Chapter 6
When we had retrieved the hefty book, we headed back to Max's little house on the edge of Naples.
The book was incredibly thick and the pages as thin as Max's chance of success in life. The writing was minuscule making it hard to read the thousands of tiny names and dates of birth on each page. The first 500 hundred pages were hardly legib
A few days later,"We could go back to the Mafia archive," Max suggested as we continued to walk, exasperated from the heat of the exposed countryside and completely out of ideas of what to do about Milly. I can't remember how we even ended up in this particularly dry sunflower field but the strong powdery aroma was irritating my nose and the thick itchy stalks were getting on my last nerve as we tried our best to wade through them.
"On that hilltop, you will find an elderly man with a carved wooden staff. My pack refers to him as the Oracle and he has been able to help in many of our times of need. He may know how to help you too," she said gesturing to the peak of an inclination in the relatively flat land about a mile away. "Good luck on your quest," she added with what appeared to be almost a smile and in a much less solemn tone."Thank you Alpha..." I began before realising I didn't even know her name.
Three days later,It took us three days, two buses, four taxis and a horse to get to Venice meaning we had plenty of opportunities to formulate a plan."One more button," Max said looking at my shirt as
We ran along the rooftops of Venice. Leaping over alleyways and jumping various walls and obstacles as if we had been doing it our whole lives.And I was having the most fun I've had in three months.Th
One year ago,"Hot lemon and honey, fluffy socks and a warm water bottle for my favourite little girl," Leo said sitting beside me on the sofa. It was a new moon and I was pregnant with twins (not much fun at all).
Three hours later, I was still sat on the concrete floor of the cell completely alone. I had taken to throwing Max's stone up in the air and catching it out of sheer boredom. Staying in here for two months is certain to drive me insane.Fuck you, Luciano.
The boat was quite peaceful after Max had finally shut up and stopped threatening to throw me in the canal. And only then, when I actually had a moment to pause and relax, did I realise how beautiful Venice really is."Here is as far as I can go," the man said after about an hour of gliding along the emerald coloured water.
When I woke, I was back on the cold floor of the cell. I sat up and took in the emptiness of it. No bed, no food, no water and most importantly: no Maximus Megestanis."Where's Max?" I questioned Luciano who I could sense lurking in the darkness.
December 23rdCato’s point of viewI stood by my office window in the base, my Dad beside me. In the street below, a nurse walked Adelaide out of the hospital. When she flew in from Vermont two days ago, she couldn’t walk, her skin sickly white and her body frail and weak.Now we watched as she sprinted across the street to where her father was standing. She leapt into his arms as he squeezed her tight and swung her around, kissing her head repeatedly.“You may come to regret letting him walk free, Cato,” Dad said, “But must say, I’ve never seen him love anyone, let alone that much.”I’d spent all morning speaking to Adelaide. Everything she and Luciano said matched perfectly, giving me no reason to suspect any malicious intent.“Maybe he had no one to love until Adelaide came along,” I said, “With no parents and you as his only friend, it must have been lonely.&rdq
December 20th Cato’s point of viewWhen Dad and I came home, I was greeted by Jess striding down the hall. She grabbed my face in my cheeks and kissed me, clutching my shirt in her fist.“Thank you,” she said as I pressed my forehead against hers, “I’m so glad we’re all safe.”I glanced over her shoulder. Her parents sat in the living room, wrapped in blankets, watching us.“Have you told them about us?”She nodded as she took my hand to lead me into the living room. My Mom and Grandad sat with them, steaming cups of coffee in their hands.“Alpha,” Jess’s father said, getting to his feet, “Thank you again.”I nodded, but I couldn’t bring myself to smile. The last time I looked into those eyes, he was punishing Jess and me for loving each other.“... I also owe you an apology. I sho
December 20thCato’s point of viewLuciano sat on the opposite of the table, his wrists shackled and four guards in the room. My Dad sat next to me, staring at Luciano, not saying a word.“Why didn’t you just ask?” I said.Dad scoffed, “Because he knew the answer he’d get.”“I would never refuse to help a nine-year-old with terminal leukaemia,” I said.“Then your father failed to raise you well,” Luciano said, his eyes shifting from Dad to me, “You don’t help your enemies.”“He has his mother’s heart,” Dad said, “She helped you even after you gave Andrea Martinez the coordinates of the bunker all our children hid in.”“And if she hadn’t, you would be drinking champagne with your Lunas tonight. But here you are in a dark prison cell with me.”I res
December 20th- at duskCato’s point of viewI walked through the forest with Elias and Milly, only our heartbeats pounding in our ribcages to fill the silence. After crossing the border, we soon reached the designated meeting point.“Are you ready, Milly?” I asked.“I haven’t used my powers for anything other than healing in years,” she said, looking at her hands, “Let’s hope it’s a force of memory.”Two figures emerged from the shadows of the trees, the fading light falling on their faces.“Good evening, Alpha,” one said.He looked as Elias had described. An unsettling smile and dark boring eyes. A couple of feet behind him stood Nicolos Jones.“Grandfather?”With his face stony and cold, he didn’t utter a word.“Your Grandfather has decided I can offer him more than y
December 20th Leo’s point of viewElla and I were in the kitchen opening a bottle of champagne, awaiting all our family and friends for a party.“Is that the one we’ve been saving?” she asked.I drew behind her and rested my hand on her hip.“Yes. We have a lot to celebrate. I have finally retired, our son is successfully Alpha, and has found his Luna. Elias is also remarkably alive and maybe won’t be an entirely useless Beta.”She grinned as I leant in to kiss her.“I also have a beautiful mate and a reason to celebrate every day.”Through her sheer cotton dress, my fingers pressed against her curves. I had to drag my lips away and take a deep breath.“If I touch you any more, I won’t stop.”She turned and rested her hands on my chest.Her lips were millimetres from mine as her fingers
December 20th Cato’s point of viewWhen Elias, Jess and I escaped the crowd to a quiet part of the forest, I lifted Jess and spun around. She giggled and grabbed my face, pressing her lips against mine.“My handsome Alpha,” she said, running her hands down my chest, “And Elias, you never told me you were going to be Beta!”Elias’s lips twitched, “Well, we were busy running for our lives.”I put Jess on the ground as Elias held his shoulders tense, worry etched on his face.“What?”“I found Jess in Vermont,” he said.Vermont...“Alongside men with dark markings on their skin like those who attacked-”“Lili,” I whispered, “The ones after something from Stella.”Jess nodded, “We didn’t know until it was too late. When the Alpha learnt of my relati
December 20th - forty-five minutes before Cato becomes AlphaCato’s point of viewAfter a lot of hugging, crying from Granny, and congratulations from my Grandads, my Dad looked at his watch.“Shit, we don’t have long,” he said.My Mom glanced at Jess and Elias, her eyes wide. The forest entwined with their hair, rips left their clothes in ruins, and mud and dirt covered them head to toe. She took Jess’s hand.“I have a dress that will fit you,” she said, pulling her toward the stairs. “Cato, sort your Beta out with a suit.”Elias and I ran upstairs. He just had time to wash the mud off his face, comb his hair and slip into one of my old suits.“Very dapper,” I said as he came out of the bathroom, buttoning his sleeves.He gave me a twirl, a grin on his face, “Do I look like a Beta?”I cocked my head and examined him.“M
December 20th - the day Cato becomes AlphaElla’s point of viewCato stood in front of the mirror, dressed in his finest suit as I tied his tie. I wound the silk fabric around and tucked it underneath, finishing with a perfect knot. After smoothing his collar and straightening his jacket, I looked up.“How are you feeling?” I asked.His cheeks were taut, a mechanical expression holding his lips, and his eyes glazed.“Like this is going to be the worst birthday of my life,” he said, not taking his eyes off the reflection in the mirror.It was 11 am. The ceremony was just after midday at the time of the solar noon, but still no sign of Elias.“He’s not going to be here, is he?”I shook my head as he took a shaky breath.“But everyone else is. They’re all waiting downstairs.”I walked with Cato to the top of the stairs. In the ha
Ten days ago...Elias’s point of viewThe bus left me in the middle of Vermont’s most remote forest.I’d been travelling for eleven days, avoiding towns and main roads so Alpha Loren couldn’t track me. I only turned my phone on to text home when I could get a fast ride away from where the signal would trace to, and every time I rode the bus or train, I covered my face with my hoody.My plan was against Cato’s wishes. The Alpha and Luna would never allow it either. But this is what Cato needed, and I couldn’t let them stop me.I glanced around. That was the final bus I needed to take, meaning my destination was a short walk away, yet there was nothing except a rusty bus stop sign and trees for miles. But the coordinates led me here. This had to be it. So taking a deep breath, I stepped off the single-track road and headed West.The trees loomed over me, casting distorted, shadowy shapes on the ground