The Alpha's Promise ✔️

C H A P T E R 52

Angry Ally

"Perfection is unattainable. It's stained by the suffering required to chase it."  -Emery Winthrop (Devious Lies)

ZANE DE LUCA

"Zane! Go help Hiro set up the tables!" Alessandra shouts at me. She stomps away to go yell at someone else for whatever they must be doing wrong and Hiro shoots me a look conveying that my mate has gone crazy.

"Ricardo! Have you always been an idiot? I told you to hang the lights on the gazebo, not the tree!"

"Who you callin' an idiot? You might be Luna but I'm still your older brother," Ric says.

Wrong thing to say, my man.

Alessandra's face turns an angry shade of red I've never seen before.

That's my cue.

"Amore, let's go inside and look at what your mom is cooking up."

"You're right, I have to check if she's using the right recipes," she says, before turning around and speed walking towards our house.

"How about we just taste test?" I ask as I approach her in the kitchen. 

"Fine."

Her hand grasps a wooden spoon that she uses to scoop up a small dollop of marinara sauce. She blows some air onto it before bringing it to her lips. She must only taste it for a second before her face contorts into a grossed-out grimace.

"Ay! This is terrible! What did you put in this ma?"

I resist the urge to slap my palm against my forehead. There are a lot of things you do not say to an Italian woman. Insulting her cooking is definitely at the top of the list.

"Excuse me? My sauce is perfect!" Valentina shouts. Her eyebrow quirks and her hands go to her hips as she dares her daughter to say anything negative regarding her cooking. 

Handling one angry Romano woman is a challenge in itself, but two? That's impossible.

"Really? It tastes like dirt to me," Alessandra remarks.

"Alessandra, come on, that's not nice," I tell her.

Her eyebrows furrow.

Goddess, please just get me through the day.

"Try it, then," she says, bringing the spoon to my lips. I want to argue because there is no way this will end well for me, no matter what I say.

Gingerly, I taste the sauce and I'm not exaggerating when I say it's heavenly. I open my mouth to voice my opinion but Alessandra's eyes stop me. They have that I-dare-you-to-argue-with-me look that always scares me but Valentina Romano also scares me.

"It's good," I croak out. It seems like the answer that will get me in the least trouble with Alessia.

"Of course you would say that, you're never on my side," Alessandra snides, before stomping away.

I tilt my head back and pray that the rest of the day goes by in supersonic speed.

"She does this when she's stressed, don't worry she's not actually mad at you," Valentina says, quickly coming to her daughter's defense even if she's angry with her.

"I know, but it seems like nothing I've done today has been right in her eyes."

"Oh my poor Zane, it's okay. It's a Romano trait, I'm sure you can ask my husband for some pointers on how to deal with it," she says before patting my cheek and walking away.