Lea:“You got what you wanted,” Renata said, entering the library where Ezra and I were reading through a scroll. The two of us frowned at one another then at the woman whose eyes were swollen and red from crying. Her heart raced, and I saw Ezra frowning as he looked at her. “I am going to stay in the pack, as you may know, I don’t have anywhere to go. You are going to be respected, and…”“You know, Renata, it really doesn’t have to be as if you are forced.” I said, stopping the woman. Ezra looked at the two of us, and Renata shook her head.“I am going to watch the man that I wanted to be with, being happy with another woman. I am going to force myself to pretend that it didn’t bother me, and to make matters worse, I am going to watch the two of you have your own family while I rot in the dust.” She said, and I looked at Ezra. He nodded at me and took a step back, closing the scroll before he walked out of the room, leaving the two of us alone. I could tell that he didn’t like where
Ezra: “Do you really believe that I fell for one lie that you tried feeding my sister?” I asked, looking at Renata as she walked out of the library. The woman didn’t say a word for a few seconds, but when she turned to face me, regardless of the pain that I saw in her eyes, I saw a sense of satisfaction. “I don’t need you believing anything. At this point, Ezra, I have nothing to lose. You know for fact that I chose every method that a woman would be using, and nothing worked on him…” “And you are giving up so easily? After fighting for so long, you expect me to believe that you intend to just ‘give up’?” I asked the woman, knowing that she wasn’t going to drop things as easily as Lea saw or hoped. I wasn’t dumb, nor was I blind, but this was an act that I knew all too well, and the sudden change in demeanor as she tried getting information only gave her out more than she thought. “I do not intend to give up. Do not get me wrong, but I have my plans and I have my ways when it comes
Diego: “What are you doing?” Giovanni asked, frowning in confusion when he saw one of the pack gammas, Charlie, and I setting the pack arena for a bonfire. “We are setting a bonfire.” Charlie said, and Giovanni frowned. I knew that both men didn’t understand what I was going on about, but I knew that when I brought up the memory, both mom and Giovanni were going to recall it. It was the one that we had when my brother died. Cosimo left town at the time, he didn’t even bother waiting with mom for her to heal, and now I understood why. He was the one who killed my brother, but I was going to relive the memory. We were going to have a proper bonfire for him, one that he would have liked to see for himself when he passed away a very long time ago. The memory was still fresh in my mind. I could still remember the gun being fired, and his body freezing. The gunshot was one that I heard for the first time. Mother never allowed me to use one in the first place, and the only reason why I h
Lea: “Are you okay?” I asked, wrapping my arms around Diego from behind as I sat on the edge of the bed beside him. He put his hand on mine, and I gently massaged his shoulders. He squeezed my hand gently, and pulled it to his lips, gently kissing my knuckle, making me smile. “Everything that we’re doing, that we learned. I am guessing that it is just taking more energy from me than I could think of.” He said, and I nodded, kissing his shoulder. I laid my chin on it, and he purred, allowing me to rest in his embrace. I knew that he was at least feeling a little more peace with me by his side. But I also knew that it would be temporary with everything that we were going to have to do. “I never thought that I would know the truth about what happened. And now that I do, I don’t know how to feel about it.” “You are not expected to know what you feel when you’re going through a hardship like this, Diego.” I said, massaging his right bicep gently. He ran his finger over my palm, gently i
Lea:“Is everything alright?” I asked, walking downstairs to notice that everyone was dead quiet.Diego managed to finally get some shut eye, and though I knew that I could use a little sleep; the fact that the pack was as quiet as it was took me off guard. “We got a warning,” Mario was the first to speak. I frowned in confusion, and shook my head, watching as Ezra handed me a parchment. I stared at it for a second before opening it, bracing myself for what I was going to read, knowing that the pack members would not be as quiet as they were nor would they be having such an eerie vibe if it wasn’t something that was serious. “Where did it come from?” I asked, shaking my head in question. “Doesn’t have a name, but we don’t need to wonder or think twice about who we are currently having as an enemy, do we?” Ezra answered, and I shook my head. The fact that I knew that we had more than one enemy to deal with didn’t come off guard. But it didn’t take me long to realize that it would ei
Diego: “What is this, mama?” I asked, frowning in confusion at the sight of the box that was in front of me. Her eyes met mine and she looked down at it before opening the box. Weapons, ancient ones, fell on the ground in front of us. She nodded at them, then she looked at Mario. “Care to explain or should I?” She asked, and Mario rolled his eyes. “We brought them here from our pack grounds. We figured that it would be best for you two to start training using them, and I knew that there was no better way to start doing so than to bring them here. As usual, your mother may or may not like that, but at this point, I care less about what she might think of this when it is your lives that are in danger.” Mario said, and mom shook her head. “Whoever it is that we are fighting, Cosimo included, are going to have stronger weapons, more developed. And believe me, if we are going to keep giving them less power, they are going to end up being harmed. And I do not intend to lose my son…”
Cosimo: “You are delaying things to your own benefit, and with each passing day, with each passing minute, they are growing stronger. It is not something that we want, Cosimo.” My elder, Jasperrando del Mariucci said, glaring at me. I had to force myself to calm down, reminding myself that he was not only my elder, but that he was in charge of most of the funding that came to us. “What is it that is forcing you to keep that woman alive? Huh? Why are you so scared of killing her like you’ve done for both her mother and father?” “I believe that you are well aware that not only did we kill her mother and father twenty years apart, but she was far too young to have anyone around, and Bartolomeo was more than willing to work on our terms. We just failed to see that…” “The man was only making use of what you were offering him, and fucking hell were you offering a lot. The man wasn’t going to allow you to go near his daughter and you took zero advantage of everything that you got.” Jasperr
Lea: “What are you doing?” I asked, shaking my head at my mate. “This is your thousandth pushup right now. Your muscles are going to end up cramping up.” “You really don’t know your mate enough, do you, neonata?” He asked, making me blush at the nickname that he was giving me. The fact that he was barely calling me my name now was something that I noticed. And though I wouldn’t dare point it out, I couldn’t help but blush whenever he did it. “If knowing you enough includes ten hundred pushups, then no.” I said, and he laughed. He sat up and shook his head at me, his smile making my heart melt as he cupped my cheek. He leaned in, connecting his lips with mine in a gentle kiss, and I couldn’t help but find myself smiling as I saw how genuine he was being. The two of us have chosen to go out for the day. It’s been a while since we did, and leaving the pack was something that we both wanted to do. If anything, I was more than a little happy knowing that I would be spending more time w
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