8. A Shadow Of The Past.

“Luna, Alpha Alessandro is waiting. He asks for your presence.”

 I turned around, distracted from staring at my figure in the mirror, and looked at my personal maid, who wore a sweet contagious smile that exposed her pearly white teeth. She walked into the room and bowed her head at me. 

 Today was a special occasion. It was the annual meet of Alphas, hosted by the Alpha King of the City and, of course, Alessandro was to be in attendance, and I had to follow him there, my first time doing so.

 I didn't perform many duties as a wife; never once did I consider myself one. Alessandro and I had become really close, and he whisked the responsibility of being the father of my child. Then, after becoming the Alpha of the pack, he announced me as his Luna–a night I still remember to this day. 

 Flushing the thoughts down the drain, I looked at the two ornaments that laid on the polished table, unsure of what to choose. For over ten minutes, I had been stuck on which to wear, making sure I looked best for Alessandro. 

“How may I help you, ma'am?” Maria's sweet voice came with consolation.

“I really want to look good today. I'm not sure which of these two to wear. Here, have a look.”

 The two necklaces were beautiful. One was a golden and the other a diamond-studded necklace. They were both a gift from Alessandro on occasions I didn't quite remember, but I wanted which one was best.

“I’m almost done. I am just confused on which of these two necklaces to wear,” I said, expressing my worry to her. Like Alessandro would call it, I had a lot of female problems, which included deciding on what to wear. The two beautiful ornaments laid on the polished table. 

“Luna, you can wear any. Look at you, you are gorgeous,” Maria said, in an assuring manner, as her hands run down my arm.

“But,” I paused, turning around to stare at myself again in the mirror. “I want to look good for the alpha.”

  She smiled. “You're so in love with the Alpha, I must say,” she teased. 

“Come on, Maria.” Embarrassment flickered in my eyes as my cheeks flushed red. “He's the Alpha, my Alpha.”

“Well, you are wearing a beautiful red dress. I suggest the golden one would look better on you,” she said.

 I didn't know why, but I wanted to look the best for him today. 

 Throughout the years, I had felt attached, close to him. Even though we hadn't gotten close to intimate over the years, we lived together in the same room, and I felt the bond between us despite not being his mate. 

“I thought so. Thanks, Maria,” I said, delightful. Maria was a lifesaver. She was the kind of maid that always came to one's rescue with their bright ideas and opinions.

 I donned the necklace, staring at the reflection of the woman in the mirror. How far I had come.

 Over the years, I had tried to wash away the feeling of guilt and resentment for myself, but still…

“All set and ready to go,” she said. “I will go to inform the Alpha.”

“Would you like to join us and attend the meeting?” I asked, making her halt in her tracks.

“I'm sorry, Luna, but Alpha Side Diego wouldn't like that. I have work to do here in the pack,” she said, her face smeared with a bit of disappointment.

 Alpha Diego, Alessandro's father, was the stern and typical opposite of him. He had no tolerance for slacking and ruled the pack with an iron fist and even though he wasn't the alpha anymore, he still had a lot of power around the pack house.

“Okay, then. You can go. I will see you when I get back.”

 She giggled excitedly before walking out of the door. I left the room and headed down the stairs, wearing a flowery red gown and nice heels.

“Mommy, mommy! Dad, mommy is ready!” 

 The loud call of my little boy was like sweet music to my ears as he sprinted towards me. 

“Kieran, be careful,” Alessandro warned, but he wouldn't listen. He ran as fast as he could, his feet thudding on the ground. I pulled him into a warm hug immediately as my heart sank with joy.

“My baby boy, mommy is ready now,” I said. His smiley face exposed a big, toothy grin that made me smile.

“You're not looking bad at all,” Alessandro said, walking towards me slowly. I raised my head, and my mouth fell open as I stared at the man before me.

 It was as if this was the best he'd ever looked. His curly dark hair was shiny and glittery, complementing his overall look as he wore a classic white long sleeve shirt and black pants. He walked close to me, his domineering aura swirling around me, and gazed deeply into my eyes.

“Ready to go, Luna?” He asked, his voice low and sexy.

 I nodded my head in response, unable to say a word, smothered by his elegance.

“Mommy, I can't wait to see the Alpha King,” Kieran says, with his signature childish smile. 

 I wonder what little kids loved smiling about. 

“Well, Kieran, you will indeed see the Alpha King,” I assured him.

“Yes, mommy. I want to see the Alpha King, and the Alpha King's son, his grandson and his uncle,” Kieran said.

 I raised my brow in surprise. Exactly how kids behave. Goodness knows who he was talking about, but we'll see.

 Alessandro flicked him a stare and squatted. “My boy, you'll see these people. You'll also see Alpha King's ancestors,” he joked, a smile plastered on his lips. 

“I would love that,” Kieran said, his eyes glinting with excitement. 

“That's my boy,” Alessandro said, tousling his hair.

“Oh, come on, Mr. Alpha. It took me ten minutes to make his hair nice and well,” I complained, pressing my lips in disappointment.

“Ah, I forgot that, Mrs. Luna. But don't worry, our dear Kieran is super handsome. Let's just go on the occasion,” Alessandro said. “Right, my boy?” 

 He looked down at Kiki–a funny nickname I called him sometimes and Kieran returned the smile.

“Yes, daddy!”

 “See? Now, let's go.”

  He wasted no time in grabbing Kieran and carrying him to the car, and I followed behind to witness what could be the most important day of Alessandro's life.

 It was about a fifteen minutes’ ride to the venue. The annual alpha's meeting was in a particular venue, the biggest multipurpose building owned by the Alpha King himself, where all the alphas gathered to discuss. Alessandro had informed me that the Alpha King had a surprise for him, a promotion in position as he had explained, and I wasn't less excited to know what it was.

 He focused on driving as we passed through the road that led to the brink of the Moon View; the territory belonging to the Alpha King, while I listened to the constant blabbering and chatters of Kieran. 

 A wrought-iron gate opened up to a cobblestone driveway of the mansion. Immediately he stepped out, he rushed over to open the car door for me. I carried Kieran from the back, landing him carefully on the ground. It was a large mansion, three storeys standing tall in its grandeur. 

Several Alphas were with their mates and Luna, and I was lucky to be here with my Alpha.

“Ready to see me promoted?” Alessandro asked with raised brows, grinning with obvious ecstasy. I returned the smile.

“Of course, I'd love to.” I grabbed Kieran's hands to begin the walk towards the door of the mansion.

 Suddenly, a familiar pungent scent hit me. Anya, my wolf, was beginning to stir up, hit by the aura that swirled around us. This was a scent that I recognized, a scent of a powerful wolf. I halted in my tracks. My eyes rolled to the side, and a gasp escaped my lips as my gaze collided with his, locking us both in an intense moment. 

 The beast from my past, a man I never wished to see again. 

 Adrian. That monster.