Page 189 of Untamed

Then he chuckles, slow and cold. “Guarda cosa sei diventato... un uomo patetico. Look at what she’s reduced you to. You think you’ll win, Ares? That you can walk out of here, toss your legacy into the sea and live happily ever after with your little girl? That’s not how this ends, and you know it.”

“I know,” I murmur, stepping back, straightening. “But it’s howyouend. Touch her again, sanguinerai per primo.”You’ll bleed first.

Luciano’s eyes flare. For the first time, I see it, not fear, but awareness. That I’m no longer the boy he raised. I’m the weapon he can’t control.

I turn and walk out, this time on my own terms. Enzo stays behind, likely to do damage control.

But in my mind, I’m already calculating the fallout.

Because now I know the truth.

Luciano doesn’t give a shit who dies.

As long as it isn’t him.

The door slams behind me, the echo cracking through the hallway like a gunshot.

My hands are shaking. Fury pulses beneath my skin, hot and venomous, blurring the edges of my vision. I don’t feel the burn in my shoulder, don’t hear the distant sound of voices in the dining room. Just the pounding in my head. Justhisvoice, still echoing.

I’m the one who made you.

I storm down the corridor, every step thunder, every breath a growl in my chest.

“Ares?” Her voice. Soft. Hesitant. Fuckingbeautiful.

I see her too late.

She’s standing near the alcove, a book clutched to her chest, eyes wide as they meet mine. I don’t stop. Don’t slow. I brush past her like she isn’t even real, like the hallway’s empty.

I can’t see her right now. Can’tfeelher.

Because if I do...I’ll break. Her scent follows me like a curse. Sweet and warm and laced with something that undoes every wall I’ve ever built.

But I keep going.

Because the only thing more dangerous than Luciano’s threats…

…is what I’d do to keep them from touching her.

The heavy doors creak open and slam shut behind me.

Outside, the wind cuts sharp through the stone courtyard, but I barely feel it. I need air. Space. Something that doesn’t smell like betrayal and control. My temples are throbbing so hard it hurts. My vision tunnels, red at the edges.

Then I hear her.

“Ares, wait.”

Bianca’s voice slices through the fog.Fucking hell.

I stop. Not because I want to. Because I have to. Because even rage can’t erase the weight in her tone.

I turn slowly, chest heaving. She’s already walking toward me, arms folded, brows drawn tight like she’s holding something in.

“What?” I snap, harsher than I mean to. My voice is still soaked in venom from Luciano’s office.

She flinches but doesn’t back down. Typical. “I want to talk to you.”

I exhale hard through my nose. “If this is about Cavallo Nero or the next fucking dinner, I’m not in the mood?—

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