South Mountain Pack Ch. 13

Vin tried not to laugh as he said, "There's nothing wrong with improving yourself, as long as you don't put others down while you're doing it."

"She told Daddy and Uncle Jerry that we needs to start acting more like you all," said Alec shrugging his shoulders. "Daddy said 'Luna forbid if they act like Damian'. I'm not sure what he meant because they started to laugh, but I don't think its bad cause Damian is cool."

Damian grinned and said, "Thanks little man, I think you're cool too." Alec visibly brightened under the praise from one of his idols. "See what I'm talking about, the bad ass image is starting to take root. Parents don't want their young ones to act like me. I'm becoming a legend," he said happily.

"They don't want their young ones to act like you because you're an idiot, not because you're a bad ass," said Lorenzo as Damian glared at him.

"Shut the fuck up," said Dom as he scanned the monitors. "You know Dad and Uncle Joe will want to know how we handled this and I don't want to tell them the two of you were arguing instead of doing what we've been trained to do. Get your asses in gear and take Gianni, Marcus, Enzo and Gino and check the house." The boys ran upstairs and checked the house completely, starting with the attic. Each room was visually checked and swept for listening devices or cameras that weren't part of their home security system.

"We'll get your backpacks but we need everyone to stay quiet for a little while and I don't want anybody to leave this room," said Vin as he looked at the young ones. Hope smiled at him and made a zippering motion across her mouth causing him to laugh before he turned back to the bank of monitors.

Twenty minutes later, Vin said, "We can go back to the TV room, but we'll leave the door to the safe room open. I want everyone to stay together, so no wandering around, okay?" Everyone nodded and when they were back in Frank's room he turned the TV on and said, "WHAG is showing footage of the reception."

They saw a reporter in the foreground with Senator Martin, his mate Allison, Dante, Carlo, Gina and Anthony in the background as they welcomed the guests and the camera moved from the reporter to focus on Anthony. "We have more information for the thousands of you interested...his name is Anthony Rossi; he is seventeen and a junior at South Mountain High School where he is the wide receiver on the football team, a power forward on the basketball team and third baseman on their baseball team. He is the only child of Carlo and Gina Rossi, which makes him the sole heir to the estimated $150 million Rossi fortune which includes the Rossi Grocery Store franchise and South Mountain Industries, the largest property group owners in Western Maryland," the reporter said as the camera panned in for a close-up of Anthony who was wearing a dark grey Armani suit, white shirt and a light grey and black geometric patterned tie. All eyes in the room swung to Sophia who was staring at her mate on the screen. "In response to the thousands of phone calls and emails our station and numerous other stations have received, we have gotten confirmation from an unnamed source ...sorry ladies, but he has a girlfriend."

Sophia sat up straight and everyone glanced at her as she shouted, "WAIT A MINUTE...WHAT DOES SHE MEAN BY THOUSANDS OF PHONE CALLS AND EMAILS ABOUT MY MATE? BUNCH OF BRAZEN BIT..." She stopped shouting when she realized there was young ones staring at her and threw herself back against the sofa and crossed her arms with a furious look on her face.

"Speculation is running rampant, but the smart money is on Victoria Martin, daughter of Senator Clay Martin and a fellow student at South Mountain High. According to our source, Victoria and Anthony are childhood friends who recently made the change in their relationship known to their families, who are thrilled and are waiting until they are older before an official announcement will be made. If this is true, a new political and financial dynasty may have been born here in Western Maryland," the reporter said as the screen flashed pictures of the Martin family at official functions along with pictures of the Rossi family.

The room was deadly quiet as everyone waited for the explosion and seconds later Sophia stood and screamed as only a fifteen year old girl can. It was loud enough to shatter eardrums and everyone put their hands over their ears until she finished. Anthony could feel her agitation and said, "What's the matter? Are you okay? WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON? ANSWER ME DAMNIT." When she didn't answer, he opened the bond to include her family and his parents and said, "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON? IS SOPHIA OKAY? IS SHE HURT? WHY IS SHE UPSET? SOMEONE BETTER FUCKING ANSWER ME NOW."

Vin swallowed loudly before he said, "Uhmm... Anthony, the news reporter for WHAG just announced Victoria as your girlfriend, she said it was confirmed through an unnamed source. And...ugh Sophia isn't taking it well, she screamed so loud my ears are still ringing and she's gasping for air. I don't think I've seen her this mad since Gianni cut the head off her favorite baby doll and Dom ran over it with his dirt bike." Vin realized he was rambling and shut up as he stared at his sister who was turning a remarkable shade of red.

"Paulo, find out who this fucking unnamed source is NOW. As soon as I find out who it is, I'll deal with them. Right now, I need someone to make sure my mate is okay until I can get there," said Anthony continuing to smile and shake hands.

"Ant, she's on the recliner with Maria and she's holding her," said Lorenzo. "The girls are telling her not to worry about it and Brooke and Hope are telling her about their day. She's starting to calm down."

He could still sense his intendeds agitation and said in a calm soothing tone, "You mean everything to me and I don't like it when you're upset so please calm down. You know you're the only one in my life Arachide, the only one I want."

"You know you're the only one in my life and the only one I want too," she replied and started to smile when she heard him start to growl. "I'm fine; now pay attention to what you're supposed to be doing, Mr. Alpha-Heir."

"I need more laptops," shouted Paulo from the safe room. Vin and Dom went upstairs to get their laptops bringing them into the safe room where Paulo was calmly eating a bowl of ice cream and snacking on pretzels. He powered up one of the laptops and two minutes later he shouted, "GOT IT." He showed the screen to Vin and Dom who looked at each other with their mouths open in disbelief. "Ant, Victoria made a call to WHAG, actually she made two calls; one from the house phone and the other from her cell phone. I'm not saying it's her, but she's the only one from the Pack who contacted the station."

"Thanks, I'll deal with her later," said Anthony as he looked at his father. "We're going to have to tell the reporter the truth; I will not let anyone think I am dating Victoria. I will not disrespect my mate like that."

"Frank and Anthony calm down, remember where we are," said Carlo as he looked into the ballroom and saw Frank staring at Clay with narrowed eyes. As he shook hands with Savannah he said in a low voice that even with her advanced hearing she barely heard, "Talk to Frank." He smiled and said in a normal tone, "It's good to see you again Savannah, I'm glad you could make it on such short notice."

"I was thrilled to be invited Carlo," said Savannah with a smile. "I'm going to circulate and we'll catch up later." As she entered the ballroom, she made eye contact with Frank and glanced towards the bar in the far corner and they casually made their way towards it. Unlike the other two bars in the room, this one wasn't crowded and Savannah said, "Carlo said I needed to talk to you."

Frank glanced around, and seeing Amy looking at them he smiled and whispered, "Don't let anybody know my sons are mates with the Miller girls. Also, be careful what you say around Amy Briggs, she's one of those who is betraying us. We need to talk privately, there's more but I don't want to talk about it here." She was well trained as an Alpha and an attorney not to let her expressions betray her but it took all her self control to maintain a neutral expression.

"I know Amy and I can't believe she's betraying you. I know she's ambitious and wanted her husband to get the position on the Advisory Board, but betrayal?" she asked as she glanced around the room, narrowing her eyes when she saw Amy look away from them quickly. "She looks guilty about something."

Frank nodded and looked over the crowd, "Believe it Savannah. She has a gambling addiction and is desperate for money, there's no telling what she'll do. Carlo will call you tomorrow and make arrangements to talk in private."

"Even though I'm friends with Amy, I trust your judgement completely and if you tell me she is one of those betraying us, and yes I said 'us', then I believe you," she took a deep breath and forced a smile on her face. "I don't want anyone to get suspicious if they see us talking too long, plus I've got to pay my respects to Gabe and the others." Frank nodded and they went their separate ways.

"Mr. Rossi, all of the expected guests have arrived Sir," said Marco as he leaned in close to Carlo. "The camera crews that are outside would like the opportunity to come inside for additional video, if that meets with your approval."

"Certainly, have one of the parking valets escort each crew and make sure they stay on the edge of the ballroom and don't disturb the guests," he replied and then turned to Clay and Gina saying, "Since Gina had the foresight to invite the Arboretum and Historical Society members, I think now would be a good time to announce the plans to add the fence to the schoolyard. Clay can make a speech about wanting to preserve a historical feature in his district and emphasize local craftsmanship."

"Give me ten minutes and I'll have the speech ready," said Clay as his Chief of Staff hurried off to a quiet room to get it ready. "I'll make sure to mention all of the food this evening was locally produced to highlight our district."

Carlo nodded and said, "Let me know when you're ready." He watched as Clay walked away and then motioned for the WHAG reporter to come over. "I heard what you said about my son and Victoria Martin. While Victoria Martin is a lovely girl, she is not his girlfriend. His girlfriend, whom I will not name due to her age, is a fifteen year old who is a childhood friend of his and they have recently begun dating. Next time if you want to know any information about me or my family, I expect you to ask me and not rely on unconfirmed sources...Do I make myself clear?"

"Ye...Yes Sir," Jessica Anders stammered out. "I'm sorry if I caused any problems, but she assured us she was reliable."

Carlo shrugged and said, "I know you are new to the station, so take this as your first lesson, if you want to get the truth...simply ask. You'll find most people would rather have the correct information out there then malicious rumors and gossip. And this will be your second lesson...you need to apologize to my son on air. You put out false information and you must own up to it and correct your mistake."

She nodded and said quietly, "Thank you Sir, I'll make sure I apologize on air, but I'd also like to apologize to him in person. And thank you for the advice."

"He's right over there," Carlo like her attitude and smiled at her before motioning for Anthony to join them. Even though she was human, in his gut he felt like she would be important to the Pack. "This will be your third and final lesson ... when you meet someone get their business card. Keep it in a file and write notes so when you talk to them, you can say...I met you at blank, or I talked to you at blank. It will help personalize your professional relationship with them. Cultivate these relationships with care and remember to always report the truth. People have a long memory and you don't want to associate yourself with scandal, maintain your dignity and integrity and you'll go far. With that in mind, let me be one of the first to give you their card and remember to call if you want to know the truth about me or my family. Now, after you finish with my son, come and find me and I'll introduce you personally to some influential people and to help you get your name out there, I'll have Dante give you an exclusive interview."

"Sir, I don't even know how to say thank you for your wonderful advice and getting an exclusive interview with Mr. Rossi? I don't even...What do I...," Jessica started to stammer and turned to her cameraman who looked just as stunned.

"Ms. Anders, you wished to speak to me?" Anthony asked as he approached them.

"Oh yes, I'd like to apologize for reporting the incorrect information about your girlfriend. I hope we can move past this," Jessica said as she tilted her head back and felt like a teenage girl as she tried not to giggle.

"I understand how false things get reported all the time Ms. Anders," he said with a smile which caused her to blush. "How about if you interview me, and we can clear up the misunderstanding."

She motioned to her cameraman and he hurriedly turned the camera towards them and the light was almost blinding as she began, "This is Jessie Anders and I have an exclusive interview with a person many are calling 'The most eligible bachelor in Maryland', of course I am talking about Anthony Rossi. Mr. Rossi, I'd like to apologize for the erroneous report earlier linking you to Victoria Martin."

"Good evening Ms. Anders. I would like to say on record that I am not dating Victoria Martin, she is an acquaintance of my family, her brothers play football with me and we socialize occasionally, but that's as far as things have ever gone with us. I am dating a wonderful young lady who is fifteen and means the world to me," Anthony said as he smiled into the camera. "Due to her age, I won't identify her and I would ask the media to refrain from trying to find out that information. Please remember we are normal high school teenagers in Maryland and not in Hollywood."

"Thank you for clearing that up for us and I hope you have a good evening," said Jessie as the cameraman turned the camera off. She looked over to the crowd of reporters and saw the jealous looks on their faces and smiled to herself.

At the Carlucci home, Sophia was smiling as her family started to relax. The older ones were discussing what movie to watch, while the young ones and little ones had been put in the safe room as they fell asleep.

At the Martin home, Victoria stood up and screamed as she threw her glass at the flat screen TV cracking it. "That fucking bitch...she always wins."

"What did you do Victoria?" asked her twin Greg in a worried tone. "You'd better not have been involved in that mess. Dad and Alpha Carlo will freak."

"Will you shut the fuck up and let me think," she snarled as she paced back and forth. The Hammond and Mendez boys looked at each other wishing they were anywhere else. "Why did he have to deny it? He should have just let it go like I thought he would and then he would realize I was a much better mate than her. Even that stupid fucking reporter realized what a good match we are."

"Did you have anything to do with this?" Scott asked his twin sister Daisy.

She looked at Jade Mendez and hung her head, "We told her not to do it, but she wouldn't listen. She said if we didn't help her, then she would tell the boys in the Pack awful things about us. You know how vicious she can be and we didn't want our reputations to be ruined."

"You honestly believed her shit? How could you be so fucking stupid?" Scott stood up and said, "We're leaving. Victoria, stay the fuck away from my sister and if I hear one word that you said anything about her, you'll regret it."

"Oh, grow the fuck up Scott. You think I give a flying fuck about you or what you think you could do?" she sneered before turning her back on him. "I am a Senator's daughter, and her father builds fucking dog houses for a living. I need to be his mate with all the money and power that goes along with the position, she won't know what to do with it.... THAT FUCKING BITCH, STEALING WHAT SHOULD BE MINE." She picked up a vase from the end table and threw it at an antique mirror that had been in her family for generations; seeing what she was about to do, Joel pushed his sister down into the sofa cushions and covered her body to protect her as shards of broken mirror rained down over them.

"YOU'VE LOST YOUR FUCKING MIND," screamed their older brother Jake as he rushed to his sister and brother and seeing the cuts on his sisters legs and on his brothers arms and back, his eyes turned amber. He picked up Jade and snarled, "LOOK WHAT YOU DID, YOU FUCKING DELUSIONAL BITCH. STAY AWAY FROM MY SISTER. OPEN UP THE FUCKING DOORS AND LET US OUT OF HERE."

Greg hurried down the hallway and let the Hammonds and Mendez's out of the house, continuing to apologize to both families. On his return, he stood at the door to the living room and watched his sister continue to pace back and forth, and he said angrily, "Do you have any idea what Alpha Carlo is going to do when he finds out? You have no idea what you've done, do you?"

"Dad, the phone checks been finished, in the last two months she's received calls from 'pay as you go' phones. There's no way to find out who made the calls, but I traced the calls to a geographic location, that's the best I can do for now," said Paulo as he sat back in his uncle's chair. "The calls originated in New York...specifically upstate New York, where the Alpha Council is located."

His announcement was met with stunned silence from Carlo, Frank and Joe. "I'm trying to get more information, and I kinda uhmm hacked into the Council's network to find out who was there on the days the calls were made to narrow things down. I'm also trying to access the Briggs' emails and am running a program with specific search words going through the emails of those who work for the Council. It may take a while; I didn't realize how many people live at the Complex. One last thing, after I did the initial search for who called the TV station, I checked the emails. Jade, Daisy and Victoria sent emails to the station confirming Victoria's relationship with Anthony. I sent copies of them to Alpha Carlo's account."

"Good job Paulo, let us know if you find anything else," said Carlo as he could feel the rage building inside of him. He took a deep breath and smiled as he talked to the Italian Ambassador about selling more Italian goods in his grocery stores.

"Uhmm Dad, I have the programs running but do you think I could watch the movie with everybody else? I'll take my laptop with me," Paulo said in a low tone.

Joe sighed and said, "I'm sorry Paulo, sometimes we forget you're a teenage boy and put too much pressure on you. Go watch your movie; we can't do anything tonight anyway except gather information."

"That's alright Dad, I know my duty to the Pack," said Paulo as he picked up his laptop and started walking out of his Uncle Frank's office making sure to close and lock the door so no one could go in and disrupt his programs. He walked into his uncle's room in the basement and smiled at what he saw, the three leather sofas had all been turned to face the screen. On the back sofa, Vin had Brianna on his lap and was whispering in her ear as she giggled; Dom was leaning against the arm of the sofa with Morgan between his legs, she was leaning back on his chest and scenting his neck as he whispered quietly to her. On the second sofa was Sal who was holding hands with Gabby then Angelo, Victor, Sophia, and Gianni and on the sofa in front was the rest of the Miller girls. Alberto was on the recliner with Maria, his right arm around her shoulders while her left arm rested on a pillow and she was sound asleep, Papa Mike was in the other recliner asleep and the rest of the Carlucci boys were scattered around the floor. "What are we watching?"