Mated To The Mafia Werewolves

“Watch out!” Thalia yelled.

Arabella swirled just in time to deflect the large boulder hurled towards her. She narrowed her eyes, glaring at Sandro, who smirked and shrugged before turning to Thalia, her sparring partner.

They had received yet another letter hinting at the impending war from Paolo, and they were preparing by training. Although Arabella believed training alone wasn’t sufficient, it was better than nothing.

Sandro was also training, aggressively beating anyone who dared spar with him. Arabella knew he was stronger, and those who sparred with him were foolish. Yet, she wished he could be kinder. However, she doubted he cared.

Approaching her with hands in his pockets, Sandro brushed his longer hair, now reaching almost to his shoulder into a ponytail.

“What, Sandro?” Thalia asked.

“I’m not here for you,” Sandro replied.

“I don’t want to speak to you,” Arabella mumbled, but Sandro wasn’t taking no for an answer. He stood between her and Thalia, disrupting their activities.

“How long will you ignore me?” he frowned at her.

“For as long as I desire,” she said. “I’ve made it clear before, and I’m making it clear now-I don’t want anything to do with you.”

“I know that,” he said gruffly. “That’s different from what I’m asking.”

“What?” Thalia gasped before Arabella could reply. “The big bad Alpha doesn’t know how to take rejection? That’s the most hilarious thing I’ve ever seen.” She burst into a peal of laughter while Sandro gripped Arabella’s hand, pulling her away from Thalia.

If it were the old Sandro, he would have done something nasty, maybe make a crude remark while hinting at a punishment. However, he didn’t seem very interested in it that day. Arabella observed all he did. Even while keeping his distance, he immersed himself more in his work, and she knew he was more invested in avenging Blaze. She had heard him making phone calls more than once.

Again, he didn’t act as though he cared about the training, but he put in extra effort. She wondered why he was keeping a much different facade away from view.

“You think a lot, don’t you?” Sandro’s voice cut through her thoughts.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

Arabella gazed at him. “I don’t think a lot, and where are we going?” For the first time since he dragged her away from her training, she realized they were heading into the main building.

“Inside,” he said simply.

Arabella halted abruptly, her ballet flat digging into the soil, and she attempted to pull her hands off his, but he didn’t let go.

“Why?” Sandro chuckled, eyeing the red face she was desperately trying to keep away from him.

“I don’t trust you, Sandro. We agreed not to be alone in the same room because you tend to go overboard. You promised to keep your hands to yourself and…”

“I haven’t even done anything wrong,” he said. “I am only taking you indoors, but you’re making it seem as though I’m about to-”

Arabella winced, shaking her head. Then she peered at him through her lashes as they arrived at the door. “It’s weird.”

“What is?” he questioned, frowning as he twisted the doorknob.

“You acting nice and all.”

“It’s sad you judge me before knowing who I am. I’m not nice to you because I wish to be. You have what I need, and I learned from someone that being nicer to you makes you a lot more easy and approachable.”

Opening the door, he gently guided her into the dark room.

“I can’t see,” Arabella mumbled, using her hands to feel for the wall.

“It’s dark, obviously,” Sandro replied, casually flicking the light switch on the wall.

Arabella’s eyes widened as she surveyed her surroundings. It was Sandro’s room, the same one she had been using, but it looked different now.

She had left it with a dark brown wallpaper, brown curtains, and simple furnishings. Yet, it felt like an entirely new space.

The curtains were now pristine white, and the walls were adorned with pink and blue wallpapers, some featuring naked women.

Wrinkling her nose, she turned to him. “Really?”

“You can change the wallpaper if you want,” he shrugged.

Arabella continued studying the room. Overall, she preferred this new look, but she couldn’t fathom why he had made the changes. He hadn’t mentioned anything about it when he encouraged her to leave for training. In retrospect, that should have raised suspicion.

“Why am I here?” she asked him.

“Well,” he scratched the back of his neck before pointing to a large box. “I got you something.”

“And that is?” She narrowed her eyes at the box as if it contained dynamite.

“I’m not going to kill you, Bella,” he chuckled softly, guiding her towards the box. “You should open it,” he urged.

Arabella shook her head. “I can’t.”

“Why not?” he asked.

“I don’t trust you, Sandro. Being nice to me doesn’t mean you don’t intend to harm me.”

“I’ve put our past aside. If I wanted to harm you, I wouldn’t wait. I’d make sure you paid for your father’s deeds and what happened with Blaze. But I’m trying to be patient now,” he explained.

“You sound convincing,” she eyed the box, cautiously stepping towards it.

Crouching down, she reached for it and began undoing the ribbon. When she finished the last one, she opened the lid and shrieked, falling back.

“What the hell?!” Her eyes widened.

A furry creature jumped out of the box, yelping and wagging its tail. To her surprise, it was a Bichon Frise puppy.

Out of all the things she had imagined in the box, a puppy was the last she wanted to see. The little dog jumped into her arms, licking and yelping excitedly.

When Arabella’s surprise wore off, she turned to Sandro, who was watching her expectantly.

“Why did you get it?”

“I got it because it looks like you. It’s as cute as you are,” Sandro grinned, noticing the flush on her face.

Being likened to a puppy might not have been the best comparison, but Sandro’s innocent expression as he explained the reason behind the gift warmed her heart. She hadn’t received anything like this before except from Blaze.

“I take it that you liked it,” he said.

Arabella didn’t say anything for a while.

“I am only trying to be nice and seeing Lisa looking helpless…”

“Lisa is the name?” she mumbled.

“Yes,” he confirmed.

“I like it.” She glanced up at him, standing with the puppy in her arms.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Anything to make you happy,” Sandro said. He stepped out of the room a few seconds later after telling her she needed to bond with Lisa.