Diego:I looked at Lea who was just as shocked as I was about the fact that I accepted, if I could call it that, her as my mate.But her words to Giovanni made all the difference to me, and though she didn’t know it, I couldn’t find myself thinking of hurting her after what I heard her say. And that was something that I did hope that she would try to understand one day.I had to be honest with her too, and I didn’t know how I was going to manage doing so when I put myself in such a situation. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to look at her if it was her. I shouldn’t be expecting her to do the same when I put her through this.“Diego, are you okay?” Lea asked, shaking her head in question after Renata walked out. “Don’t get me wrong, but you have been acting odd since we got here, and now I can’t help but find myself wondering whether or not you are okay.” “I am fine,” I said, and she frowned. “It doesn’t seem like it, and I am not only referring to Renata. You just admitted that I was
Diego:“The two of you argued, didn’t you?” Giovanni asked, his eyes meeting mine for a second before he looked down at the paper that he was reading. I could tell that he was curious, but he knew not to ask unless I wanted to tell him what I had in mind. And that was something that I was thankful for. The value of what we called ‘privacy’ within this pack. “The two of us are going to keep arguing a lot as we go on. Anyway, what are you reading?” I asked, shaking my head in question. He shook his head and shrugged.“Just a few papers that we need to run over and check. We are going to need to choose whether or not to accept the agreements too. I am going to run them by the lawyers after you’ve read them.” He said, and I raised an amused eyebrow. “Nothing better than breaking them in the most legal possible way, no?”“You are slowly draining Miran, aren’t you?” I asked, and he smirked. “Easy money from a weakling. He thinks that he is powerful because of his father’s money, but it is
Lea: “Good morning,” I said, smiling at my colleague, Bianca, who was sitting in front of the counter, waiting for the first customers today. Her sleepy eyes met mine, and I shook my head as I tried stopping myself from laughing at how she nodded at me, not even bothering to respond back. I didn’t expect her to be ‘alive’ or ‘fully functioning’ until a few hours later anyway. We just had to make sure that the first customers got their orders right, and their change wasn’t given back more or less than what it needed to be. “Ah, I see that your vacation is finally over.” My boss, Mr. James said, walking toward me. His eyes were stern, and he looked me up and down, eyeing my uniform carefully. It was something that I found uncomforting, but I knew better than to say a word until I managed to find myself a different job. “I am back and ready for work, sir.” I said, and he nodded. I didn’t wait for a response before dismissing myself to the kitchen, knowing that it was often best not t
Diego: I frowned when I saw her, my mate, walking out of the kitchen. Having caught her scent, I expected her to be here for dinner, but I was more than a little surprised when I saw that the restaurant was already empty when we arrived and that SHE walked out of the kitchen. Her eyes were fixed on mine for a few seconds, and though I saw her hesitation in them, she didn’t make a sound. I looked at James, and I knew that he could see my anger in my eyes. He followed my gaze, and when it landed on Lea, he frowned in confusion. “Is there anything wrong, boss?” He asked, angering me even more than I was. Giovanni, who was standing by my side, walked to Lea, and wrapped his hand around her arm, pulling her to us. I knew that he wasn’t hurting her, but thankfully, Lea wasn’t resisting. Otherwise, we were going to have to deal with other things that I didn’t want to be dealing with right now. I was annoyed enough as it was, and knowing her, I knew that she could see it in my eyes. “Need
Lea: “Who the hell was that man, Lea?” Caspian asked the second I walked into the kitchen. The fact that I knew that Diego could easily hear everything if he wanted didn’t slip my mind, but I knew not to bother about it right now. I had work to tend to, and the idea of being distracted was not something that I wanted. “Her boyfriend, according to what he said.” Tania said, crossing her arms over her chest as she stood, leaning against the doorframe. Her jealousy could be heard, dripping from her tone, and I couldn’t help but find myself growing somewhat annoyed by her attitude toward me. “I say that he’s too good looking for her. He seems to be fucking loaded too…” “Is it true?” Caspian asked, looking heartbroken. I froze, not knowing what to tell him. One side of me didn’t want to lie to him, but I knew that IF I chose to tell him that it wasn’t true, I was going to make it out as if Diego was lying. In truth, he was, but that wasn’t a title that I wanted fixing around him. Plus,
Diego:It took everything in me to watch my mate serving us through the night, but I knew that the two of us talked about this, and the idea of her being angry about me not wanting her to work here was something that amazed me.But when I saw her eyes meeting mine and the small smile that was on her lips as she saw me ignoring what I knew for her sake was something that I was happy about. At least, she knew and understood that I wanted to make something of our mating bond. The mistake that I made was not accepting it from the beginning of this.“Boss, are you coming?” Giovanni asked, shaking his head, noticing that I didn’t follow him.Having finished the meeting a while ago, the two of us just saw to the fact that our ‘guests’ left before we were to both turn to our car. But I had to admit, I didn’t want to leave. If anything, I knew that this was something for me to take advantage of. I winked at him and nodded at Lea through the window, watching as she cleaned the tables that we w
Lea:I put my jacket over my shoulders before walking toward the Alpha who was waiting for me.“I didn’t pay for the coffee.” He said, pulling his wallet out of his pocket. “It’s on the house.” I said, having already paid for it. I made and paid for the price of it, not wanting him to worry about it considering the fact that I was the one who asked him to come in.He raised an eyebrow at me before nodding, choosing not to press on the topic when he knew that everyone’s eyes were on the two of us. I knew that Mr. James was now more curious about me being with Diego than anything. He opened the door for me, and I smiled when he held it, watching as I walked out. He walked out and let the door go.“Where are we going?” I asked, and he smiled.“I figured that we could walk around for a little while. I didn’t think of a restaurant,” he said, and I smiled. I nodded and wrapped my arm around my jacket, closing it. I knew that no one would dare look at me when I was with him anyway, but I d
Diego: “What about you?” Lea suddenly asked, taking me off guard as the two of us walked in silence, enjoying the night’s cold breeze as it hit us. “You asked me why I didn’t become a chef, whether or not it was something that I liked. So, what about you? What did you want to become when you were older?” “I didn’t have much of a choice, actually.” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “I was born into something. You know, it was as if it was fate for me to become who I am, and I was built into it. I did study though, I went to business school and then settled as Alpha and who I am.” “Which is basically Capo dei Capi.” She said, lowering her voice. I chuckled and nodded, knowing that I wasn’t going to change it for the world. It had its downfalls and pain, but it was who I was. “Does it scare you?” I asked, and she frowned. “Why would it?” She asked, shaking her head in question. “I don’t know, the blood, the fights, money, what we do…?” “The idea of it is scary, yes. You know, knowin
Third person point of view: “You are not going to call him to your side, Diego.” Luna Claudia snapped at her son, knowing that he was going to call the one man that she did not want him working with. The one person who she saw as a threat to him since he was born. The main reason why she believed that her eldest died. “He is an acquaintance, mama. The two of us share the same cause, and you know that very well.” Diego said, looking at his mother whose eyes were wide at her son’s statement. She shook her head, refusing to hear her son out, not wanting to listen to what he was going to tell her. Lea, his wife, who was sitting pregnant with their first child, put her hand on her stomach, knowing that this was going to grow intense. They were going to have to convince the Luna who she knew wouldn’t listen. She couldn’t blame her. When she heard who this acquaintance was, even she was surprised that her husband was willing to work with him. “That acquaintance of yours is your threat, D
Lea: Flashback: “Will you marry me, Lea Auditore…?” Diego asked, looking me in the eye. His eyes were filled with love, and though I didn’t even know how to respond at that moment, too perplexed, compelled, and surprised to find a proper response, I couldn’t help the tears that fell from my eyes at the sight. I took a step back for a second before he spoke, knowing that he took me off guard. “I know that I came out as sudden as I did, and I know that this was the last thing that you would have expected after the short period of time the two of us spent together. But Lea Auditore, I have never been so sure about anything else.” He said, keeping his eyes on mine as he spoke. “I realized when we were in Rome that I was never going to be able to live my life without you. That I knew that I would be incomplete without you by my side, and that is something that I knew to value. It cost a lot, and I know that the two of us were broken in many ways that would crush a person’s soul. But I k
Diego: I smiled as I saw my beauty looking at me, walking down the aisle with her brother holding her hand in his. The smile that was on her face was one that I knew wouldn’t leave my thoughts, and the way she walked, confidently, was something that I couldn’t but admire. I knew that it was her brother’s presence by her side, and I knew to value the man more by the day for what he was doing right now. Their eyes met for a moment, and I could swear that my mate’s smile was going to rip her face. The happiness that I saw in her eyes was one that made my world stop. For once in my life, something felt whole. Everything in my world felt whole. Flashback: “I want the two of you to know that this is not a game that you are playing,” Mario said, looking Lea and I in the eye. The two of us were in their pack as Lea chose to want to speak to the man. She wanted to be the one to tell him about the engagement, and though he was already aware that I wanted to propose, I was thankful and ha
Ezra: “What are you doing here?” I asked, shaking my head at Renata who was staring into space. His eyes met mine, she sighed, shaking her head. “I am going to watch the man that I love marry the woman, an omega who came to the pack, and ruined everything for me. What do you expect me to do aside from watch?” Renata asked, looking down at her feet. Her eyes welled up with tears and the woman shook her head as she wiped them. Her heart raced, and I could see that she was doing her best to hide how she was feeling. “Did you ever put in consideration that maybe you and Diego were not meant to be? I mean, not as meant to be as you believed that you were?” I asked, and she scoffed, shaking her head. “Up until the woman entered his life, the two of us were never having trouble. Even when we were, we always managed to solve them. Yes, I understand, I made a mistake, I cheated on him.” She said, and I stayed quiet, allowing her to let out what she was feeling. I had no right to judge her
Lea:Diego wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me to his chest as the two of us walked around the pack grounds. It was a while into the afternoon, and the sun was setting. It being winter, the sun was setting a little earlier than usual. I didn’t mind though, I loved it when winter came. It was one of my favorite seasons. “What are you thinking of, neonata?” Diego asked, catching my attention. I smiled and shook my head in response. I wasn’t thinking of anything, actually, I was embracing the moments of us being together, happy, content, and proud. At least, I knew that something came out right after everything that we’ve been through.“There is a lot going on in my mind, but I am guessing that the main thing right now is me being with you.” I said, and he smiled, shaking his head at my vague answer. In truth, I had nothing in particular that I was thinking about. There was my father, who I still tried to understand until today.How he had worked with the devil himself? How di
Diego: I had to admit, it was hard to enter the pack without Giovanni by my side. The pack was already aware of him passing away, but I still found it difficult to face them when they looked at us, clearly hoping for the news to be false. I wished that it was. “Diego,” Renata said, approaching us. She looked at me with tears in her eyes, and I shook my head before wrapping my arms around her, pulling her in for a hug. Lea didn’t say a word, nor did she react, if anything, she purred in response, assuring me that she understood the pain that the woman was in. We all grew up together, Renata, Giovanni, and I. When we left the pack, it was done together, but now… “How?” She asked, pulling away, shaking her head in question. “How did it happen?” I held my breath. I didn’t even want to think of what happened. The man was doing his part to ensure that the area was well guarded, that she would come alone only to end up being a victim. A victim, my beta, who died to keep me safe. And to m
Lea: “Welcome home,” Diego said, smiling at me as the plane landed. I smiled and took his hand in mine, gently squeezing it, knowing that he still needed my assurance as his mate after what he’s been through. I didn’t know how he felt, how he truly felt, after losing Giovanni and coming home without him. The smile on his face told me that he was okay, but I wasn’t blind; I knew him well to know that fire was eating him from the inside as he knew that he wouldn’t see his best friend by his side in his home again. His room was to be a reminder, the pack grounds were too, but I knew that this was a life circle. We lived, we grew, we passed away. Some died children, others as young adults, and only a few got to make it to living a long life. It just depended on how we lived our lives. This was what was going to make the difference, and that was something that I knew my mate understood after losing his beta. “It feels good to be back.” I said, looking out the window as the door opened
Diego: “What did you and Ezra talk about?” Lea asked, laying on my chest as we sat in our bedroom. I chuckled and shook my head at my mate’s curiosity. It was one that I loved, and I couldn’t help but smile as I leaned in to connect my lips with her temple. “You’re not going to tell me, are you?” “Sometimes, there are conversations that my woman is not aware of. You know, we spoke as two men, and I chose to speak to him about a few things just as he gave me his opinion about others.” I said, and she pouted but nodded. I ran my finger over his shoulder, gently massaging it before looking out the window where we could see most of the city. “You know, I am going to miss this place. Regardless of what we’ve been through, but it is the place that had me knowing you. A part of me would be left here as well,” I had to force myself to keep my eyes away from my mate as I was referring to my best friend. I didn’t know how I was going to go home without him. I never imagined being away from hi
Ezra: “Are you sure that you’re okay, Ezra?” Lea asked, and I took a deep breath. I wasn’t okay, but I knew that there was nothing that I could do about it. The woman, my mate, was an enemy. I didn’t understand why I was chosen for this, but I was sure that there was a reason. “Would it make a difference if I said no, Lea?” I asked my sister. She looked down at her feet, avoiding my eyes. The two of us were close to the hotel, but I didn’t have it in myself to go inside the room. And Lea was being kind enough to stay with me, supporting me with what she could. “At least I would know what you are thinking, brother. I don’t know you enough, and you know that very well. I cannot blame you for that, but I am trying to understand you.” She said, and my eyes softened. I took her hands in mine and gently kissed her knuckles. She was a reminder of my mother. When I was a child, mom would speak to me the way that she was right now. “I am tired, and I am angry. But I know that I don’t have