Chapter 5

When Leonardo had been asked to walk Viola to the garden, he was expecting more than the deafening silence she offered.

That was all she offered.

And he wasn't in the mood for conversation either, not after hearing that the wedding was going to be in three months. He wondered if she was just as worried as he was or if she was ecstatic about the fact that she was getting married. Afterall, snagging Leonardo Durante is what most women would consider a prize.

Her face gave away no emotions, he really could not tell how she was feeling or how she would be feeling.

"You like the garden?"

He finally asked as he found her studying the daffodils.

"Yes."

She said as she turned to ignore him and focused solely on the daffodils. He wondered what he was expected to say.

"Are you okay with all this?"

He asked with a frustrated sigh out of the blues and Viola paused.

She slowly turned to look at Leonardo with a raise of her eyebrow.

"You're not?"

She asked and his look seemed to point out the obvious.

"Who would? I didn't plan on getting married so early."

"Me neither."

She murmured and Leonardo heaved a sigh of relief.

"That makes me feel a little better."

The two of them are silent for a while as they both continue their walk and Viola admired the Durante garden.

"Just so you know, wedding planning is not my thing. So I'll leave it to you."

It wasn't her thing either. Viola thought but didn't say it out loud. If Leonardo was already talking about the wedding preparations it meant he seemed to have resigned to the idea of the two of them getting married.

Which Viola disliked. Dinner with the Durantes had even made everything more real.

And three months?

From what she knew planning a large societal wedding took months. At least six months. Unless their families planned to pay the workers overtime for their service. That was the only time she considered it doable.

She studied the features of her to be husband. He was tall, taller than her grandfather who is quite tall. He had a strong build, like the one of a typical Italian man. His hair was raven black and wavey, although it had been tamed, she could still see the deviant curls at the end of each wave, Viola wondered how it would feel like running her hands through his silky hair.

His eyes were a deep shade of amber, not dark enough to be brown and not light enough to be amber, but they stood out all the same in his perfect face. He also had ridiculously sexy lips.

The ones that were perfect for kissing.

Viola looked away and sighed.

It would have been easier if he wasn't so damn attractive. He was probably used to women falling at his feet.

He was probably used to being desired, Viola was determined not to feel that way.

Not to feel like one of his previous conquests.

She had agreed to the marriage, but she didn't agree to love him.

"I suppose we should go back now. It's not like we have anything to talk about."

He said and Viola nodded.

"Yes, I think I've seen enough of the garden."

She said as they walked back inside together.

Back in the house, the two families were still discussing wedding plans, much to the dismay of Viola and Leonardo.

Even Mrs Durante was chatting about it animatedly and talking about calling wedding planners.

Viola didn't contribute unless she was asked to.

She was exhausted with the whole situation.

"The first and most important thing is the engagement party. It'll be the perfect way of announcing your engagement to the public. It should come up as soon possible."

Mrs Durante said and Viola's grandfather nodded his head.

He turned to Leonardo who was looking at the dining ceiling with boredom etched in his face.

"You need to find the perfect engagement ring. As soon as possible."

He said and Leonardo nodded.

"Oh yes! I intend to do that as soon as I can."

"You can take Viola, so she can make a few suggestions."

His grandfather pitched in.

"The two of you should start spending more time together. after all, you are getting married."

Fuck. Leonardo said in his mind as he plastered on a smile on his face.

This was really happening.

"Yes." He forced out.

"And the Luna rites arrangement too I suppose."

He forced out as he sighed. If he was to be getting married, the pack would be informed, there would be all the necessary shenanigans and all. He could already see the smirk on his beta Loki's face.

"What?"

Viola said and Leonardo raised his head slowly, he was becoming increasingly aware that everyone at the table had gone deathly silent after his statement. His mother looked mortified and his father was looking everywhere but his face.

"It's nothing, pay no mind about it."

Her grandfather quickly said and Leonardo could see that that did little to quell Viola's suspicions but she made no further comment. He had forgotten that she was not a werewolf.

"Leonardo's just talking nonsense."

His mother added as she smiled at Viola again.

But still, how didn't she know? The werewolf gene was dormant in some and in some cases a lot of families normally had one or two members who had the gene but weren't werewolvces, they could pass on the gene to their children, but they would never turn or even possess the abilities werewolves had. They could only pass the gene.

Mario Santangelo was a werewolf himself, he came from a tribal wererwolf pack in Milan. Although from the little Leonardo knew he had separated from his pack years ago after he got into a feud with the alpha who was his older brother. The pack had gone to his elder brother while he inherited the family business. Mario Santangelo simply could not stand when he wasn't in charge. Leonardo had no idea if his late wife was a werewolf, there was little he knew about the Santangelo family, he only knew that his family deeply respected his family and honored the man.

His mother started talking about wedding plans again and soon his previous comment was forgotten, but the scowl on his grandfather's face remained and Leonardo avoided it as much as he could.

After the dinner, the Santangelos left quickly, without Leonardo given as much as a chance to say goodbye to Viola. Not that he wanted to.

"How could you even mention the luna rites?!"

"What's wrong with you?"

His father asked and Leo shrugged.

"How was I supposed to know? I thought she knew!"

His sister chuckled as she walked out of the dining room.

"Well. she doesn't. Viola has been sheltered all her life. She knows nothing about that."

"And why is that? I thought there was a rule about marrying a luna who has a recessive werewolf gene."

His grandfather sighed.

"It's not only about her genes, it's about what she's capable of. In our hands she's an asset."

"What is she exactly?"

Leonardo asked and her grandfather shrugged.

"She comes from great power."

"Great power? What do you mean?"

He persisted and his grandfather sighed.

"The women in the Santangelo bloodline are blessed. This is a story that dates back years and I don't have the time to explain it all to you."

"Then let me know what happened. I still don't understand."

"At least give me something! You want me to marry this girl, who's not a werewolf and who is also not a entirely human. I can't even tell if she's my mate because the mating bond hasn't snapped yet if she is."

"I need explantions Grandfather. I need to know why she's so important."

"Long ago, about a hundred years ago, Mateo Santangelo, Mario's father met a strange woman who saved him from the hands of his beta who was trying tio kill him to become an alpha. She saved him and he realized that they were mates. She wasn't a werewolf, but she had special and very strong powers. He married her against his pack's wishes. They believed her to be a witch."

"Was she one?"

Leonardo asked, witches could be very obnoxious creatures and they had a mind of their own. They didn't have any hierarchy or some sort of form of leadership and the few who did liked to use their powers for their selfish agendas. Once in a while witches' services were employed by Werewolves but it was always purely transactional and nothing more.

"No, I can't say. I doubt any witch possessed the kind of power Eudora had. She lived a long life, although she never did reveal where she was from. Mateo's pack was a force to be reckoned with because of her. Of her three children which she bore, only the female one seemed to possess the kind of power that her mother had, but she died as a young adult while being involved in a power tousle between two packs. She was wanted because of the power she possesed and killed because of it."

"When Mario married, his wife Isabela bore a female child and she appeared to possess the same power, it was apparent to Mario that he had to protect her and that he did, for as long as he could till she died.

"And Viola has the same powers?"

He asked as he tried to remember her. She looked small, he found it hard to imagine that she possessed anything so remarkable.

"Yes. He has been in charge of her since she was a child. And he has managed to shield her, from her powers and the people who would like to take her for it."

"What about the prophecy?"

He asked and his grandfather nodded.

"You and Viola were born two days apart. A witch was invited to quell Viola's powers the minute she was born so as to not attract people who wanted her. In the process she had a vision, that Viola was going to be even more powerful than all the women in her family who came before her and she would need protection. Protection from her mate who was going to be an Alpha King."

Leonardo sighed.

"Did the witch say that I'm her mate?"

"That I will be the Alpha King who protects her?"

His Grandfather nodded.

"You were not even born when she mentioned your name. The night her grandfather told me the news, that was the night your mother gave birth to you."