that family with me.

But it just wasn’t possible.

An alpha of my rank and in my family had an image to uphold. I hoped that Eric would always be in my life in some way, but if I ever mated, that would likely end. I wouldn’t have the desire to be with anybody else anymore, and it wouldn’t be fair to lead him on.

But try as I might, I couldn't imagine taking a lover, husband, or mate who wasn’t Eric. I’d told myself for so long that I was with only him because of the convenience. That’s what omega packs were for, after all. But after more than a year with him, I could admit to myself that it was more than just for convenience.

He was the only omega I wanted.

If I were smart, I would start pulling away from him now before either of us got too deep into whatever it was we were doing together.

Perhaps Eric was reaching the age of retirement from the pack anyway, and it was time for him to move on. He could take on another role in our homes or our businesses. We wouldn’t turn him out without support.

But when it came right down to it, I wasn’t smart. And I wasn’t strong enough to put that kind of distance between us. I didn’t want him serving anyone except me.

As soon as I finished up with my brothers, I would be dragging Eric back to my room and showing him just how much I missed him. Hopefully, that would be enough to put a smile back on his sweet face.

Lorenzo cleared his throat, getting my attention. “So, are you gonna enlighten us with what you learned while you were away? I’m surprised you waited this long to bring it up.”

I leaned back in the chair and rocked. “How do you know I learned anything exciting?”

“You have a few tells.” He didn’t elaborate but I had no doubt he was telling the truth. It was unnerving as hell that my brother could read me so well.

“The Dombrusos are spreading themselves thin with the amount of families they have on the defensive. Not everyone in their ranks is happy about it.”

“Oh, okay.” Lorenzo smiled like that was what he wanted to hear. I officially had his attention. “Go on.”

“Like us, the Dombrusos have three brothers in the business. Their father is of retirement age, and a rumor began that he was gonna select the second oldest to take over. His health has taken a turn for the worse, and he ultimately decided to have Vince take over. Immediately after taking control, Vince started making his move.” I shrugged, not sure if this was good news or not but I shared it anyway. “Our family wasn’t the only one he went after.”

Orsino cracked his knuckles, a habit that came back when he was anxious. “How have we not heard about this?”

“Not many have said anything because they don’t want to appear weak. This is information from within the inner circle, you know that shit doesn’t get out easily. And the Dombrusos haven’t made any official moves. Just threats.”

Lorenzo pursed his lips. “To what end?”

“I can’t be sure of that. Maybe because Vince is a dick? He’s already driven his youngest brother off. I couldn’t get a straight answer about when or why but no one has seen him in ages. I wouldn’t be surprised if the middle brother wasn’t thrilled with him either.”

Lorenzo inhaled deeply then tapped his fingertips on the table. “How does this help stop them from making good on those threats?”

I hated to say it, but honesty was the best policy. “I have no idea. I figured we could think on it. Maybe find that youngest brother to see what he knows. Or corner the middle one. Or, and this might be crazy, but we could send someone to infiltrate their family undercover.”

Lorenzo was contemplative for a moment, the gears in his mind working at high speed. “This is good information, Vincenzo. Nice work.”

I was too stunned to speak. Even Orsino had raised brows. An outright compliment from Lorenzo was rare.

Pride in myself made me sit up a little straighter. “Happy to help.”