ChiaraAlessio zaps me with his fiery gaze, letting out a low growl that brings shivers down my spine. I stagger back and trip on a rock, falling flat on my back.His monstrous side is starting to take over, and I know that any minute now, he will turn into a beast that I will never recognize.But then, to my surprise, the fur on his skin starts to retract. The curve in his spine straightens again, and his teeth shrink until he can speak again.For a brief moment, he’s just Alessio. The man who I very nearly fell in love with tonight.However, the struggle is still there. I can still see the monster trying to break out. I can almost hear the internal debate happening behind those golden eyes, and I know that sheer willpower is the only thing that’s keeping me alive.“You need to leave, Chiara,” he says, and his voice is two-toned. There’s another voice in the background, raspier and darker. “You have to go right now.”“You’re a monster,” I whisper, the sound of betrayal in my voice ra
AlessioMy biggest mistake is thinking that I can overcome the full moon.I knew that the night of the party would fall on a full moon, and I was confident that I will not wolf out in the middle of it and end up killing everyone. And I did great the whole night. The urges were there, but I contained myself.For the first time, I felt like an actual normal human.But of course, this illusion is short-lived, because not even hours after, Savina and many more from my past come back to haunt me and kill people in the process.From then on, I knew everything would just start going downhill. I was anxious and angry, especially when I found out that Lazaro infiltrated the party just so he can tell his daughter to stay away from me.I didn’t and still don’t think that anything about that is wrong. I want Chiara, but what I want for her more is her safety. But she came to me, asked me to show her who I am, willing to forget everything else if I just showed her that I’m not the monster that her
AlessioTwo nights have passed but I don’t get a single wink of sleep.It’s crazy because for the first time, I actually was looking forward to getting some sleep. I was hoping I would wake up and realize everything was just a dream, but I had no such luck.I reviewed the footage that very night and ended up smashing the monitor at the warehouse when I saw that it was indeed Chiara, desperately trying to hitch a ride but ending up being kidnapped.I know that I’m not much better than those men. I know that I should be punished for everything I did to her. I also know that perhaps Chiara doesn’t want to be found right now, so I won’t show up when they track her down. I will just tell my men to gun down everyone who tried to take her, give her all the money she deserves, and let her be on her own. So she can finally be happy.It’s a conflicting feeling for sure, to look forward to finding her but knowing I shouldn’t see her again.Still, I find myself on autopilot again after the third
Alessio“If you get me lost, I swear to all the deities,” I warn Benedetti sternly as I watch him point my driver to another corner that seems to lead to nowhere. “I will chop you up so finely your family will have nothing to bury.”He only laughs in the backseat. “Relax, Alessio. We are heading to Arachne.”I arch an eyebrow. “And that’s supposed to be in the bumfuck nowhere?”“Well, kind of, yes.” Benedetti adjusts the collar of his shirt, getting nervous as our eyes meet through the rearview mirror. “I know this doesn’t feel correct, but trust me. I’ve been in this place and I’m pretty confident your girl could be here.”‘Your girl’. For some reason, those words make my heart constrict, but I don’t say anything as the car drives at a faster speed.Now we’re in a field of some sort with dirt roads and trees reaching into the darkening sky. On and on the dirt road stretched before us, seemingly with no promise of an end and a certain destination. My anger is slowly simmering, my hand
AlessioTime stops. For a whole moment, I have to remind myself to breathe because it seems that the whole world heaved a great exhale.Chiara stares back at me, her eyes reflecting the busy bright lights. Her palms go up from my shoulders to my neck, and she smiles softly as she curls her fingers on the back of my neck.Every part of my body comes alive with her touch. As I stare at her in awe, all I can think about is how strange it is, to feel like we’ve been apart for so long but at the same time never apart at all.I cup her face, tracing my thumbs over her delicate chin.I want to apologize to her. For the night of the full moon, the party, the way we met . . . everything. But the emotions beating in my chest won’t allow me to utter a single word. They’re all just screaming for one thing and one thing alone.I collapse in her embrace.I hold on to her tightly like she’s my lifeline, an automatic response I didn’t expect. How long I hugged her, I don’t know, but by the time I bre
ChiaraEverything is hazy and I have no idea what is happening.I feel like I’m hiding behind a veil, helplessly reaching out to things and people that pass by me but never making contact. The last thing I remember is being injected with some kind of liquid that instantly made me feel like I’m floating on a cloud.At first it was good. I was actually . . . liberated in a way. I know it’s just the chemical doing something to my brain, but it felt nice to escape from reality, even if it meant being in a constant state of floating.But then, this veil starts to lift a little, giving me glimpses of what’s happening on the other side. The only problem is, I don’t know if this is real.Because what I see right now is a very blurred image of men pointing guns at me.Somehow, Alessio also made his way into the hallucination.I can recognize his icy blond hair, his dark gray suit, and his mask. I will know that image anywhere. I can also catch a faint whiff of his woodsy smell, penetrating thr
ChiaraMy mouth falls open at Alessio’s words. I stare at him, waiting for the punchline, but it never comes.“So what you mean is,” I say slowly, choosing my words, “I will die if I stick with you?”“No.” He frowns. “Who said anything about dying? What I said is, I’m being hunted and you have nowhere to go, so we have to stick together.”I close my eyes and massage my temples. I don’t feel particularly well already, because of all the drugging and the fire and god knows that else, but he’s making it worse with all these remarks.If I open my mouth, I feel like I’m going to scream. So instead of saying anything, I just pull the musty blanket over myself and stay quiet, watching the flames of the lamp dance in the dark.Alessio’s eyes flicker in my direction, and soon enough, he’s already making his way toward me. He sits on the couch and reaches for my shoulder, but I just slap his hand away.“Don’t touch me.”He recoils. “I’m sorry.”Something about his apology feels almost . . . sof
AlessioSeeing Gio’s face makes me falter, loosening my grip on him. Only when he tries to scamper away do I snap to my senses and hold him down much harder. He gasps for air, but he doesn’t claw at my hands like I expected him to.“It’s just me, Master,” he chokes out. “I’ve been following you--”I grit my teeth and tighten my grip. “And now you’re here to get me fucked over again?”Gio shakes his head. “No.” He coughs and gasps. “I’m alone. I swear, Master. I didn’t bring anyone with me and no one knows that I found you. . . .”He trails off, his face going purple. His limbs start to look more jelly-like as he still tries to struggle. Chiara jumps out of hiding and screams, “Alessio, let him go!”I was going to do it anyway, but her voice spurs me into action. I drop Gio, and he sinks to his knees, retching and coughing into the patch of dry leaves.“Gio!” Chiara rushes over to him and gently rubs his back. “Oh, god. . . .”A pang of jealousy zips through my chest as I watch her. Sc