And how about we start tying the loose strings. Who's ready to go to Rome?
Lea: I had to fight back the anger that I felt upon hearing everything that I was learning. My heart raced, and for a second, it felt like my world was crumbling, but I knew to stay calm and quiet in front of the others. Diego had enough as it was, and the last thing that I wanted was to add up to the fuss. “You’re quiet,” Mario stated, noticing the calmness that I was in. To be honest, I didn’t even know what I was supposed to say. The anger that I felt surely reflected in my eyes, I knew that very well, but I didn’t know where things were going from here, but I surely wasn’t excited. “I keep finding out about facts that I know that I wouldn’t have known if this didn’t happen. I don’t know how I am supposed to feel about it, Mario,” I said, keeping my eyes out the window. My shoulder was patched and stitched, but I knew that things were going to be a lot more difficult as things went on. With Cosimo being the traitor all along, I didn’t know how we were going to be dealing with th
Diego:“You never told me about Rome,” I said, looking at mom who looked away from me.Giovanni was listening as he drove us to the airport where our plane was already waiting. Lea was already there with Mario and Ezra.Our eyes met as she looked at me, and I saw regret in her eyes.“I haven’t told you about a lot, and it is not just Rome. However, if you wish to hear of it, it will not be from me. The man is going to tell you everything that I don’t want you to find out about, and if I may add, he is going to be sure to make it as appealing for you as possible to go and risk your lives.” She said, looking at Giovanni and I. “Mama, hiding this from me is not going to mean that you’re saving my life. And even if you think that you are, you’re not. You’re putting me in more danger with what you’re doing, and our enemies, our MAIN enemy, are going to take charge of it.” I said, and she took a deep breath as she looked away.“It was what he knew that got him killed. What he learned from
Lea: I looked at my mate whose eyes held more pain than I could understand. I knew that he was calm earlier, but I couldn’t understand what was going on. He wrapped his arm around me, pulling me to his chest. “Are you okay?” I asked, and he smiled. “Define okay,” he said, and my eyes softened as we looked one another in the eye before he nodded at his plane. The fact that he had a plane came as a surprise to me, but I knew that it was to be expected from a Capo dei Capi, and though I didn’t know how I felt about the fact that I was accepting him as a mate, that the two of us were fully accepting one another as mates; I knew that I was more than a little happy and thankful for that. “How about we go inside? I think that it is best that we do so.” I nodded and he wrapped his arm around me, pulling me toward the stairs where Ezra was waiting for the two of us. I had to admit, I was thankful for the fact that we were no longer arguing as much as we did, and the fact that we came to
Diego: It took everything in me to watch my mother being in the pain that she was in without reacting to it. The anger that I knew that she felt was not one that I could ignore. She was laying on the bed while Mario ran his fingers through his hair, gently massaging her scalp while she was holding the blanket to her chest. Lea, Giovanni, and Ezra were in the living room while we were inside the bedroom with mom. And though I wanted to leave mom and Mario alone, I knew not to, not right now at least. “It is the first time that I’ve heard his name being said in years, do you know that?” Mom asked, suddenly speaking for the first time since she entered the room. Her chest rose and fell with each breath that she took, and her eyes were red and swollen from crying. “I thought that not saying his name was going to make it easier. It didn’t,” “Claudia…” “I don’t want to live through this pain anymore, Mario.” She said, stopping him. “I am tired of living in fear because of the mistake
Lea: “What are you thinking of?” Ezra asked, shaking his head in question, noting out that I have been quiet for a while now. “A lot.” I said, and he raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by my response. “I’m willing to pay for you to share.” He said, nudging my shoulder, making me laugh. “I am learning so much in so little time, and sometimes, I don’t find myself knowing what I am going to do with what I am learning. I just know that if I make a mistake, it might cost a lot, but if I don’t, I will be saving many. The issue is, I don’t know what the mistake would be and how I would know to stop it before it happens.” I said, and he nodded. “It just feels like I was thrown in front of a huge responsibility load, and I don’t know whether or not I am worthy of it. I know that it sounds stupid and foolish, but sometimes I can’t help but find myself feeling completely lost.” “Well, how about you try and start feeling like you are going to succeed? And believe me, you will.” He said, mak
Cosimo: I tapped the dining room twice, getting lost in thoughts at the number of things that I still had to do. On one hand, I had to deal with Claudia, who now believed that she could not only easily escape, but that she could do as she pleased and would easily get away with it. On another hand, I had my son. The man was rebelling greatly, and seemed to forget who the real Alpha was regardless of the title that he’s given himself over the people that pretend to be allies with him. Then there was the little Auditore. The woman was giving me more fuss than I should have accounted for, and I knew that if I didn’t break that soon, she was going to keep growing stronger. And the stronger she became, the more dangerous she was. And that was not something that I had to end, that is, of course, if we were to keep our reign up. “We are going to have to control them, Cosimo. They keep growing stronger, and if this proceeds, then they won’t only target Italy.” Mikhail, one of my Russian pa
Diego: “This is one crowded city,” I stated, and Lea laughed. “Well, what do you expect of the city of history?” She asked, smiling at me. She looked at the colosseum as we passed, and I couldn’t help but wonder how they built such a thing during that time period. I doubted that we would be able to master most of what they did, and I knew that we had thousands of other tools that would be able to help us do it. “Touché,” I teased, and Lea smiled. Her eyes met mine, and I could tell that despite her being quiet, that a lot was going on in her mind, and I couldn’t blame her. There was a lot going on, and I knew that the deeper we went into this, the harder it was becoming. “We are being watched.” Giovanni stated, and I raised an eyebrow, following his gaze as he nodded toward a couple who were walking around, carrying ancient Asian umbrellas. I knew that they didn’t do well at concealing from the sun, but they did give them the tourist kind of intonation. “Another man to your left,”
Lea: “This should mask your scents. No one would be able to catch it, no matter how strong they believe they are, and even if they were of Alpha bloods; the maximum that they would get is another Alpha being around. But then again, with the number of Alphas that are around, I doubt that it would make a difference.” Luna Claudia said, handing me a small bottle. It contained a few mixed herb essences, and I nodded, rubbing a little on my neck and wrists as I saw Diego and Giovanni doing. “You are going to need to be careful, and you can be emotional…” “Why would I be…?” “Lea, you are kind hearted. The things that Cosimo did are beyond you and they are not ones that you can process. The issue would be on the fact that you are going to need to relax when you see the man.” She said, looking me in the eye as she stopped you. “We were all in your shoes once, and we learned to somehow control our emotions. That is something that you are going to train yourself to do.” “The man killed my mo
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