Claimed By The Mafia Rogue King: Read Chapters 1-5

Snowflakes

“Don’t freak out, Snow. Check the pictures I sent you.”

That text soured the mood of my snowy night. Dove, my best friend, had sent it.

The pictures were of my husband, Ares Bani, naked in office with his so-called secretary, their bodies tangled tightly.

My husband and I are already trying to conceive. And I was told by doctor today that I was healed and ready to get pregnant. Once Ares return home, I’ll tell him the good news. How could him betray me now?

I could have dismissed it as just a picture, but this wasn’t the first time suspicion had gnawed at me regarding him and that secretary.

I grabbed my coat and hat, snatched my car keys, and descended the spiral staircase, passing through the living room where Ana, the maid, was tidying up.

“Oh, Madam, you are going out?” she asked.

“Yes.”

One syllable. No explanation. I was already out, driving through the snowy night. The sound of jingle bells and the faint scent of Christmas hung in the air. Traffic was light, and by the time I arrived at my husband’s company, it was late.

I parked in the garage and stepped out, pausing on the walkway to gaze up at the massive structure before me.

Frosty Airline and Resort. Ares’ legacy built from nothing. He was a business tycoon who excelled at everything he touched.

I lowered my eyes to the ring around my finger, clutching my bag, and walked into the lobby. Passing the receptionist without a word, I made my way to the executive floor.

When I stepped out of the elevator, I saw her. The secretary, at her desk just outside the CEO’s office. She was scribbling on a document, but when my heels announced my presence, she paused and slowly looked up. Our eyes met, and she jolted in shock.

Silence fell. I read her face, her composure, her reaction, and something inside me twisted.

She looked exactly like my sister Viviana… only younger.

This was the first time we’d meet, and already her emotions betrayed her. My heart sank. I prayed Dove was wrong, but seeing her, I realized she wasn’t. Dove Mane is a reporter and any news she carried have got to be legit.

I let my eyes roam her face, finally stopping at the name tag on her chest: Valencia.

She was new, confident, almost fearless, like a woman staking her claim. Her gaze told me as much, yet somehow, I can tell she didn’t recognize me.

“Is Ares in the office?” I asked, finally breaking the silence.

She raised an eyebrow, probably wondering how I dared address a millionaire by his first name. The audacity.

“And who are you? Do you have an appointment?” she asked, her voice too confident. I nearly scoffed at her. For her to carry herself like that, she must have someone powerful supporting her.

My eyes drifted to her neck, and froze. She wore an identical necklace, the same one Ares had given me recently, to thank me for agreeing to become pregnant.

I swallowed hard, about to speak, when the sound of approaching footsteps paused me.

“Madam?”

I recognized the voice anywhere. Veyron, Ares’ personal assistant.

“What are you doing, Lencia? She is the boss’s wife!” he chided, and at that, the secretary’s face paled instantly. I didn’t pay her any more attention, instead moving toward my husband’s office.

But as I reached the door, bitter laughter stopped me in my tracks.

My brother. Dante. Why was he here?

“You think I would marry Snow if it weren’t to stop her investigating the case four years ago?” Ares’ voice echoed, and I froze.

What?!

Four years ago, I was attacked, it made me difficult to get pregnant. And from their talk, it’s completely a murder?

“But still, I think it’s unsafe to have a Viviana lookalike, Ares. What if Snow finds out you’ve been sleeping with a Viviana lookalike for four years, all while waiting for your true love to return?”

My fingers went cold around the doorknob, and I pulled back, stunned.

Ares laughed.

“That’s not a problem. Snow is very easy to please. She won’t notice anything. Besides, she’s focusing on becoming pregnant. She’s dependent on me. That way, she won’t have anywhere to go.”

“Good choice. If you hadn’t coerced her into giving up the case, the Frost brothers would’ve investigated and discovered that it was Vivian who ordered for her to be raped and stabbed.”

There I stood, pale and white as the snow falling around me.

Snowflakes

My legs carried me out to the balcony overlooking the city, when I lifted my gaze, it was the largest billboard in the city that caught my attention.

The image of Ares and me played in loops. He had said it was his way of telling the world I was the only one in his heart.

Stupid me.

I had shed tears of joy when he told me that and the first time I saw it. But now, I realized all of this had been for just one person.

Viviana. His first and true love.

Staring at the empty space around me, it began to sink in. I never mattered to anyone but the Frost family. Not even to the family I shared blood and bond with.

In this world where humans and werewolves coexist, love can be found in the hearts of those who aren’t even related by blood, aided by the power of the Moon Goddess.

Viviana was my sister, but not by blood. She was human, and I was a werewolf. She was a true-blooded Frost, while I am the true daughter of the Alpha and Luna of the Mooncrest Pack.

Twenty-four years ago, Vivian and I were born on the same day, at the same time, on December 25th, in the same hospital ward, but a riot broke out, and we were mistakenly swapped.

I grew up with humans, the Frost family who were wealthy, law-abiding, while Vivian grew up with the Mooncrest Pack as the Alpha and Luna’s daughter.

When she was fifteen, at the age she was supposed to experience her first transformation, they realized she was human.

After an investigation, I was identified as the true-blooded Mooncrester. Rituals were performed for me, all blessed by the Moon Goddess, anointing me a werewolf. But when I was supposed to take my first transformation, I couldn’t, having lived with humans for too long.

I was told by the priestess I will only transform when I have a mate.

Returning to our rightful homes was far harder than anyone anticipated. My human brothers, the Frost, were three, and throughout the years I had been their treasure. To welcome their true-blooded sister was like inviting a stranger through the door.

The same applied to me. When I arrived at Mooncrest, no one greeted me with a smile except my grandmother, my father’s mother, grateful that her true granddaughter still lived.

To thank me for returning safely, she handed me the Mooncrest heirloom. A sacred key that could open only one door. A door granting a single wish. Whatever it was, it would be fulfilled, the greatest, most priceless gift anyone could receive.

When I received it, Viviana had thrown a tantrum until she was compensated with a modeling school built in her name, her dream as an aspiring model.

That had silenced her… for a while. Not for long, though, because now I knew she had been the one to instigate the attack that had changed my life forever, four years ago.

I lowered my gaze from the billboard and felt the shift in the wind, sensing his presence behind me. Even without turning, I knew it was him. Ares.

Four years ago, when I had been attacked in the dark alley, few blocks away from Mooncrest pack, raped and stabbed multiple times, bleeding and dying, it was Ares Bani who had come to save me.

He had stayed by my bedside, cried, and prayed to the Moon Goddess to spare my life. He had fought anyone who gossiped about the incident and my assault. When I was mocked, he didn’t care about going to jail as long as the mocker was punished.

And then the doctor’s verdict came, shattering me further.

To conceive a pup would be nothing short of a miracle.

That verdict destroyed me. No suitor would come, no mate bond could form. My true brothers, two of them, weren’t even present to show concern, but my human brothers were always vigilant.

Three of them, Rocco, the eldest, a judge; the twins, Kashi and Eshan, a prosecutor and lawyer, demanded justice. Those who attacked me must be jailed and punished, they said. But Ares sweet-talked me into dropping the case.

“An ongoing case, going to court will be bad for your mental health, Snow. How about you heal? Let me help you. Let me… love you.”

And that was it. Against all the objections of my human family, the Frost, I dropped the case. The next month, when I turned eighteen, Ares proposed. Again, against my family’s wishes, I agreed.

Our marriage was simple. Viviana wasn’t present. She had left the pack for a distant city, claiming she wanted to study modeling over four years.

My human family didn’t show up. They cut all ties. I stayed loyal and in love with Ares for four years, living with him in the apartment he once had nothing in.

Not once did I complain. Not once did he complain about my trauma, my past as a victim of rape. I abandoned all my ambitions and lived as his full-time housewife.

Four years later now, I realized the laughter, the love, the promises, all of it, was fake. Slowly, I turned, fixing my gaze on him behind me, my heart clenching.

The most handsome man I had ever laid eyes on. Over the years, he had become even more handsome, wealthy, powerful, supportive, but it was all a show.

A charade to protect Viviana from punishment for what she had done to me, for what she had orchestrated. My gang rape. The trauma had never left my mind, heart, or body.

And to think, the man I had loved with all my heart for four years had known, yet played the role of devoted husband.

Staring at the man in front of me, my resolve hardened. I’ll file the divorce, to leave him completely.

His heart had never rested with me. So I would give him back to Viviana.

Snowflakes

For a long time, we only stared at one another, Ares and I, until he smiled, that same smile I had foolishly fallen for over the years.

“Snow, you didn’t inform me you were coming. I didn’t believe it when Veyron told me you’re here. Are you okay?”

I didn’t respond. Not a word. I could only stare at him, wondering how much he must have laughed behind my back at everything that had happened. How much he had mocked me, seeing me as a fool, and himself as superior because he got away with everything.

When I gave no answer, he raised an eyebrow and stepped closer, reaching for my hand tenderly.

“Missing your husband?” he cooed softly, leaning in to kiss the nape of my neck, the exact spot he loved so much.

I swallowed when his lips brushed me, and when his hands wrapped around my waist, I allowed him to turn me so we could both watch the city and the massive billboard looping our picture.

“A great view, isn’t it?” he asked, his voice soft, but I couldn’t reply. My mind was still reeling from it all.

After a while, I pulled away from his arms and turned to him, staring into his eyes before walking past him.

With my pain unraveling and aching, I entered his office, only to see my brother Dante still sitting in the chair. He rose as I appeared, as though ready to leave.

“Dante,” I greeted quietly. He was my second brother.

“Who would have thought you’d be wandering around at a time like this? Shouldn’t you be recovering and preparing to heal… and become pregnant?” His voice barely concealed his intolerance, and I swallowed hard.

My two biological brothers had always been like that. From the moment I set foot in Mooncrest Pack, they never hid the fact that I wasn’t welcome. They loved Viviana, not me.

“She’s only come to check on me. My sweet wife is tender that way whenever she misses me, right, honey?” Ares’ voice interrupted as he stepped inside, his palm resting lightly on my lower back.

Dante looked at me again and murmured,

“She likes making everyone worry. Viviana isn’t always like this.” Then he picked up his car keys from the table. “It’s been a while since you came to Mooncrest Pack. Father said you both should show up for dinner tomorrow.”

“No worries. Inform him we’ll be there on time,” Ares said, and without waiting for my response, Dante left the office, leaving me alone with my husband.

After a while, I took a step forward to create some distance between us. I looked at his face; he appeared slightly baffled.

“I came to check on Dove, who’s working down the blocks, so I thought I should check on you,” I finally explained, lying.

I saw his shoulders sag in relief.

“But you shouldn’t have stepped out on a night this cold. How about you go home and wait for me, hmm?”

He was tender, and I swore if I hadn’t overheard his earlier words, I wouldn’t have believed he could act this way.

Before I could speak, the door opened, and Lencia walked in, his secretary. She was startled to see me in the office, and her expression clearly said she thought I had left.

“Ah, Ares… I apologize, Mr. Bani. I didn’t know you were still receiving a guest. I came to submit some documents, but maybe I’ll come back…”

She had called my own husband by his first name, as though they were casually acquainted.

I didn’t take my eyes off Ares, and he seemed to sense the tension. He set his jaw, staring Lencia down until she bowed and left the office. The door closed, but the damage had already been done. I looked away, struggling to breathe.

“I should get going before the road is covered in flakes,” I murmured.

Ares reached for my hand, glancing at his wristwatch.

“How about I tell Veyron to drive you?”

“It’s fine. I came with my car,” I replied quietly, leaving his office without another word.

As much as I tried to act natural, I couldn’t. I got into my car and drove away from Frosty Airline and Resort immediately. A few blocks down, I had to pull over and try to breathe.

My fingers gripped the wheel, trembling. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t fathom such betrayal. I looked down at the ring he had given me, the one I had accepted with gratitude and love.

I remembered how he had taken a huge loan just to get it for me. And now, before I could even think, my vision blurred and tears streamed down my cheeks, dripping onto the ring.

Four years of everything reduced to nothing. Perhaps I had misunderstood. Perhaps it wasn’t real.

That thought lingered when laughter sounded ahead, and I looked up, recognizing it instantly.

There they were, Ares and Lencia, alighting from his car, walking hand in hand into a luxurious suite as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world.

They stopped midway, security guards granting them entrance. I watched as Ares pulled Lencia into his arms, staring into her eyes as if she were the center of his universe.

“I hate that you stare down at me before her. Is she your wife? She’s nothing but a decoration anyway, right?” Lencia pouted in mock anger. Ares kissed her lips, his palm sliding down to grip her waist and pull her closer.

“I apologize. She’s sensitive at times like this… you know, with what happened to her.”

“Ah yes. Tomorrow marks four years since she was raped, right? I know that story,” Lencia murmured, shrugging. “Let’s forget her and have fun. Come in.”

Minutes passed after they disappeared, and I sat there in the car. Snow fell around me, the festive aura of the season seeming to mock me as my eyes shed the last of my tears.

Then, my gaze fell on an old woman sitting on a nearby space bench. Beside her were stacks of firecrackers for the holiday season. I swallowed hard.

I stepped out of the car, walked toward her, and without saying much, pulled out my wedding ring and placed it in her open palm.

“Merry Christmas in advance, Grandma. Santa remembers you.”

Without looking back, I got into my car and drove away.

Cupid

I wouldn’t have stepped out of my loft, much less come all the way into the heart of the city, if it wasn’t for her. My grandmother.

She had thrown a fit, said she wouldn’t move away from the street unless I appeared to give her a ride. Said she would stay unkempt until I appears to care for her.

Out of the very few people I hold close to my heart, she is one of them.

Stopping the car a few steps away from the bench where she sat, I looked at her through the wheel.

Snow is falling, the sound of holiday jingles ringing faintly in the background, reminding me that I, too, am free from all work until next year. A small frown creased my brow when I saw the firecrackers beside her and I sighed quietly.

Out of everyone in the Godlike Pack, only my grandmother accepted me at first sight. For that, I worship her. She is the one who never made me feel like an orphan adopted from the streets.

Opening the car door, I stepped out. The moment she saw me, her face lit up instantly. She got up and walked toward me, clutching a ring.

“Cupid, my son. What took you so long?”

I didn’t speak. Instead, I pulled off my coat and draped it over her shoulders, then guided her to the backseat and helped her settle in.

When she was comfortable, she lifted the ring to my eyes.

“Cupid, a young lady dropped this ring. It’s too expensive to lose. She probably thought I was the one selling the firecrackers. The seller just stepped away to the bathroom and will be back soon. If you take the road now, you’ll meet her car before it disappears. It’s vintage, very luxurious. It stands out. You should return the ring to her.”

I looked at the ring for a moment and almost scoffed. It appears expensive but truly it’s not. Whoever that has it only make it look grand. It’s fake.

Still, I took it from her, closed the door, and drove off, my rogue wolf speed helping me cut through traffic. My grandmother was right. I spotted the vintage car ahead.

I headed straight for it, but the car suddenly turned toward the jewelry district. I tried to follow, but the silver scent from the store hit me hard, weakening my wolf and forcing me to breathe through the burn for a few seconds.

By the time I lifted my gaze, the car was gone, lost completely.

Cold air escaped my mouth as I exhaled sharply. Quietly, I turned back toward my car. When I returned, the firecracker seller had come back, and my grandmother waited patiently inside my car.

I climbed behind the wheel. Immediately, she leaned between the seats with eagerness.

“So, how was it? Did you see her?”

I stayed silent for a while, glanced at her through the visor, and shook my head. Anger and disappointment clouded her face. She seemed genuinely upset I had missed the woman.

“So how are we going to return the ring when you couldn’t catch up with her? How can you lose her, Cupid?”

Still, I said nothing, though I wanted to tell her the ring is nothing worth getting mad about. It’s not really that expensive. Perhaps whoever that has it wanted to dispose of it.

But I kept quiet and instead, I stared ahead until she leaned back again, looking out the window. Then she glanced at me softly.

“Don’t you think it’s time you brought home a lady?”

I lowered my gaze at that. She had always been like this, but lately her nagging had grown worse. She kept pushing me to bring home a mate and give her a grandpup. But it isn’t that simple.

I am Cupid Godlike, last son of Alpha Rius. Mafia King of the underground Godlike Empire. A man trained for one purpose. To kill. I don’t love. My heart, my nature, my soul do not bond with anyone.

When I get horny, my hand for masturbation and occasional whores are enough. But for one single woman to steal my breath? Even the Moon Goddess wouldn’t be merciful enough to grant me that. Because I am… evil.

I glanced at the ring and sighed. My grandmother loved trying to hook me up with random women since I refused to comply. I dropped the ring into the compartment and murmured,

“I’ll return it to her when I meet her.”

With that promise, I started the engine and drove toward the Godlike Pack to take her home. Memories crept in as I passed through the snowy road.

It was a night exactly like this, cold, quiet, when I was thirteen. An orphan. A street thief. A pickpocket running wild until I crossed paths with Alpha Rius Godlike. According to him, he had seen a boy worth fathering.

He adopted me. Gave me a last name, a shelter, a family. Introduced me to his pack and his darkest secrets, the mafia empire. A world of illegal dealings where my role became clear. To preserve the legacy, expand the empire, eliminate threats.

Spilling blood became easy. I don’t get attached. I am trained. Skilled. Used to being lonely and cold. I have a frozen heart no warmth can melt, no woman’s touch can move.

Another holiday has come, but it will pass like all the previous ones which are spent in silence, in coldness, in loneliness, with no expectations. Just work, work, and more work.

Snowflakes

The automatic gates of Ares Mansion opened for me, and I drove in, parking my car in the garage. I stepped out, the gardener rushing forward to take my bag, but I ignored his help with a small smile.

Inside the house, I paused in the hall, unable to breathe for a few seconds. The ride home was supposed to make me feel better, but instead it made me feel even more miserable.

I moved away quickly. When I appeared in the living room, Ana, the maid, rushed to remove my coat.

“Should I make some warm tea for you, Madam?” she asked. But I didn’t respond. Instead, I stared at her, and the question settled heavily inside me.

Did she know too?

Dante, my brother, already knew it was Viviana who ordered for me to be raped and stabbed. Ana had been with us since Ares and I lived in his rented house. She used to come once a week back then.

Did she know too? Who else knew the truth?

That question throbbed in my mind as I climbed the spiral stairs silently and entered the matrimonial bedroom. Roses lay spread across the bed, the joyful tribute to the doctor’s verdict that I was healed enough to have pups.

Slowly, I turned away and walked to the window, staring out blankly. Tomorrow, by this time, would mark four full years since I was raped and stabbed.

My husband had never touched me sexually. His excuse was that he wanted me to heal, both physically and mentally. But now I realized why he spared me only the lightest kisses, because he had Viviana’s look-alike out there, satisfying every fantasy.

When he told me to focus on healing, to be ready because we would consummate our marriage tonight, I had been over the moon.

My phone vibrating snapped me back to reality. I dug into my bag and pulled it out. His message sat on the screen.

Honey, I’ll be working overnight at the office. I’ll be back tomorrow. I apologize. Love you.

I nearly smiled. Working. Yes, working on a bed with the woman I saw entering the suite earlier.

I didn’t respond. Instead, I sat on the bed and stared into blank space. Leaving the case wasn’t the only request I granted Ares four years ago. I left behind my ambition, my life as the youngest top profiler.

Back in university, in my final year, when the murder case shook the whole region and detectives were running in circles, I solved it with profiling.

The director of H.O.W.L, Human Order and Wolf Law Enforcement Bureau, believed I would become one of the greatest justice-makers.

He gave me an official invitation to come work in H.O.W.L.

I went viral. Every reporter talked about me. They said I had a brilliant future as a profiler. But I left all that behind to be a mere full-time housewife.

Sitting there now, I almost laughed in mockery at myself. I had overheard him just earlier. Ares said he loved me being dependent. And he was right. For four years, I depended on him completely.

But now… no more.

I am a woman in my own right. If the front cannot be pushed forward, then I must return to where I truly belong.

I grabbed my phone again, not to call my brothers or my father, but to call Seraphine Castle. My eldest brother’s fiancée. The daughter of the H.O.W.L director.

The call barely rang once before she answered, and then fell silent. That silence made my heart slam painfully.

Even though my human brothers refused to speak with me, I still texted them every day. I kept in touch with their fiancées and girlfriends. Seraphine and I often had dinner at a little restaurant, though she never came to Ares’s home. Roc, my brother, wouldn’t allow it.

“Sera?” I said softly, my voice breaking. She exhaled in relief.

“You scared me. Are you okay?”

I dropped my gaze, shame curling in my stomach. If only I had listened to my brothers. If only I hadn’t married Ares.

“I… I don’t know what to do, Sera. I don’t know what to do. And… I want to speak to my brothers, but I don’t know how. I want to accept the offer Director Castle made to me four years ago, but I doubt it’s still open.”

Silence filled her end for a long moment. Then she spoke softly, warmly, supportively.

“You’re the profiler who exposed a notorious murderer. A case even the most experienced investigators couldn’t solve. Of course the offer to join H.O.W.L is still open. And as for your brothers… how about I tell them? Maybe arrange breakfast or lunch with them so you can come over? What do you think?”

My heart clenched, but in a way that eased the ache. She didn’t question me, didn’t demand anything. Seraphine was always gentle.

I blinked hard, realizing how much I had given up for Ares. I bit my lower lip to stop the tears from spilling. Then I nodded and sniffed.

“Thank you, Sera. Thank you so much.”

“It’s fine. I love you. We all love you, Snow. The frost family all do. You know that, don’t you?”

New tears rolled down my cheeks. Yes. I knew. They were my only family, the Frosts, the ones who loved me without condition. Even knowing I wasn’t their true blood, they raised me with warmth. My brothers, overprotective as they were, loved me fiercely.

I ended the call and texted Dove, my best friend, to update her on my next plans. Then I walked to the medical report that declared me healed and ready to conceive. I tore it apart, shredded it into a thousand tiny pieces, before sinking to the floor, heartbroken.