Anita wanted to leave, but how could she escape when the father-and-son duo was blocking the exit?
Nero held a tablet in his hand, his face frowning as he stared at his father.
"What do you want, Nero? I asked you never to leave your room without informing me. Why are you here?" Gotti questioned his little boy, trying to decipher the frown on his face.
Nero furrowed his brows and typed rapidly on his tablet.
Anita watched quietly as Nero handed the tablet to his father. Her fears were momentarily forgotten as she realized that Nero was communicating with his father through the tablet.
Why?
Was Gotti so strict as to ask his own son never to speak to him?
What a monster.
She clenched her fists, hating him beyond explanation.
No wonder the kid moved like a ghost; his confidence had been shattered by his father.
"Yes, Nero. Ms. Stone will be your nanny from now on," Gotti said to the son.
Nero lifted his face, glancing at Anita with a hint of a dismissive smile on his lips.
Anita smiled at the boy. It looked like they were about to become each other's secret solace.
For whatever reason that made the boy accept her as his nanny, she was grateful for it.
Nero lowered his head and typed again, showing the tablet to Gotti.
"Maribel is downstairs? Did you go downstairs without me—" The phone on his desk cut him off by ringing.
He immediately pulled away from Nero and walked back to the desk, ignoring the way Anita subtly moved away from him.
"Beta," he called calmly, the kind of calm that told you a heavy storm was coming.
Anita watched him clench his jaw as he listened to whatever his Beta was saying through the phone. She saw his hands tighten around the phone, eyes darkening.
"You brought a traitor into my home?" His tone was icy and deathly, the temperature dropping in the room, and he lifted his darkened face.
"You'd better be sure, Rowan. Or it won't just be him dying," He ended the call and turned to Anita.
"Get him downstairs," Gotti ordered and strode out of the room.
Anita released a deep breath the moment the Alpha left the study. Her heart racing for a few seconds as she recalled how close he had been to her just a few minutes ago.
She swore she had almost died from holding her breath from fear and something else she couldn't name.
What had that been?
What was he trying to do?
And, why did it look like his world was losing control?
Did the wolf hate her, too? Perhaps wanted to kill her?
If so, then, she was in big trouble. When the man and his wolf hated her, her death would be quick and messy.
"Mama Ani?" Nero's hand slid into hers, tugging her gently.
Anita blinked slowly, feeling Nero's smaller hand in hers walk her back to her senses.
She glanced down at Nero and smiled, "Hey, little star. Ready to make a trip downstairs?" She asked, controlling her rapid breathing.
She didn't want to go downstairs, she didn't want to go anywhere that had Gotti there. But, she had no choice, she had been ordered and she had to obey or face a dire consequence.
Nero nodded and spread out his arms for Anita to lift him.
"Ah, okay, yeah, I can do that," Anita cleared her throat and leaned over, lifting the little man into her arms.
"Thank you, Mama," Nero whispered and the next thing Anita felt was a soft press of very gentle lips on her cheek.
Her steps faltered, her arms tightening slightly around Nero as she turned her head to look at him.
"Nero," She blinked rapidly to force her tears away.
The boy was the first person to give her all the love she'd craved as a young child; it was too much for her to bear—she couldn't let him continue.
"Don't be sad, Mama. I will be your friend. Papa will be your friend, too," Nero smiled.
Anita almost burst out laughing. The image of Gotti acting friendly toward her simply wouldn't materialize. The monster Alpha wasn't even kind to his own son—friendliness wasn't in his blood.
"Just you is fine, Nero. You're my best friend," She sighed and kissed the boy's forehead.
The idea of letting the boy know that she wasn't his mother was paused for now. It would be very cruel to ask him to stop when she could clearly see that he was happy whenever he called her Mama.
If Nero wanted her to be his Mama, then his Mama she shall be.
"Let's go, your father is waiting," She gently took his tablet and held it carefully, carrying him out of the study and toward the stairs.
Halfway down, Anita saw the Alpha standing behind the white sofa with another man. A more easy on the eyes kind of guy.
Anita guessed it must be Rowan, the Beta.
He screamed money and power, but in a very elite way, not the kind of dangerous and powerful aura Gotti exuded without even trying.
Rowan's brown hair was neatly cut, his black shirt complementing his tanned skin and green eyes.
He looked beautifully handsome.
As they neared the last step, Anita felt Nero's mood drop. It seemed like she wasn't the only one who wasn't happy to be there; even the poor boy didn't want to be with his father.
Finally, she stepped into the living room, her footsteps announcing her arrival.
Gotti was the first to turn his head toward Anita and Nero, his eyes slightly narrowing when he saw that Anita had Nero in her arms.
He might have been able to hide his shock, but the moment Rowan turned his head to them, his eyes flew wide like saucers.
"Alpha—" he called quietly, "A woman has Nero." He stated quietly, his eyes slowly and carefully roaming Anita's face, then running over her body in a quick scan, making sure she was no threat.
Gotti gritted his teeth, "Yes." He said calmly, "Drop him, Ms. Stone." He commanded.
Anita glanced at Nero's sad face before she carefully lowered him to the floor. They had to obey to avoid the Alpha's wrath.
"You do not carry him unless it is dire and necessary," Gotti stated.
Anita nodded immediately, "Yes, Alpha."
"Who is she?" Rowan asked, slowly walking over to Anita for a closer look and introduction.
Anita stiffened, she wasn't used to being in the spotlight, but ever since she transmigrated, she felt like she was the main character in a story. She hated the kind of attention Rowan was paying to her. It was unnecessary.
Rowan paused in front of Anita, "Hello, my name is Rowan Hale, the Beta of the Dark Shadow pack. Nice to meet you, Ms. Stone." He stretched his hand toward her for a polite handshake.
"Do not touch her," Gotti was beside Rowan in a flash, placing his hand over Rowan's and pushing it down to his side.
Anita froze, her heart hammering within her chest.
What was Gotti doing?
"Alpha?" Rowan called cautiously, taking a step back.
Gotti clenched his fists, his eyes glaring at Anita as he realized that he had acted out of impulse when he realized that Rowan was about to touch her.
"She is unworthy of you. She is here to pay off a debt, and she is wolfless and unranked –"
"Wolfless?" A female voice asked from somewhere behind Anita.
Anita glanced behind her and found a beautiful lady in a red dress, red hair and red nails, walking out from where it seemed to be the kitchen, a tray of freshly made pancakes in her hand as she slowly and majestically walked toward them.
"Maribel," Rowan called, lifting a brow.
Maribel walked over to them, pausing beside Nero to squat beside him and kiss his cheek, "Hello, little Alpha. I made you your favorite pancakes." She offered him a slice from the tray.
Nero slowly lifted his head and glanced at Anita, as if asking for permission before he collected the pancake from Maribel.
Anita gulped, suddenly feeling pressured by the amount of subtle authority Nero was placing on her in front of these pure-blood wolves.
"It looks yummy," She chuckled awkwardly, nodding at Nero.
Nero turned to Maribel and took the pancake from her, but he never took it to his mouth.
"Sweet boy," Maribel smiled, patting Nero's head.
She stood, placing the pancakes on the table before facing Anita with a gentle, welcoming smile, "Hi, I'm Maribel Cross, daughter of the Pack's security chief. Nice to meet you—" she trailed off.
Anita saw Maribel's outstretched hand and quickly wiped her sweaty palms on her dress before shaking her.
"Anita. Anita Stone. Pleased to meet you, too," Anita replied, smiling politely.
"Are you really wolfless?" Maribel asked, slowly returning her hand to her side.
Anita was uncomfortable with the whole situation, she wanted to leave the room, find somewhere quiet and truly think of what her life had become.
"Well," she paused, glancing at Gotti, who seemed to have been staring at her the whole time.
"Well, I have never felt my wolf, but, I have hope that it will appear one day. My parents were werewolves, I guess –"
"Relax, Anita. I'm just trying to put you on. It doesn't matter if you're wolfless, friends?" Maribel asked, flashing a sweet smile.
"Um." Anita hesitated. She wasn't sure she wanted to have any friends, especially ones that were related to the Alpha. She couldn't risk letting anyone close.
"Um, okay. Thank you," She smiled awkwardly, nodding her head.
Maribel nodded and sauntered over to the Alpha, "Alpha, you never told me you now hire wolfless females in the Brastov's Club. I have a few hotties I'd like to introduce to you –"
"She's Nero's nanny, Maribel," Gotti cut in smoothly, his face hardened. "You will not need to come by and make dishes for Nero anymore. That will be Anita's job from now on. Nero chose her." He stated in a final tone.
Maribel went silent for a while, her eyes moving from Rowan to Gotti. She chuckled, clearing her throat, "Oh— I didn't know that. I just thought Nero's nanny would be someone of high class and his kind. She's wolfless, Alpha –"
"Nero chose her!" Gotti snapped, taking a step forward, his Alpha command oozing out from his body and all over the room.
Anita saw how Rowan and Maribel instantly lowered their heads. She wasn't sure if what she felt was the same as theirs, but what she felt from seeing Gotti snap wasn't fear to cower, it was something else.
Something else made her unable to take her eyes off him. She felt a strong pull to get closer to him, to douse that anger from him, to whisper in his ear that everything is going to be fine.
She suddenly cleared her throat, taking two steps backwards as if she could outrun the thieves in her head.
Her movement caught Gotti's eyes, and for a split second, it felt like she saw a crack through his cold eyes. It almost felt like he was vulnerably seeking her out —almost.
It was as if they were locked under some spell that had them fixated on each other.
Maribel's sigh was the counter spell, drawing them both back to reality.
"I'm sorry, Alpha. I will respect your order, " Maribel spoke quietly.
"However, I beseech you not to stop me from visiting. You know how I take Nero as my own. Please, for the sake of the bond I had with Rositta, do not stop me from seeing my Nero, please." She begged, glancing from Nero to Gotti.
Anita frowned.
Who was Rositta? The Alpha's mate? If so, where was she?
Dead?
How did she die?
"I never stopped you, Maribel. But you must never concern yourself with Nero's welfare." Gotti said, walking over to Anita.
'Oh no,' Anita panicked, gripping her dress as she watched Alpha Gotti's figure striding over to her.
Gotti paused a foot's space from Anita, gazing down at her. He found himself almost tempted to lean in and inhale that weird fruity scent from Anita's neck, but he resisted, frowning harder.
"You will collect Nero's menu from Maribel. Make sure he's in bed before I return," Gotti's deep voice ordered coldly.
Anita gulped, nodding her head once, "Yes, Alpha." She bowed her head.
Gotti tore his eyes away from her face and turned away.
"Take me to him, Rowan. Let's hope he's the only one dying tonight," Gotti said as he walked past Rowan, his mood switched instantly to mafia mode.
Rowan once again glanced at Anita, "Nice to meet you, Anita." He bowed his head and followed the Alpha out of the house.
Anita sighed, wiping the thin sweat away from her forehead.
"I know, right? He can be so overwhelming," Maribel laughed, facing Anita.
"Um," was the only response Anita gave.
She wouldn't fool herself by thinking she had the liberty to make remarks behind the Alpha.
"Okay, it's time for Nero 101," Maribel walked over to the sofa and sat down, tapping the space by her side, "Come sit with Auntie Maribel, Nero." She invited with a sweet smile.
Once again, Nero glanced at Anita.
Anita wasted no time in nodding at him, she wanted no trouble from anyone. So far, Maribel had been great, but she couldn't afford to find out if she had other layers once she was offended.
Maribel sighed, "I would understand if you want to quit your job. Dealing with a mute boy isn't easy. I can put in some words for you if you can't handle it." She gently pulled Nero into her arms, caressing his hair.
"What did you say?" Anita asked, moving closer and narrowing her eyes at Maribel.
Maribel chuckled softly. "Yes, Anita. Nero is mute. That's why he only communicates with his tablet."
The room tilted.
"What?" Anita whispered.
Mute?
The word echoed in her head, loud and cruel. Her gaze snapped to Nero—his small fingers curled into Maribel's sleeve, his eyes lowered, shoulders tight like he was bracing for impact.
All those quiet glances and silence in front of people and his own father.
The tablet.
The way he moved like he was afraid of taking up space.
Something inside Anita cracked.
Mute… or silenced?
Her chest burned as she dropped to her knees in front of him, hands trembling as she reached out—but stopped short, terrified of frightening him.
She glanced at Maribel, a thought firming in her head.
If Nero acted mute with them, it meant he didn't trust them, and who Nero didn't trust, Anita would not trust.