You're getting married

NICO'S POV

Staring right at the window at the clouds sinks my heart into a depressing pit. I spot the wing of the plane through the window, flying my ass back to New York City.

I feel sullen and like an irreparable wreck. The thought of Jasmine has my heart and mind in shackles. I can't stop thinking about last night and what happened between us.

Exploring every inch of her body was the only way I could get them stuck in my head. She's fucking gorgeous. And it kills me to know I left her in that suite, without as much as a goodbye.

"Shit," I groan, shutting my eyes, reveling in the thoughts of her. But a firm hand taps my shoulder, forcing my eyes open.

"Wake up, man. We need to talk." Fabio says, sitting opposite me, adjusting his belt. A while ago, he was banging the busty stewardess.

"Sure. What is it?" I ask impatiently. He's my best friend and right-hand man. I love him to bits but right now, he just put a hold on my thoughts of Jasmine and it has me feeling very irritated.

"Isn't it time you explain who the beautiful damsel in distress was from last night? You skedaddled away with her after your fight with Mario."

"Mario's a shithead. He's lucky I didn't blow his brains out last night." How dare he put a hand on Jasmine?

"Yeah, he's an asshole, alright? We all know that. So that's why I can't understand why you fought with him last night, had to embarrass him in front of everyone this morning, throw him out of the nightclub, and even threaten to cut his pay. What did he do that was so unforgivable?"

"He touched what belongs to me." Even if all I'm ever gonna have with her is what we shared last night, it doesn't change the fact that she's mine. He had no rights. I should have chopped off those hands.

"What's that?"

"Jasmine."

"What?"

"The beautiful damsel in distress?" I repeat his words and his eyes dilate. "She's Jasmine. And Mario harassed her last night. He would have done worse if I didn't stop him."

"Wait. Let me get this straight. So all that fuss, over some girl you met last night?"

"She isn't just any girl," I correct sharply, hating the disdain in his words.

"Right. And yeah, Mario is an asshole for what he did but you're a bigger asshole. The greatest ruin of the ladies. So why get so upset over some girl you barely know? It doesn't make any sense."

"Then let it be. I don't owe you any goddamn explanation. Fuck it." I snap, getting insanely angry. More because with every fleeting second, I'm moving away from my girl.

"Say it, Nico. What's the story behind last night? Behind the girl?"

I straighten in my seat, taking a sharp exhale to control my anger. "Why do you think there's a story behind last night?"

"Why else would you fight one of your trusted men and spend the night with a girl very fragile and wimpy, who in every way isn't your usual taste for girls? You like them badass and wild. That girl from last night was like a wimpy teenager. Yet she got you all smitten. There's gotta be a reason."

"She is fragile, not gonna lie." I muse, recalling just how tender I had to be with her last night. My slow but bold thrust just because I was too scared that I might break her in half if I dared to go any faster.

"Bet she can't even suck your dick right." Fabio snorts.

"She did a great job," I say with a light chuckle, getting a hard-on as I recall how gracefully she did it last night. Not like a pro. But everything about it had me groaning helplessly. God, I loved it.

"So she did suck your dick."

"You said it yourself. We spent the night together. What do you think happened behind the closed door? I'm no saint, Fabio."

He scoffs. "Nah, you're far from that. So tell me, what's the story? Who is she?"

I sigh, trying to articulate my words right. "She's the girl from my dreams."

"The girl of your dreams? What crazy sappy line is that?"

"The girl FROM my dreams!" I repeat, emphatically. "the one I told you was calling out to me every night? You said I was going insane and needed to see a shrink? Yes? Her."

"No way!" Fabio gasps, breaking into a guffaw. "She's real?"

"Real as fuck, man. Couldn't believe it either until last night. She's more ravishing in person, I must confess. And you know what's worse?"

"No. Tell me." Fabio grins ear to ear, ready to eat up whatever I wanna say.

"She's my mate."

He pales, as his jaw drops. "You serious?"

"As fuck, man. I felt the pull right when I saw her doing that sexy pole dance. My wolf called out to her. Only then did I realize why she's taken up my dreams for the last month? She's my damn mate."

"But then you're here, putting a thousand miles between the both of you. Because you can't be together. That must be tough." Fabio spells out my frustration.

He doesn't need to spell it all out. It hurts even more, knowing I can never be with her. But my stubborn ass couldn't completely let her go. That's why I branded her last night with a bite on her neck.

It'll stay with her for a long, long time, that way she'll remember me for that long. Because I'm never forgetting her, even though I go back to my territory, New York City, and get married to the girl the family chose for me, I'm still never forgetting Jasmine. She's imprinted in my head and heart.

"You did the right thing. The family should come first. We're not privileged to follow our hearts. We're men who are tied by our loyalties to our family…to our world…"

"I know…Don't fucking preach. I know it all." I'm the damn Boss, so of course I know what it feels like to put the family first. I've lost a lot of things, including my freedom, because of my loyalty to my family.

Father died and I had to take his place and save the Ferrari family, at all cost. I had to forfeit the Alpha position and give it up to my cousin because I needed to save the American-Italian Mafia from going extinct. I had to save my Ferrari family more. I needed to be a boss more badly than I needed to be an Alpha.

Father was both and he did a perfect job. I couldn't be both. I was too young to be both. So I let one go, determined to save our family.

I did, making us the strongest and most dominant in the region. Making us third place in the world. Conquering Sicily. Marking NYC as our territory. Taking over most luxurious casinos and drug plugs in the world. I did a lot and at very severe prices.

But then it's a whole new feeling losing the most natural and ethereal connection you've ever felt. Just for the family. It's gonna give me a scar that'll never fade. I'll forever bleed from being away from her.

Fabio gets a call, excuses himself, and leaves. Comes back and whispers to me. "Everything's ready. You're getting married, Nico. First thing tomorrow morning."

I clench my fists in agony. "Fuck!"