Arabella's POVThe house was massive and the more I explored, the more I found. It was around the same size as the current pack house but this one seemed slightly larger probably because it was empty. The rooms were wide and spacious, a mix of modern and ancient themes. I wondered how many years this pack house had been in use prior to Luciano deciding to move out.It was in a surprisingly pristine shape from all the maintenance Luciano supervised. I thought about how much power an Alpha had over his subjects, that they followed his every command like it was a mandate from heaven, that they could abandon their ancestral home just because it had made him uncomfortable... My father had ruled using that power to foster fear. Luciano's rule was more of a mix from the little experience I had with his pack. There was fear, admiration, love, and pity and like the man, I couldn't make an unbiased assessment of the rule itself."My lady, some fruit perhaps?"I nearly jumped, startled even tho
Alpha Luciano's POVEmery actually looked relieved to see me. I could have laughed if I hadn't been so angry. How stupid could one person be?"Luciano, you came. I knew that you would. We..we have so much history for you to toss me aside like this. I know now that what I did was wrong on so many levels. I made a mistake. Please forgive me."I looked at her dispassionately. Where was her remorse when she had killed my child? Where was it when she had handed Arabella over to a psychopath?"Who are your accomplices?""My accomplices? I don't have any. Luciano, it's not like I was planning it for a long period of time. I had a weak moment. That's all. I'm not a bad person. I really regret what I did."I unlocked the bars of her cell. Emery looked shocked then delighted thinking I was about to set her free. She moved to embrace me and I caught one of her arms and pushed her against the bars."When you speak to me, it will be with the appropriate honorifics." I twisted her arm harder and
Elder Tommaso's POVI ended the call angrily. How exactly could I have stayed calm after getting that sort of news?The man I had sent to infiltrate the old pack house had just called to inform me that the information was impossible because the number of people staying there was too little for him to camouflage as one of them.And he couldn't sneak in because Luciano had kept guards in place outside the grounds on a patrol to ensure there would be no trespassers. The patrol group was also a closely knit group that couldn't be infiltrated.All this just went a long way to prove what I knew to be true. Luciano was hiding something. The only problem now was the fact that I couldn't decipher exactly what he was hiding.This plan might have failed but I would try again. I was not fazed by failure. I would find out exactly what it was that he was hiding.******Arabella's POVI threw down my cards frustrated. Luciano won. Again."How can you be so good? Didn't you say you were just a learn
Elder Tommaso's POVI don't know what exactly I was doing going to Luciano's office. The truth was after staying up almost all night thinking about everything. About how I had been unable to get any information about him and Arabella, I'd begun to wonder at how apart we'd grown that I could no longer trust his words as he could no longer trust mine. I didn't want that sort of relationship with Luciano. He was like the son I never had. Maybe he had been onto something when he'd said that in being ruthless, we were losing ourselves. When I spoke to him, I would explain that everything I did was because I cared about him. I had raised him too well to be bothered by whether he was lying about Arabella being awake or not. If he liked the girl so much, he could keep her. If that was what it took for us to be on the same wavelength again then I would allow it gladly. I reached his office. I opened the door. It was empty. I was shocked, it was almost 10 am. Luciano had a strict work ethic
Emery's POVMy stomach rumbled in complaint. My strength was waning. When Luciano had told me to wait for my punishment, I didn't think it would take so long. I had no idea of the amount of time that had passed. No one came to give me food or water. I tried to reach out through the pack link to contact Mom to know if Luciano had taken his anger at me out on her. So I sat in my cell awaiting my punishment. What else could I do at this point? I had paced so much that I wondered at how the stone floor showed no signs of wear. I was anxious, tense, tired, and weak. I thought about what I could have done to induce a different outcome. Should I have let Anastasia's man kill Arabella that day? Should I have left when Luciano asked me to leave? My mind spun with the possibilities of what ifs and I must have fallen asleep at some point because I woke up to the sound of the door of my cell opening. Luciano stood at the cell door himself. That wasn't right. If he intended to execute me, he
Emery's POVWhen I opened my eyes, I was in an unfamiliar basement. It had a barely functional light bulb and many knickknacks spread about. Where was I?Last I remembered, I was leaving. I hadn't even gone back to my parents' home. I sent Mom a heartfelt letter containing my apology for being such a problematic daughter, asking for her forgiveness and advising her to take this opportunity to leave that man. To leave the person who couldn't give two shits about us. I refused to keep being a burden to her. I left through the back woods to avoid notice. One minute I was leaving this wreck of a pack behind, the next I felt a blunt object hit the back of my head then darkness. Had Luciano changed his mind about sparing me? No, I didn't think so. Luciano wasn't one to attack from behind. He would have killed me and gotten it over with. He was the Alpha after all. No one would even question him. The door creaked open and Elder Tommaso stepped in. My eyes widened with shock as I realized
Arabella's POVAt this rate, he was going to be late to work. Again. I really had to stop trying to assist him with getting ready for work. It wasn't helping either of us.Luciano pushed me against the wall as our tongues duelled for dominance. I wanted him so fiercely as though an hour ago, we hadn't been at it.His hand moved between my thighs expertly fingering me, I gasped into his kiss riding his fingers as I tightened my grip around his shoulders. His phone rang. We ignored it. I was almost there, my orgasm a few heartbeats away. I grabbed at the zipper of his office pants. I needed him inside me now. The clasp gave way under my ministrations. As I slid my hand down the zipper and Luciano buried his fingers so deep inside me that I was sure he could lose his ring inside me if he tried, the bloody phone rang again and again.I groaned in frustration as he pulled away shortly to pick up the call before settling firmly between my legs to continue touching me. I threw my head ba
Arabella's POV"Emery!" She shouldn't have been here. She should have been far far away. I shook her awake but she remained passed out on the ground. I needed to take her in and call Luciano. Then– I smelt wolves approaching. I could smell three of them. They could have been the perimeter guards that Luciano had told me about. But looking at Emery's prone body in front of me, I had my doubts. I pulled Emery into the house and locked the door. I backed away and picked up my phone. I had to inform Luciano. I called him. It rang but he didn't pick up the call. I tried it again with the same result. Someone pounded on the door and I jumped.The door would hold. It would– I saw an indent of a fist in the iron. I took my phone and ran for the side exit in the kitchen. There were only three. I could leave out back before they rounded up to the sides. It was possible they didn't know about that exit. I needed to leave now. I ran to the dining area and the kitchen. I pushed open the doo