Eliana POVI looked at myself in the floor length mirror and smiled. Valenti and my shopping trip had definitely paid off and the floor length champagne coloured satin dress had been tucked into my shopping basket at the last moment. Honestly, I couldn't have chosen a better dress for the occasion. The cowl neckline and thigh high split in the dress showed off more than I would typically be comfortable in on a usual first date, but this wasn't just any first date. Tucking the painkillers into my clutch bag for just in case, I brushed my hair back with my fingers and checked my makeup - which I am very proud to announce, I did without Cassie's help. As I was about to walk to the door, I turned and picked up the small velvet box I'd tucked in the bedside drawer and put it safely into my clutch bag. “Are you ready yet?” Luca's impatient voice filtered into my mind and I could almost imagine him standing in the hallway tapping his foot and looking at his watch. “I'm coming, hold your u
Eliana POVI looked down at Luca, his emerald eyes shining brightly as he proposed. “Yes, of course!” I responded happily, capturing his face in my hands and kissing him. It was like in a movie, the sun setting over the ocean, throwing orange, red and yellow hues into the air as Luca and I kissed. He opened the little box he'd carried with him and pulled out a beautiful ring, slipping it onto my finger. “It reminded me of your eyes,” he said softly as I looked at the tanzanite surrounded by clusters of diamonds. “It's perfect,” I whispered, kissing his cheek. He passed me a glass of champagne and lifted his own for a toast. “To our long future together.” “Cheers!” Taking a sip, I remembered my own little box I'd put in my clutch bag. Fishing it out, I passed it to him. “A little gift I've been looking for the perfect opportunity to give to you.”He opened the box carefully to reveal the gold cufflinks I'd bought over Christmas, the engraved wolf prominent. “Enzo has a pair li
Eliana POV“Hey Ellie,” I heard my brother's distorted voice through the phone, the long distance call to the middle of nowhere where he was being held made the sound crackle. “Hi Eli! How are you feeling?” I asked, excited to actually be allowed to speak to him. The past month had been a haze of online lectures and preparations for my Luna ceremony - which I'd hoped Eli would be allowed to attend. But judging by the fact that my mother and Carnera (aka my father) had arrived that morning without him, the odds were looking pretty slim. “I'm alright, just having to stick to the program and I'll hopefully be allowed back into society in the next month,” he grumbled. “I'm sorry I couldn't come to your ceremony.” I could hear the regret, even through the phone. “It's okay, we'll celebrate when you are better, and it will be even bigger and more badarse than the original ceremony,” I promised him and I heard his deep chuckle on the other side.“Sounds like a deal. I've got to go now, g
Eliana POV“Do you, Eliana Castello, promise to serve your pack with honour and dignity. Do you promise to put the pack and its people ahead of all personal desires, to serve them above all else?”The ancient old man who had performed Luca and my wedding ceremony spoke slowly and carefully, his voice quivering ever so slightly. I looked out over the crowd of people, both friends and pack members filling the garden below as I stood on a platform along with Luca, the elder and Valenti. My mother sat in the front row of seats reserved for distinguished guests, dabbing her eyes as Carnera draped his arm over shoulder. The man looked so proud with his broad, cheesy grin - as if he had personally raised me for the last twenty-four years instead of hiding out on his island.Cassie and Yvonne sat on the other side of my mother, Vasilios sitting directly behind Cassie, his face like thunder. I hoped she had been treading lightly around him, but I was pretty sure she was continually poking the
Eliana POVDespite the troubling turn of events with Luca's father, and then Nina's father, festivities were high when Luca and I joined the party. I'd remained in my ceremony dress, determined to fulfil my duty as Luna by making sure everyone else was alright first, but I shouldn't have necessarily worried. Comments about what had happened were obviously flying all over the place, but no one seemed to mind that Luca had killed two men within the space of fifteen minutes.“I can't believe that son of a bitch tried to kill the new Luna!” “Good riddens. Hopefully the fucker stays dead this time.”“If I hadn't respected the alpha's ability to take care of the situation, I would certainly have intervened and remediated the situation without blood loss, however the need for action was unapparent.”The general consensus was that Adriano was an idiot who should have just stayed hidden instead of trying to reclaim the alpha position. “Are you alright, Luna?” Marco asked as he came to stand
Luca POVI looked down at Eliana's sleeping face and chuckled slightly to myself. The sun was already high in the sky, but my sleeping beauty made no move to arise from her alcohol induced coma. Usually, I'd have dragged her from the dance floor the moment I could see she was getting a bit too free, but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to ruin her fun. I don't know if it was the attempt on her life, or if it was the pure joy I could see on her face, either way, I didn't interrupt. And I was pretty sure the hangover she was about to wake up with would be punishment enough. Deciding to leave her to her dreams and hunt down Vasilios instead, I dressed quickly and left the room, striding down to the room I knew my mother had put him. I didn't bother knocking, Vasilios was an early riser like me, a habit we'd both learned from waking up at dawn to run drills. I was pretty sure he would be up and dressed, doing some deal or another with someone on the opposite side of the world.
Eliana POVThe month after my Luna ceremony flew by in a flurry of duties, studies and social engagements. I was really grateful to have Valenti by my side, guiding me through the intricacies of the position, and making sure that I didn't mess up. “Hey gorgeous,” Luca murmured against my neck as he came up from behind me, interrupting my study session.“Hey back at you, handsome,” I giggled, closing my laptop and leaving it on his desk as I stood up and wrapped my arms around his neck. “How's the studying going?” I groaned and pressed my face against his chest. “That bad, huh?” “It's just a lot of things to remember and my brain seems to be running at ten thousand miles an hour… in the wrong direction,” I sighed, leaning into his hands as he began to slowly massage my lower back. He kissed my temple as he continued to rub circles on my back, smiling as the sighs of pleasure escaped my lips. “Well, how about you take a break? Bruno is on at me to take him for a run.”Ayla yipped
Eliana POV“Luna, we've landed. You can open your eyes now.”The gravelly voice of one of the men Luca handpicked to go with me to Cambridge sounded as if he smoked a pack of cigarettes a day. “Thank you, Federico,” I whispered, slowly letting go of the armrests of the seat. “I'm starting to believe that the alpha may need to install extra protection for these chairs if he's expecting me to continue flying ask over the place.” The stone faced second man, whose name I never did catch, grunted his response. I'm pretty darn sure he can't talk, since grunting seems to be his only form of communication. “I'll pass on the suggestion to the pilot,” Federico agreed monotonously, passing my bags to stone-face before he held out his hand to lead me from the plane. The pilot, still sulking about my previous comment on his plane, remained out of sight in the cockpit. A car was waiting for me when I arrived, Luca's black bullet proof SUV had become a fixture in my life, so I was rather surpris
Chapter 2Cassie POVI ignored the feeling of being watched, knowing that it was too late to run now. There was no running away from someone like Vasilios. Even the first time had been a bitch of a task, and I'd had Eliana and Yvonne's help to do it. Now, I was as good as alone and there was no fucking way I'd manage it. “Whiskey, neat,” I heard his voice like silk, as he gave his order to Jessie. I watched out of the corner of my eye as he leant casually against the bar, his eyes glued on a pair of ladies who were dancing seductively against each other. “Yes, sir,” Jessie replied, and I swear she used her arms to push her gigantic breasts together, trying to entice him. Only the Vasilios I remembered was impossible to entice. He was practically a walking, talking statue, trained from the moment he turned eighteen to be the alpha he was born to be. Not that he was alpha yet - although, a lot can happen in three years, so perhaps he had in fact become alpha in the time I was away.
Chapter 1Cassie POV“Show me your tits!”The creepy middle-aged guy shouted again at me as I swung around on the pole. He picked up a shot and downed it before he slammed the glass down on the table, running his hand over his shiny bald head. I ignored him, like I always did. The more wasted Gerald was, the more he'd shout and the quicker he'd get kicked out. “Come on, sexy! I came to see your tits!” He shouted again, and I hid a smile when I watched Ms. Ho summon the bouncer. Cue the shouting in three, two, one. I flipped upside-down into the “Russian Layback” pose and held it as Gerald started shouting about the lack of flesh in the club. “Third time this week. I don't know how many times the guy has to be told that he's got the wrong place,” Glitter said as she passed my podium with a tray of drinks for a corner table. She was right about that. What he was needing was a hooker, not a stripper - especially not a stripper in a bikini bar where flesh was served tastily clad in b
Eliana POVThe giggles of the little girl filtered through the house, bringing a smile to my face. It seemed as if it were yesterday when I had told Luca that we were expecting a baby, and now we were about to celebrate that little baby's second birthday.“Papà!” Gianna squealed just as the two of them burst into the kitchen, Luca holding the toddler on his shoulders. “You're wrinkling up her dress,” I warned him with a stern expression plastered on my face. He shrugged nonchalantly, eliciting more giggles from Gianna. “So? She's two, no one is going to expect a perfect outfit from a two year old. Just wait until she gets her hands on the cake.”I guess dressing her up in a satin white dress wasn't the smartest idea, but I had wanted her to look like the little princess she was - at least to her father and myself. “Are your parents coming?” Luca asked, lifting Gia from his shoulders and setting her firmly on the floor. “They will be late, as always,” I responded, handing him a tray
Cassie POVLong after Yvonne had gone to her hotel room, Vasilios had disappeared to his own apartment and Enzo had crashed in the spare room, Luca and I got a chance to finally be alone. “It seems like I cannot let you out of my sight without you getting into some sort of trouble,” he sighed as he fell back onto the bed and yawned.“It's not my fault I'm a magnet for weirdos and creeps,” I grumbled, wrapping my robe tightly around me. Luca raised himself up on his elbow and watched me through hooded eyes, “I'm hoping that my mere presence will be enough to chase those types away. I'm going to be the only man to touch that gorgeous body of yours until death do we part.” I giggled and joined him on the bed, fitting into his arms as if I belonged there - and I guess I did. “Who would have thought, that night when I messed coffee all over your table, that we would be where we are now?” I said softly, my fingers threading through his hair. He chuckled with a smirk on his face. “In my
Eliana POVLuca passed me a cup of tea as I curled up on the couch of his London flat, waiting for news from the hospital about Elijah’s surgery. Vasilios had made sure that the top surgeon on his payroll was part of the surgery, not trusting the council's doctors in the least. “He will be okay,” Luca said softly, reassuring me for probably the thousandth time.Vasilios grunted from the other side of the living room, as if disappointed that I didn't trust his man. Well, either that or he was still angry at me that I refused to tell him where Cassie had gone. Probably the second option.There was a knock on the door seconds before it was flung open and Enzo waltzed into the apartment as if he owned it, Yvonne close on his heels. “If you wanted to give up your alpha title, there are easier ways,” he told Luca with a whack on the back. Luca shoved him playfully, “I thought it would be more fun this way.”Yvonne rolled her eyes and collapsed onto the couch next to me, gripping my hand
Luca POVA scream ripped from Eliana's mouth the second we heard the explosion, before her screams turned to heart wrenching sobs. I pulled myself up and tried to move toward the door to see what had happened, but she grabbed my hand, fear shining brightly in her eyes.“I'm just going to check out what has happened,” I tried to tell her reassuringly. “I'll be right back.” “I'm coming with you,” she clambered to her feet. “I'm not staying behind in this house for another second longer than I have to.”Gripping my hand, she followed me outside, through the kitchen door and into the small, enclosed courtyard. I could smell the blood before I could see it, the metallic scent unmistakable. “Stay here,” I commanded Eliana, not entirely sure what I'd discover when I walked through the arched doorway into the garden a few metres away.She clung to my arm, seemingly not registering my words. Slowly, I pried her fingers from my arm and forced her to sit down on an ancient looking rocking chai
Eliana POVMy head pounded like I'd been beaten severely, and I struggled to pry my eyes open. There was laughter echoing in my head and making the headache a thousand times worse. With a groan, I pushed myself up into a seated position as my vision became more clear and I could see what seemed like an extremely old kitchen. Extremely old and extremely dirty.“Ah, look who has decided to join us,” I heard Marco laugh before he kicked out at Luca's outstretched legs. “Guess I'll be able to start my fun sooner than I thought.”Luca growled and launched himself forward, only to yank the table we were apparently tied to with him slightly. “Nah ah ah, alpha. I'd hate to have to waste more tranquilliser on you. Your little stunts at my warehouses have left my stocks rather low,” Marco huffed, folding his arms like a sulking child. “Why are you doing this, Marco?” I asked, desperate for answers.He laughed and shook his head. “Oh, dearest Eliana. You missed my big confession to my big brot
Luca POV The moment I felt the ground shudder under Bruno’s paws, I knew we had fucked up. The bastard knew we were coming and he was ready for us. And then I heard his laughter, that maniacal laughter that could only come from the mouth of a mad man. “Welcome to my humble abode,” he laughed, circling the cage cautiously. Elijah’s wolf was frantic, launching himself at the bars again and again until I was sure that blood would start to pour from his snout at any moment. He continued until Marco slammed his hand against the cage and shouted. “Enough, you mongrel. Didn’t you learn the last time you were in a cage that it is pointless to fight it?” It didn’t work though, and Elijah continued to launch himself at the bars until Marco went into a shed and returned with a gun, aiming it at the other wolf. Eliana’s wolf panicked and tried to grab Elijah’s wolf by the scruff of its neck, but he was too strong and threw her off of him with ease. Marco aimed the gun and pulled the trigger,
Eliana POV“I won't rat out my friend,” I said for probably the thousandth time in the last twenty-four hours. Luca raised his eyebrow at me in the rear view mirror before he sighed loudly and turned to my brother in the passenger seat.“Has she always been this stubborn?” He asked.Elijah chuckled and nodded, “pretty much so. She was the challenging child when we were growing up.”I huffed and folded my arms, ignoring the two in the front of the car. “Vasilios is going to find her one way or another, so all you'd be doing is reducing his anger at her when he does find her,” Luca said, changing tactics slightly. It didn't work. “He'll be angry either way, and if I said something she'd be angry with me instead,” I said boldly. “Now can we drop it? I'm not going to tell you where Cassie is and that's the end of the story. She's safe, she's happy and that's all you'll ever hear from my lips on the matter.” Luca shook his head in disbelief before he fixed his eyes on the road ahead a