Mika's Pack - 2. Famiglia

Famiglia

Mika watched the trees through the car window as they headed towards the city's limits. The closer they got to Lovel's home, the more nervous he became. What if the other wolves didn't like him? What would he do then?

Lovel felt Mika tense up beside him again and let out a small sigh, threading his hand through Mika's hair. "Tell me what's wrong, Tesoro?" he asked, his voice sending shivers down Mika's spine.

"Tesoroh?" he questioned, looking up at the dark skinned man.

"Tesoro. It means 'treasure' in Italian," he explained with a small smile as a light blush settled across Mika's cheeks.

"You're Italian?"

"Part Italian. You see, my mother is Italian and my father was African-American." He tried to ignore the painful tightening in his chest at the mentioning of his late father. "My first language is English, but I am also fluent in Italian." That did explain the man's looks; his dark golden bronze skin and hazel-nut eyes made him look like something out of a painting.

"Have you always lived here, then?" Mika wondered as he tilted his head back to look Lovel in the eye.

"Yes, my father met my mother while she was visiting his school through the foreign exchange program. They figured out they were each other's mates and everything just continued from there. My mother got her green card and stayed here in the US with my father. They got married, my father took over the pack for his father, my parents popped out a few kids, and here we are today."

"That sounds really nice," Mika said, giving him a small smile. "I wish…I wish I had been with my family longer before…" He trailed giving a soft sigh.

"I'm sorry, Tesoro." He pressed a small kiss to Mika’s temple inhaling his mate's scent.

"It's alright. Master Luca said that I shouldn't dwell on it because my family loved me and wouldn't want me to remain sad."

"And he is right," Lovel agreed as the car turned onto a dirty road leading into the forest that surrounded the outer limits of the city. "We are almost there now. Just a little further up the road and you will see the pack's house."

"All of you live together?" Mika asked, eyes wide.

"Yes, the main house hosts those of us who are unmated. Surrounding the main house are a few, much smaller ones, that house those of the pack who have found their mates and started a family. However, since I am the alpha, our place is in the main house," he explained, causing Mika to tense up again.

"How big is your pack, exactly?"

"Our pack, not including you or me, includes thirteen other wolves." Mika eyes widened further, if possible, making Lovel want to pull the smaller wolf against him. "Don't worry, Tesoro, they won't bite," he said, giving Mika a wolfish grin as they pulled up to the large house. "Me, on the other hand…" He trailed off as he sent Mika a small leer that had his entire body flushing.

"Uh…" Mika murmured as he turned away from Lovel, the blush on his cheeks darkening. He caught Travis's eyes in the rear-view mirror and found the man's green eyes sparkling with mirth. He heard another laugh from his left, and then he was being ushered out of the car by Lovel. He stood by the car, waiting for the others to get out of the car so he could trail behind them. Travis walked past him, giving him a knowing smile.

"Don't worry, Lil'bit, the pack isn't that bad." He flashed Mika a bright smile, dimples and all. The smile widened when Mika tentatively returned it. "Name's Travis Wilder. We weren't properly introduced. I'm the pack's beta." He held out a hand, grinning at the baffled wolf.

"Mika Yavanti," Mika replied taking the cheerful wolf's hand.

"And the brooding one over there is Mikael Wilder." Mikael grunted his acknowledgment, but otherwise remained silent. Mika looked between the blond haired wolf and Travis trying to spot the resemblance. He scented the air and found that yes, while the two did smell similar, there was a distinct difference between the two. "Cousins?" he guessed, and smiled when he received a positive nod.

"Scent gave us away did it?"

Mika began to nod when the front door was thrown open and a pink blur attached itself to Lovel's front. A closer look revealed a small girl grinning up at the larger man. Lovel laughed, picking her up as she wrapped her small arms around his neck and buried her face in the crook. He turned towards Mika and gestured for the small wolf to come closer. Hesitantly, the shorter wolf walked up the stairs, stopping just a step below the two.

"Bella, I have someone I want you to meet," Lovel said softly. The girl lifted her head and locked her eyes on Mika. There was a tense moment where the two of them just stared at each other before Bella squealed and reached for Mika. Surprised at the motion, Mika took the small girl from Lovel without thinking.

"Sei il tesoro di mio fratello!" (Brother's treasure!)She gave Mika a wild, gap-toothed smile, her golden hazel eyes twinkling in happiness. "Hai ragione caro fratello?" (Right darling brother?) She asked as she looked over her shoulder at her brother.

"Giusto, bambina." (Right.) Mika watched the two back and forth, unsure as to what was going on. Bella turned back to him, her smile becoming even bigger as she stared into his dark blue eyes.

"My name is Isabella Delavantio, and I am eight years old," she told him proudly. "You can call me Bella, like everyone else. It means pretty."

"My name is Mika Yavanti. I'm twenty-one years old, and I think you're very pretty," he told the girl, settling into bemused confusion. Bella wiggled until he let her slide from his grasp to the ground. She took his hand and pulled him into the house, ignoring the panicked look he shot to Lovel as the eight-year-old dragged him away. Her chestnut hair was pulled into two pigtails and bounced as she forcefully led him towards what he assumed was the kitchen, from the smell. She pushed the door open with a loud bang and a small, petite Italian woman turned towards them, one hand on her hip and a wooden spoon in the other. Her long, chestnut hair was pulled into a low bun with strands of hair framing her face. She was nearly half a head shorter than him but Mika had the feeling that, despite Lovel being Alpha, this woman put everyone in their place.

"Isabella! How many times do I have to tell you not to..." She trailed off when she finally took notice of Mika. "Who is this? Who are you?" She took a step forward, causing Mika to step back right into a firm chest.

Strong arms wrapped around his waist, and he was pulled into a protective embrace. Relieved, he settled comfortably against Lovel, hoping that the woman would calm down.

"Mamma, calm down," Lovel said, his chest rumbling.

"Bambino, who is this?" she asked, her accent thick with each word she spoke.

"Mamma, questo è il tesoro di Lovel!" (Mamma this is Lovel's treasure!) Bella exclaimed, jumping up and down pointing at the blushing Mika.

The woman's eyes widened as she looked at Mika. The following moment, he found himself pulled into a tight hug as the woman rambled on in Italian, confusing the poor wolf even more. When she pulled back, she had tears streaming down her face and her cheeks had become slightly pinked. She pushed the small wolf towards the table forcing him to sit as she examined him.

"Let me look at you… So pretty for a boy. Those long, thick eyelashes and such beautiful eyes, sei un bell’uomo. My bambino has done very well for himself," she said, smugly, as she finished her inspection of Mika. Lovel sighed in mock exasperation at his mother's antics and decided to save Mika before she scared the little one off.

"Mamma, this is Mika Yavanti…my mate…my Tesoro," he affirmed as he stood behind Mika's chair with his hands on the shorter wolf's shoulders. "Tesoro, this is my mother, Candelora Delavantio."

"You will call me Mamma, ’kay?" she demanded, kissing both his cheeks and causing Mika's face to heat up.

Mika hadn't even known the people for an entire day, and yet, he had already blushed more while in their presence than he ever had before in his entire life. "Ah…o-okay...M-Mamma," he stuttered out, overwhelmed at the greeting. When he was with Master Luca, he had never been the center of so much attention. It made him feel awkward and out of place.

"My, my. Look at you, amore (Love). So skinny. But do not worry, Mamma will fatten you right up," Candelora stated, causing Bella to giggle. She turned to her small daughter, an eyebrow raised as she gestured towards Mika. "Don't you agree, Bella?" Bella nodded doing a little spin so that her pink dress swirled around her.

"Alright Mamma, enough. Mika isn't used to being around other wolves, especially ones like you two. You're enough to scare the strongest of wolves," Lovel grumbled with a small scowl. He pulled Mika from his seat and gently pushed him towards the door, ignoring his mother and sister's protests. "Mika will be back here later. For now, leave him alone," he called over his shoulder as he closed the kitchen door. He led him down the hall to his left, lightly threading their hands together.

Mika took his time to glance over all the pictures lining the walls. There were ones with Lovel, a large smile on his face and eyes sparkling. His mother was there, as well as a little boy holding onto Lovel's leg, his face hidden behind shaggy locks. And there was also a man. Mika turned his attention to the man in the picture. He was large, with the same hazel-nut eyes as Lovel. The two of them wore identical smiles and shared the same broad shoulders. He had his arms wrapped around both Lovel and Candelora, pulling them closer to him. As they walked on, he noticed that Bella began to show up in the pictures. She was an adorable little wolf that was stealing all the attention. The five of them made a perfect family. He frowned when he noticed that in the remaining pictures, the older man had disappeared, leaving behind a brokenhearted family.

"That was my father," Lovel murmured softly, causing Mika to jump. He hadn't realized that he had stopped to stare at the last picture of the four of them as a family. "He died two years ago, in an accident. He was coming home from a pack-meeting, and it had been raining. A truck lost control and crushed his car. He...he died on impact."

Mika could feel grief pouring from his mate. It hurt him to see the man in such pain, so he did the only thing he could think of, and pulled him into a comforting embrace. Lovel reacted instantly and crushed Mika against him, trembling in his hold. After a moment, he pulled away and gave him a chaste kiss.

"I'm sorry," Mika whispered, staring up at him with tears clouding his eyes. Lovel smiled, using his thumb to wipe away a stray tear and placing another chaste kiss on his cheek.

"Don't worry, Tesoro, I will be fine." He stepped away from Mika, opened a door on their left, and pulled the small wolf in after him.

The first thing that Mika noticed in the room was the large, king-sized bed. The bedposts were carved out of oak wood. The wood twisted and turned, knotting into beautiful designs. Upon a closer inspection, he could see little carved wolves running across the knots leading up to the knobs at the top. But it was the headboard that caught his attention the most. A large wolf stood at the tip of a cliff, its head thrown back in a howl. Below the wolf, thirteen other wolves howled in harmony. Each wolf had subtle details that made it different from the wolf next to it.

"Wow..." He hadn't realized he had said anything until he heard Lovel let out a small chuckle.

"Do you like it?"

Mika nodded, walking up the side of the bed to get a closer look. He ran his fingers over the larger wolf's snout.

"I made it. It took months to finally finish it, but now I'm going to have to take it down and redo it."

"Why? It's so beautiful…there isn't a single flaw on it that I see." Mika wondered as his fingers traced down the wolf's back.

"Because I need to add you to it."

Mika spun around, eyes wide and mouth partly opened. "What?"

"This here…" Lovel elaborated as he walked over to him, touching the largest wolf. "Is me in my wolf form. The rest are our pack. I carved each and every one of them to symbolize our pack…our family. And now you're a part of it, so you need to be here, too."

"Oh..." Mika breathed as he looked down at his feet, a small smile forming on his face. He didn't know how to reply to that. He never expected a pack to be anything like this. "Thank you for saying that...for saying that I'm already a part of the family."

"You never have to thank me for that, Tesoro," he murmured, grabbing Mika's chin to bring his face towards his own so that he could slant his mouth over his.

Mika whimpered softly in the back of his throat as Lovel's tongue fought its way into his mouth, curling around his own.

Lovel gently coaxed Mika's tongue into his mouth, sucking on the soft pink appendage. A growl began to rumble in his chest when Mika's hands reached up to clench his shirt, unconsciously pressing his body closer to his own. The kiss continued on until a knock on the door startled them apart. Mika flushed and moved away from Lovel only to be pulled back into his arms. "Come in."

"Hey, heard you were back. How did the…whoa! Why hello there," the new wolf practically purred as he gave Mika a leer. He was almost a head taller than Mika. He shared the same distinct features as Lovel, though his body was less developed than the Alpha's, and his shoulders weren't nearly as broad. But their eyes were identical.

Lovel snarled, pushing Mika behind him. His hazel-nut eyes turned an eerie gold hue that had the other wolf freezing in place. The younger wolf turned his head to the side, slowly baring his neck to the alpha and lowering his eyes to the carpet. Lovel blinked at the submissive gesture, his eyes finally clearing.

"Shit, Liam, don't do that," Lovel admonished. He ran his hand through his hair, glaring at his little brother.

Liam released the breath he had been holding, warily watching his brother in case he hadn't fully come to his senses. He then trained his gaze on the small wolf that was clenching his brother's shirt tightly. "So, who's the cutie that you just nearly killed me for?" he asked in a joking tone.

"My mate."

Liam's eyes widened, and he stared at Mika before breaking out into a huge grin. "No shit!? You found him you lucky son of a bi—" He was cut off abruptly when the door swung open, hitting him in the back and knocking him onto the floor.

Mika tried to control the giggle that threatened to leave him once he saw Liam flying face first into the carpet.

"Oops…"

Mika glanced at a man that seemed to be around his age standing in the doorway and staring down at Liam in horror. His green eyes had widened behind his glasses as he gaped at the currently glaring Liam. Immediately, his hand went up to tangle within his fringed blond hair and he began to nervously tug on the end. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry." He repeated over and over, tugging the hair harder with each rapidly fired apology.

"Chance, calm down. I'm not upset, I promise," Liam countered as he stood back up and moved towards the paling blond. "It's fine, okay?" He ran his hand up and down Chance's back, trying to calm the distressed wolf. His petting only seemed to make things worse, as Chance began hyperventilating, his eyes becoming unfocused.

Mika stepped from behind Lovel towards the panicking wolf. He grabbed the hand that Chance was using to yank at his hair and laced their fingers together before placing his other hand at the blond's temple. He closed eyes and a warm tingling feeling began in his chest and traveled up his arm. He opened his eyes as soon as he heard Chance's heart beating at a slower pace and the other wolf's breathing became more even.

Chance gaped at Mika with wide, teary eyes. "What..." he started.

Mika flushed, pulling his hands away and picking at the end of his shirt. "I'm….s-sorry."

Chance gave him a small smile and shyly held his hand out towards Mika. "I'm Chance."

With his cheeks still flushed, Mika took the offered hand and shook it, gently pulling away a second later. "I'm Mika."

"Are you joining the pack?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

Mika looked over his shoulder at Lovel and found the wolf watching them with a smile on his face. "Um…yes…I guess…" he answered, causing Chance's smile to brighten.

"Okay. You'll like it here," Chance replied. He turned towards Lovel, tugging at a stray strand of hair. "Sorry. Alpha Soren called. He wants to talk to you about the new wolf."

"Ah yes, well, you've been introduced to him already. Mika was the new wolf. But he'll be joining our pack soon. He's also my mate."

Chance's eyes widened once more before he gave them another bright smile. "Congratulations, Alpha."

Lovel nodded his thanks. "Was there anything else?"

The blond wolf shook his head, turning to leave the room. He waved good-bye to Mika as he passed him by.

"Wow. Chance's never like that," Liam said once Chance's footsteps faded from their hearing. "What'd you do to him?"

Mika shrugged, not answering the wolf. "Will he be alright?" Mika asked after a moment, looking at Lovel.

"He should, as long as he doesn't have another episode. Chance was… Well, Chance didn't come from a very good home. He was nearly dead when we found him, and it was only luck that he survived after that. He...doesn't know how to deal with certain situations," Lovel explained.

"Oh."

Lovel began to say something else only to be cut off by his phone. "Hello?"

"Your subordinate informed me you were back."

"Soren," Lovel spoke into the phone. "Yes, I'm back. I was just about to call you."

"There's been another kidnapping. This time from Tahol's pack."

"Shit." Lovel cursed and began pacing back and forth across the room. "Who was it?"

"Thomas."

Lovel let out another curse slamming his fist into the wall, creating a gaping hole. "He's just a pup! Why wasn't anyone watching him?" he growled.

"No one's sure what happened. One minute, he was there. And the next, he was gone. There were no scents, no signs of a struggle...nothing. Just like all the rest."

"We're meeting tonight?"

"Yes, another reason I was calling. In thirty-minutes."

"I'll be there," Lovel affirmed, hanging up the phone. He turned to Mika, who had been quietly watching him along with Liam. He walked over to his small mate, placing a kiss on his temple. "I have to go to a meeting, but I won't be long. Liam will show you around and introduce you to the rest of the pack, okay?" Mika nodded, nibbling on his bottom lip in worry. Lovel removed his lip from between his teeth with his thumb and placed a kiss there instead. "Do not worry, Tesoro."

"Okay." Mika said, releasing the breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Don't worry, fratellino (little brother). We'll have fun meeting the rest of the pack." Liam replied with a grin as he pushed Mika out the door with Lovel trailing behind them in amusement.

"You mean fratellone. Mika is older than you, making him your big brother."

Liam froze, staring down at Mika with a gasp. "No…"

"Yes. Mika is twenty-one. What? Did you think he was seventeen or something?" he asked as Liam started whining.

"But he's so short!"

Mika growled, narrowing his dark blue orbs at Liam. "I'm not short. I'm merely vertically challenged," he said, his cheeks puffing out at the snickering wolf.

"Whatever you say, piccolo, (tiny) whatever you say."

Mika huffed and turned away from the taller wolf.

Lovel rolled his eyes and whacked Liam across the back of the head, earning a giggle from Mika. "Don't patronize him."

****

"Alpha Lovel. Travis." A man greeted as the two wolves entered.

Lovel nodded back at the Beta, taking his seat at the round table with Travis beside him. "Where's Marcus?" he asked once he noted that the fourth Alpha was missing.

"He's coming later. He's still checking over the latest scene."

Lovel nodded. He could sympathize with the other Alpha. The first victim had come from his pack before they even realized what was happening. The man had lost two more subordinates since then. Marcus was the one that was most desperate to find them.

"This brings our toll up to seven missing."

"How the fuck is this happening," Maverick snarled, slamming his fist down on the table. "Who the hell could be capable of just up and kidnapping seven fucking wolves?"

"Calm down, Maverick. Getting angry will not solve anything," Soren admonished, leveling the other wolf with an even look.

"That's easy for you to say. No one's been taken from your pack."

"Knock it off. We're not here to argue amongst ourselves. That will help no one," Remus snapped, causing both of them to quiet down. They shot each other disdainful looks before turning their attention to Remus. "Lovel, what'd you find out about this new wolf in your territory?"

Lovel let a small smile form on his face, causing the three other Alphas to raise their brows at him. "He's had an unusual upbringing, but I haven't had time to find out much about him except that they moved here recently to find Mika a pack. He was orphaned and has been living in seclusion for quite some time with his caretaker. I know for certain that he's not involved in this."

"What makes you so certain?" Maverick demanded, glaring at Lovel.

"He's also my mate."

Maverick blinked in surprise while Soren gave him a congratulatory smile.

"I see that congratulations are in order," Remus said, giving the other Alpha his own version of a smile.

"At least something good has come of this mess," Maverick muttered.

"We'll find them, Maverick."

"You had mentioned a 'they' in your recap. So, there are two of them? I didn't sense another wolf entering the city," Remus said, a frown marring his face.

"That is another thing I haven't exactly got all the details about, as well. Mika says that his "Master" Luca is the one that taught him all about shifting and shifters in general, but he never mentioned whether or not the man himself was a shifter. However, from what I could tell upon talking to him over the phone, he was certainly surprised to hear about the kidnappings and sounded as if he were angry. He also said that he'd find out what he could about the disappearances," he explained, causing Remus's frown to deepen.

"I…do not like the sound of that at all. I would very much like to meet this Master Luca." The other two Alphas nodded in agreement.

"Yes, well, he apparently doesn't like meeting people, either." Lovel continued when the others began to protest, "However, we can always talk to him on the phone."

"I'd like to do that right now, then," Remus stated.

"I'll call home and get the number then, shall I?" he asked, pulling out his phone. As he stood up, he gestured for Travis to remain seated and walked towards the door, dialing the number he knew by heart.

"Hello?"

"Chance, could you please find my mate and bring him to the phone?"

"Yes, Alpha." The phone was placed down and he heard it scrape against the wooden table and the sound of Chance's footsteps fading. A few moments later, a soft voice picked up.

"H-hello?"

"Tesoro, have you been introduced to the rest of the pack yet?"

"Yes, they're rather…eccentric." He said softly, causing Lovel to laugh.

"I see you've met the twins then?"

"I never thought anyone like them existed," Mika admitted.

"They are something else, I'll admit that," he said with a light chuckle, but all too soon the laughter died off. "Mika, I'm calling to see if I could possibly talk to your friend Luca again."

"Master Luca."

Lovel rolled his eyes at the correction. "Yes, Master Luca. Is it possible for you to get him to call me?" The phone went silent for a moment and Lovel wondered for a minute whether or not his mate had actually hung up on him.

"He says he'll call you."

Lovel blinked in confusion, since he hadn't heard Mika pick up any other phone, let alone talk to anyone.

"He's calling now, so I'll see you when you come back...b-bye."

Before Lovel could say anything, he was met with a dial tone. He turned and re-entered the room. As he sat down, his phone went off. "Hello?"

"I hear you wanted to speak with me again?" The sultry voice on the other end asked.

"How did you—"

"Why don't you put me on speaker so that the others may hear?"

Frowning, Lovel did as suggested, setting his phone in the middle of the table.

"Much better, don't you agree?"

"Who, exactly, are you?" Remus asked with narrowed eyes trained on the small device.

"A very concerned friend who has kept away from the paranormal world for quite some time."

"Why should we trust you?" Soren asked.

"You shouldn't." Luca laughed as if it was his own private joke. "But you will because, while the four of you have power over certain parts of the city, you don't have nearly the right leverage that I do," he answered, causing Maverick to growl, which only incited Luca's laughter. "Oh, do hush, Alpha Maverick. Growling will get you nowhere in this situation."

"How the hell do you know my name?"

"I know quite a lot of things," he mocked, making the wolf growl even more. "I also know that the kidnappings aren't being done by the gremlins, the faeries, or the dragons. I'm looking into the vampires next."

"Vampires?" Maverick snarled eyes flashing. "Of course vampires would be involved. I don't know why we didn't think of that first."

"Besides the fact that some of the kidnappings have taken place during the day?" Soren countered in a snarky tone, causing Maverick to growl at him, which he returned with a flash of teeth.

"Tut, tut boys no fighting. Keep the sexual tension at home." They both growled at the sarcastic, sultry voice. "Don't go jumping to conclusions. There are strict rules about vampire-shifter affairs, as you should all know."

"Correct, and if you two do not cut out whatever it is that is going on between you, I will have to make you," Remus told the two younger Alphas, who settled on glaring at each other instead.

Lovel shook his head, giving the head Alpha a sympathetic look. As the fourth head Alpha, he didn't have to spend nearly as much time around those two as Remus did.

"Most of the victims have come from the lower packs, haven't they?"

"Yes, but the very first victim came from Alpha Marcus's pack." Remus confirmed.

"When did you notice that shifters were going missing?"

"About three and half weeks ago…just a little while before the new wolf showed up," Soren said, voice laced with unconcealed suspicion.

"Ha-ha…don't worry, sweet Soren, I'm not the one taking little pups from their beds. I've always been considered a very good friend of the shifters. This news brings me just as much distress as it does you. If I had known what was going on before, I would have offered my services much quicker."

Soren had to resist the urge to snarl at the mocking man. Never in his life had he been so mocked and put in his place by someone that he couldn't even see. The man was just as bad as Maverick.

"You're not a wolf," Remus stated more than asked.

"Some would say otherwise, but you are correct. I am not a shifter."

"Yet you claim the friendship of shifters." All he received was a soft, whispery laugh for an answer.

"It's time for me to meet with my contact from the vampires. I will call if I receive any more information. Perhaps one day, we will meet in person. " With that, the line went dead.

"I don't like him," Maverick concluded in the following moment. "And I don't trust him. Nothing against your mate, but that man shouldn't be trusted."

"That awaits to be seen," Remus spoke while standing, his beta following suit. "Since we have no new leads, we'll return to our packs. As of now, I'm issuing a red alert. I do not want anyone going anywhere alone anymore." The three other Alphas nodded, following the dark haired man out. They parted ways, each going to their own vehicles with betas in tow.

Lovel settled into the back seat while Travis climbed behind the wheel. "What do you think of him?" he asked after a moment.

The beta was silent before he answered with a smirk on his face. "Well, he's one cocky bastard, that's for sure."

Lovel remained silent, watching the lights as they passed through the darkening streets. There was something more to that mysterious voice on the phone, that was for sure…