CHAPTER 12

DOM POV.
I had been walking down the hallway, intending to check on Mia and ensure she was comfortable with her new living arrangement. But as I approached her door, I heard raised voices. I hesitated, wondering if I should intervene, but my curiosity got the better of me.
I listened, as Mia and Tony's argument escalated and I was taken aback by the venom in their words, the anger and hurt that seemed to simmer just below the surface. I felt a jolt of surprise, followed by a strange sense of unease. Mia and Tony had a history. A romantic one. I couldn't believe it. What were the odds of that? I wondered before anger stirred in my chest as it was unveiled that my son had cheated on her which resulted in their relationship ending. How could he do that to a beautiful young woman like her? I thought before I realized that I would soon be discovered as their argument seemed to have reached its boiling point. I made my way over the staircase and disappeared, hoping that I wasn’t seen.
I entered my office and called for one of my men. “Yes, Alpha?” The young man said. “Tell my son I want to see him.” I ordered. With a nod of his head, the man left my office to go find my son. I sat down behind my desk, my eyes fixed on the door as I waited for my son to arrive with my thoughts trailing back to Mia. A moment later, Tony sauntered in, a confident smirk on his face, but I could sense the underlying tension in his body.
"Take a seat, Tony," I said, my voice firm but controlled. He complied, his eyes never leaving mine. I studied him, taking in the changes since he'd last been in my office. He'd grown into a tall, handsome young man, physically robust and strong. But as I looked deeper, I saw the same arrogance and entitlement that had always concerned me.
"Tony, I need to ask you about your conversation with Mia earlier," I said, my tone neutral. Tony’s eyes widened in shock, his cheeks taking on a pinkish color before he forced a look of indifference on himself.
He shrugged, his smile returning although not so smug as before. "We were just having a friendly chat about the upcoming marriage, Father. That’s all." He said and relaxed back into his seat, although a bit stiffly. I raised a skeptical eyebrow at him. "That was not what I had heard. You were...aggressive, dismissive, and downright cruel to Mia.” I said and I saw him swallow inaudibly.
His smile faltered again, but he regained his composure. "Just trying to prepare her for our future together, Father.” He said and I narrowed my eyes at him before he hastily continued. “You do not know her like I do. She has this way of getting under your skin. She needs to understand her place."
I couldn’t argue with him there. I had personally felt how she got under one’s skin and found myself wanting more of her. I thought before I shifted in my chair, willing my erection to go down by just the thought of her. I focused on my son instead, locking my eyes on him. "Her place?” I questioned and I saw Tony visibly squirming in his seat.
Tony, you will be leading our pack and running my business one day. You need to learn to lead with wisdom, and strength with hidden compassion so not show any weakness to our enemies.” I spoke in all seriousness. “You can’t go throwing around your arrogance and aggression." I chastised and Tony got red in the face as his expression darkened and clenched his jaw in frustration. "You're always so critical, Father. Nothing I do is ever good enough for you." Tony said angrily. I knew how he felt. I remember a similar conversation I had in my youth, but I had to get him on the right path.
I sighed, rubbing my temples. "That’s not true, Tony. I am merely trying to prepare you for the responsibilities you'll be facing one day. “You need to understand the necessary virtues to lead our pack, and I don't want to see or hear you speak to Mia like that again. She is your future wife and luna.” I said as I got heated in the moment and stood up to lean with my hands on my desk and pin my son with a glare. “Do you have any idea how lucky you are?” I asked him and he was staring at me, taken aback by my enthusiastic response and I realized that I had gone a little too far.
I willed myself to calm down and I sat back in my chair, steepling my fingers in my lap.
“You need to learn to respect her, to support her, and to guide her." I said as I could still see the anger simmering beneath the surface, but I knew I had to get through to him. "You are the future, Tony.” I spoke. “And Mia is your future and the means to further our blood lines for future alphas to inherit the Dark Moon pack.
I knew my son wanted to unleash whatever he wanted to say to me, but to my surprise he didn’t. When he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper. "Fine. I'll try."
I nodded; my eyes locked on his. "Make sure you do." Was all I said before dismissing him. Without another word, he got up and practically stormed from my office.
As I sat alone in my office, the silence was vastly different from the tension that had filled the room just moments before. My mind, however, was far from quiet. Thoughts of Mia swirled through my head again. Her image etched in my mind like a burning brand. The softness of her hair. The plumbness of her lips with such innocent eyes could drown a man in his sleep and her skin… I took a deep breath as I recall how soft her skin was last night as I held her in my arms at the club. It sparked something to in me that I didn’t know I had and her scent… “Oh, Godds!” I uttered as I felt my pulse quicken, leaving me almost breathless as a wave of desire surged through my veins and ignited my cock to life...
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat as I tried to shake her from my thoughts. She was arranged to marry my son, and yet here I was, rock hard from just thinking about her. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my desire but it was useless.
With a sense of purpose, I grabbed the phone from my desk and dialed a number that I have used numerous times over the years. The voice that answered was familiar, husky and inviting. "I need to see you tonight," I said, my tone firm. "Of course, Dominic. I'll be on my way." The voice said. I ended the call. I sighed, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. This was what I needed, a distraction from the unwanted desires that I felt towards Mia.
While I sat back in my chair, I couldn't shake the feeling that this was only a temporary solution to my desires and that my mistress would provide only fleeting satisfaction. The yearning I felt for Mia went deeper, and I knew it wouldn't go away quickly.