South Mountain Pack Ch. 15

Ant and Alberto pulled in the Millers driveway and after Erin unlocked the door and disabled the alarm everyone entered the house laughing and talking excitedly before she reset the alarm. As they walked down the hall they saw Todd's empty study and quieted down noting the silence surrounding them. Hearing sounds coming from the back of the house, they moved towards the family room and stopped at the scene in front of them; the room was empty but the TV was on, textbooks were lying opened on the floor, drinks and snacks were on the table, and laptops were running. Gianni looked around and said excitedly, "I've seen this on TV... I think they were abducted by aliens. Damn, that'd be so cool and we missed it."

"Fuck that. I don't want to get probed. And what the hell is up with that? If aliens are so intelligent why do they keep probing people?" Damian asked waving his arms around before he started to laugh.

The youngsters stared at him and Ant said, "You're seriously disturbed Carlucci. Our families are missing, and you're on a rant about getting probed?"

"I'm imagining the ass whoopin E.T. is gonna get when he tries that on Alpha Carlo, Dad or Uncle Frank," said Damian as he began to laugh harder

"Fuck that, could you imagine the beating Madame Gina, Mom or Aunt Annie would inflict on them? Those aliens would leave and never come back," said Gianni as he began to laugh and was soon followed by the other boys.

"If you bunch of idiots are done laughing, we need to go to Uncle Joe's," said Sophia with a long suffering sigh.

"Why do we have to go there?" asked Lorenzo with a frown.

She sighed loudly again, "Cause I asked Daddy where they where, you idiot. You didn't ask?" He shrugged and she rolled her eyes.

Erin looked at Lorenzo with a grin as she whispered, "I'm glad you're good looking, because you're really not that smart, are you?"

"You think I'm good looking?" he asked with a smirk as Erin blushed.

"Face it bro, she only thinks you're good looking because you're my twin, and we all know I'm the best looking Carlucci," Damian said with a big grin as Caitlin rolled her eyes. "And in case you missed it, she said you're not that smart."

"Leave her alone," growled Lorenzo as he pulled Erin to his side. "And what do you mean I'm not smart? I have a 3.96 GPA."

"Okay, you're smart, but you have no common sense," Erin said with a giggle. "As soon as I saw the empty room, I contacted Daddy."

"I did too," said Maria with a shrug. "Daddy wants us to bring his and Uncle Frank's SUVs over to the house."

Anthony was quiet before he looked at everyone, "Paulo cracked the code and they need to talk to us." The youngsters cleaned up before walking outside. Ant told everybody which vehicles to get in since they had the extra vehicles plus Lorenzo's truck and minutes later they were pulling in front of Joe's garage.

Annie looked at the youngsters as they walked into the kitchen and said, "Those aren't the outfits you left in boys, what happened?"

Vin and Dom turned from the fridge and saw the guilt in the boys' eyes. Vin stared at them and said in a menacing voice eerily similar to his Dad's, "Did we or did we not tell you to behave yourselves?" The boys glanced at each other before lowering their eyes to avoid looking at the two oldest Carlucci's. "Are you going to tell us what happened? Or do we have to beat it out of you?"

"I'd pay money to see that since you two can't take all of them at once," Sophia said with a smirk before looking at her intended and raking him with her eyes. She turned to her oldest brothers and their resemblance was uncanny as they glared at each other, "And I know the two of you combined can't take Anthony, he's too big and strong." Ant's eyes flickered amber and he let out a low growl as he and his wolf reveled in the fact their mate was acknowledging their superior strength.

"Last time we sparred, Sophia and I took your ass down. Remember?" Maria asked with a wicked half smile that mirrored the one on Damian's face and muffled laughter was heard from the boys before a glare from Vin quieted them.

"You got lucky Pipsqueak," retorted Vin with a frown. "I told Dad and Uncle Joe it's not right to spar against you two. We're supposed to protect you for fucks sake, not try and hurt you... and good try with the distraction, but it didn't work. Somebody better start talking NOW." The youngsters were quiet and Vin turned to the weakest links - Erin and Caitlin and stared until they started to squirm.

"We had ice cream," Erin blurted out unable to stand the pressure.

"We got to the movies late," added Caitlin as she blushed.

Vin's smile was triumphant, "Why did you get ice cream? Why were you late? Why are the boys in different clothes? And where are Pat and Bob?"

Sophia rolled her eyes, "Stop the inquisition Dad. We were late because Gabby joined us, the boys changed because Lorenzo spilt his snacks, we left the movie because there was too much fighting, Pat and Bob went home because the date was over and it was early so we decided to get ice cream. Satisfied?"

"No," Vin and Dom answered as they crossed their arms over their chests.

"Well too bad, because I'm done talking about it," Sophia said with a shrug as the older women put their heads down to hide their grins. "All you need to know is we had a first date none of us will ever forget." The youngsters looked at each other and burst out laughing while Vin and Dom scowled.

"Boys, leave them be," admonished Rose with a smile.

"No, they're hiding something and I'm going to find out what the fuck it is," Dom said with a mutinous expression as he looked at his mother.

"We're handling the situation," Frank said with a frown as he walked into the kitchen and the younger boys paled. He saw the smiles on the girl's faces and said in a gentle tone, "How was the date?"

"It was wonderful Daddy, we had a good time, it was the perfect first date," Sophia said as she gave him a hug. The girls smiled and nodded in agreement.

"That's all that matters," Frank said with a smile before looking at the boys and narrowing his eyes. "The rest will be taken care of at the lake."

"Sorry guys," Lorenzo said as Anthony opened the bond. "I'll talk with Uncle Frank and Dad later and tell them it was my fault."

"We're all to blame," Marcus responded with a sigh. "We knew you were acting like an ass and kept annoying you. Though the fight was fun, we need to do that more often; it was a good way to let off some steam."

"Just not when we're on a date with our intendeds," Alberto said as his smile was replaced with a frown as he saw a flash of pain cross Maria's face and her family turned their attention to her. He noticed her swollen fingers and growled low in his throat as he scooped her in his arms and set her in the recliner. Hollering for Annie to bring ice and her meds, he gently placed a pillow under her casted arm to elevate it. "Why didn't you let me know your arm was hurting Gattina?"

She sighed and leaned into his chest as he knelt next to the recliner, "It's okay. I think I might have just overdone it a little."

Joe ran down the hallway snapping at Annie, "I knew it was a bad idea for her to go to the game and then on a date. It was too much too soon, she should be resting." He glared at Alberto until he moved and knelt down to examine his daughters arm, frowning when he saw the swelling and slight bruising.

"Calm down Joe," said Annie with a frown. "She's fifteen, not two. If something is bothering her, she can tell us."

Seeing his concern, Maria closed her eyes wondering how to tell him how badly it hurt and that it had been aching for a month, even before she broke it the first time. Several minutes went by as she thought it over and decided to ask Doctor Parr when she saw him; she opened her eyes and asked quietly, "Daddy, can I have my meds? It's sore and I promise I'll rest and let it heal."

Joe took the juice out of Rose's hands and Annie gave her the pain meds. "Do you want to stay here, or do you want me to carry you upstairs?"

"Stay here Daddy, it feels better if it's propped up and I don't move much," she said snuggling against her Dad as he stroked her hair. As she began to relax her eyes snapped open when she felt somebody slip off her shoes and saw Damian putting on her favorite fuzzy socks, Gianni with a cup of hot chocolate, Sal with her favorite snack - sliced apples with honey and Lorenzo holding a pillow.

"I'll lay down with her and help her relax," Sophia said softly as she kicked off her heels. The boys moved out of her way as she snuggled next to her cousin before Victor covered them with the blanket from her bed.

Vin scowled at the boys, "This is what I'm talking about. Did you pay attention to her and make sure she was okay? Or where you too busy focusing on yourselves and whatever the hell you were doing?" He turned to Alberto and narrowed his eyes, "And you're supposed to be her mate and..."

"Hold the fuck up Vin. I know you're not implying I neglected my mate and caused her harm. I would never do anything to hurt her and you fucking know that," Alberto said in a near roar as he stepped aggressively towards his friend and they heard the men running down the hall. "And what the fuck do you mean 'supposed' to be her mate? She IS my mate."

Carlo, Carmelo, Frank and Joe stepped between them and Joe looked at his nephew, "Vincent, you know better than to accuse a male of hurting their mate. I know Alberto would never hurt my daughter."

"Thank you Poppa Joe. You know she means everything to me, without her I have nothing," Alberto said with a frown as he looked at his father in law.

"You have a funny way of showing it," Dom said before he turned to his brothers and cousins. "And the bunch of you are worse, he's only cared about her for a few weeks. She's your fucking family, I expect..."

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here," Maria interrupted with a sigh. "The boys didn't do anything wrong, it's my fault for not taking my medicine but I didn't want to because it makes me sleepy." She looked at Alberto and smiled, "I wanted this date to be perfect and it was."

Vin snorted, "Perfect my ass. It sounds like a fucking disaster, you were ignored by your mate, I can tell Erin was crying because her eyes are red and Mom said Anthony ruined another one of Sophia's dresses." He turned to Caitlin, "And what happened to you? What's your part in this so called perfect date?" Not knowing what to say she buried her face in Damian's chest.

"Vin, I'm warning you you'd better leave Caitlin alone. She's not used to you and your overbearing bossy manner," growled Damian as his arms encircled her. "She's sweet and gentle and doesn't deserve this from you...so leave her the fuck alone." He continued to glare at his cousin as his wolf started to prowl back and forth, angry because the female in his arms was upset and he didn't like it.

"Enough, I'm not sure why you're acting like a dick, but I don't appreciate it. You know we'd never do anything to hurt our intendeds," said Anthony in a firm tone. Opening the bond to Vin and Dom he continued, "Look at your cousins and you'll see what I'm talking about." They swung their heads to see Lorenzo holding Erin tightly to his side and Damian holding Caitlin while he whispered to her. "They don't realize they're mates, but they and they're wolves are extremely protective of the girls. They're ready to strike out and they're gonna come hard because their wolves are gonna feel the two of you are threatening their mates."

A smile crossed Vin's face as he said, "I thought that's what the problem was with Lorenzo, but I didn't realize Damian and Caitlin were mates. What happened this evening?" Ant told him about the date and Vin nodded, "Yep, they're definitely mates. I wonder how long it'll take him to realize?"

"From the looks of it, it won't be long," Dom said with a smile as Lorenzo began to run his hand up and down Erin's arm in a reassuring gesture.

Seeing things calming down, Frank said, "Boys get refreshments, we've got a couple things to do then we'll talk with everyone." They nodded before heading into the kitchen, coming back with drinks, chips, cookies, cheese and crackers. They began to talk in low murmurs as the adults headed back to Paulo's office.

"Why did Anthony wait so long to diffuse the situation?" asked Todd as he picked up his papers. "And what the hell happened tonight?"

"Think back to when you were a teenager. Those feelings of having to prove you're becoming a man, finding your place in Pack hierarchy mixed in with out of control hormones," Carmelo began with a smile. "So when an argument breaks out there's a lot of posturing, and heated emotions rising to the surface especially when it involves the Carlucci's, my boys and Anthony."

"When Anthony and The Clan argue it's like an explosion and you try to avoid the fallout," Vinnie said as Paulo quietly laughed. "Its worse when they're arguing with somebody else, then it's the thirteen of them against whoever they're having a problem with. Well, with Alberto's declaration, it's fifteen now."

"No matter how upset we get with each other, we stand together against everyone else," Paulo said as he looked at Todd and Papa Mike before he smiled. "If you think our tempers are bad, Sophia and Maria are worse; they scare the fuck out of us. They got a full dose of the Vitti temper from our moms and when they get mad it's not an explosion it's a nuclear blast."

"Unfortunately, I have to agree," Frank said with a grin. "When our mates are in a snit, Joe and I head to the barn and work on our cars or contact Carlo or Carmelo and hide out with them somewhere."

Joe snorted and said, "Wait until you meet our in-laws and you'll understand why they act that way. Ray is a hard formidable man with no sense of humor and taught Rose and Annie to fight like men. Their mother looks sweet but she'd as soon tell you to fuck off as say hello and she taught them not to take any shit from anybody. That combined with the Vitti temper is a bad combination."

"The Vitti's in Italy are just as bad," Dante said with a serious expression giving Luc a side glance. As hard as he tried, he couldn't help the smile that crossed his face as he saw Luc scowling. "They are hot-headed and the smallest insult will make them lash out without thought of the consequences..." Luc's phone interrupted Dante and he began to scowl as a familiar song played as the ring tone.

A smile crossed Luc's face before he replaced it with a scowl, "Gentlemen, excuse me, I have a business call I need to deal with. Joe, I will use your study." Without waiting for a reply he turned on his heel and exited the room.

Dante narrowed his eyes and waited several moments before saying in a firm tone, "Put Joe's study on the monitor." Paulo hesitated for a moment before the six screens on the left were filled with Luc's image as he sat on the sofa.

The men gathered around and Joe said in a low tone, "Click the audio on."

Paulo swallowed noisily and said, "Ugh, you think we should do that Dad? It's an awful invasion of privacy."

"Of course we should," Dante said with an evil smile. "The bastard has been hiding his mate from us and I want to find out why...and to confirm my suspicion as to who it is." Joe nodded to the door and Frank quickly closed it, knowing their mates would throw a fit if they knew what was going on.

"If any of the women come in, kill everything," Joe said quietly and Paulo nodded. Excited whispers could be heard as Paulo clicked the audio on and in the reflection of the monitors he could see the gleeful expressions on their faces.

"I miss you, Il mio amore (my love)... We are leaving Wednesday, but I am unsure of the time... I would love for you to meet us at the airport even if I cannot hold you or kiss you... I think of that day in the meadow too... (his voice was low and raspy) Lying there and holding you while we kissed for the first time, knowing I am the only man that will ever kiss you that way (he growled and ran his hand through his hair)... You have to stop talking like that, you have no idea what you do to me (he groaned and threw his head back)... The day after we get back tell your parents you are meeting a friend for lunch and we can be together... He has no idea, none of them do... I know you want to tell everyone but I explained that I want to wait until you are older and I am financially secure... Yes, I know I have millions in the bank, but that is family money, not money I earned ... There is a difference... I want to prove to your father that I will be able to provide for you and the family we will have... Yes, I agree with you ... No, he is your father and I will be held to higher standards because I am his only daughters mate... There will be some who believe I am with you because you are the Alpha's daughter..."

"Son of a bitch, I knew it," Dante hissed as everyone turned to him with their mouths open. "I knew something was up with him and Catarina has been very evasive and sneaky for the last month." He took several deep calming breaths as the beer bottle in his hand shattered spraying beer and glass over those around him.

They turned back to Luc, "I know they do not matter and I do not have to prove myself to you, but I have to prove myself to your father not to mention your brothers... Yes, graduating a year early from University with a degree in Finance counts... Being here has helped with my English; it is still very stiff and formal. I am picking up local colloquialisms from Anthony and my cousins along with a more colorful vocabulary... (he started to laugh) No, I will not tell you the curse words I have learned...I love hearing your laugh and wish I was there with you...Only a couple more days and then you will be in my arms again...You never told me why you are awake so early... (he got up and paced, agitation apparent in every step) There had better not be any males around you, you are MINE..."

"Where the fuck is she going at 4:30 in the morning?" Dante asked with a scowl.

"Who is going?... Stay with your family and Nonna... For fuck's sake, you know I trust you, it is everyone else I do not trust ... (laughs) Yes, that is one of the phrases I learned...I should go, they are waiting... I told them it was business... Have a good time at the Festival of Terracina... I love you with all my heart Dolcezza and I cannot wait until you are in my arms again." They watched as Luc put his cell in his pocket before throwing himself down on the sofa with a smile on his face.

"Dante, what are you going to do?" asked Carlo as everyone turned to him.

An evil grin crossed Dante's face, "Torture the little bastard of course." Matching grins came over the men's faces as he explained his plan.

"You guys are really cruel," Paulo said as he shook his head. "I can't believe you're going to do that to Luc."

Joe smiled and said, "Are you going to say anything?"

"Hell no. I just want it on record that I was against this... for when Mom and Aunt Rose find out and the shit hits the fan," Paulo said with a laugh before turning back to his keyboard. The men watched as Luc got up and they quickly went back to filing as Paulo killed the video feed and Frank opened the door.

Luc couldn't keep the smile off his face as he walked into the kitchen and got a beer out of the fridge. After taking a long pull he noticed the women staring at him with knowing smiles as Gina said quietly, "How is Catarina?"

"Excuse me?" he murmured as he began to flush and he could feel sweat starting to bead on his forehead.

"I had an interesting chat with Calinda earlier," Gina answered with a smile.