Chapter 3

Vincenzo POV

Eight Years Ago

What a rush!

This is the good news Alpha Matteo has been hoping for. I can’t wait to get back to the pack and fill him in on how the meeting went. Since we made the decision to move to the United States four years ago, we have struggled to get our design and architecture company up and running. In Italy, we were well known, and sought after for our modern and sleek design aesthetics.

   Our pack relocated here to escape the plague and get a fresh start for our pack members. Many were skeptical about leaving Italy, but when Alpha Matteo promised that we would have a good-sized territory, gifted to us by a strong Alpha, who was friends with his father, more of our members were excited for the opportunity.

As a young Beta, I am eager to prove myself to Matteo. Sure, he’s my best friend, but I want him to see that I take this role seriously and that our pack has strong leadership. I volunteered to take this business trip and make a pitch to a company in New York City. This allowed Matteo to oversee the pack without worrying about being away for a couple of days. The drive is long; at least eight hours. You can almost drive through the entire country of Italy in that time, and this is only one state I’m driving through. The size of this country is overwhelming at times.

    I made a pitch to this tech company that wants to construct a new building in the middle of the city. As one of the lead architects and designers of our pack, I felt more than confident leading this pitch. They loved my design and proposal and said yes on the spot. They sent away all the other companies making proposals. This will bring in so much money for our pack over the next few years.

   I’m about two hours away still, but the drive is pretty. A lot of trees to admire along the way. This is definitely giving me some inspiration for other types of designs in the future. Incorporating nature into the design in some way. My mind begins to trail off as I think of future creative projects.

    I watch as the sun begins to set, and I’m reminded that the next full moon is in three days. Me and Carolina are going to mark each other as chosen mates under this next full moon. We have been together for over a year, and I love her so much. She is a teacher for the young pups of the pack. 

   Things are truly perfect.

The smile is quickly wiped from my face as I hear Matteo’s voice come to my mind through our pack link.

‘Vincenzo! Where are you?!’ His voice is laced with panic.

   ‘Just over an hour away from the territory. What is wrong?’ I do my best to stay calm. It is not like Matteo to get flustered.

   ‘Get here as fast as you can! There is a fire and it’s spreading through the pack fast! Rapidamente, amico!’ He cut the link before I could say anything else.

   I stomp on the gas pedal and weave through traffic. I try reaching out to different pack members, but nobody is responding. Finally, I try to reach Carolina.

   ‘Carolina! Amore!?’ 

   No reply.

   I make it to our territory in half the time and shift to my large brown wolf immediately and take off through the forest. I’m immediately hit with the smell of smoke, fire, and death. We have lost people. I do my best to stay calm so I can focus and help when I arrive at the scene.

   I tear through the tree line and see that several of our buildings are on fire. The packhouse, the training facility, and the school. These buildings are all close to each other. If one caught fire, it wouldn’t take much for the others to catch. 

   I see pack members running with water to try to contain the fire. I see groups of them being treated for burns- so many children. I shift back and throw on a pair of gym shorts that were discarded. I run to Fabian, one of my close friends and warriors.

   “Fab, who isn’t accounted for?” I ask quickly as I help him carry large buckets of water to the burning structures.

   “The packhouse is cleared. So is the gym. The school had a few children left inside. Alpha Matteo and Luna Rene ran inside to get them out,” he says as we dump the water on the wild flames.

   “Carolina?” I ask, my chest tightening as I wait for him to respond.

   “I haven’t seen her, Beta. She may still be inside getting the children out as well.”

    I run to the school. The packhouse and gym are controlled. The school is still burning uncontrollably. This must have been where the fire started. The wiring in this building is old. We haven’t had a chance to update it yet.

   “Carolina!” 

   Nothing. 

   I throw another giant bucket of water at the flames. It is so hot; the water turns to steam before it makes contact with the fire- useless.

   “Alpha! Luna!” 

   Nothing. 

   I see a small window, but black smoke billowing out is obstructing my view of anything or anyone inside. I see a set of tiny hands wrapped around the edge of the window and I quickly grab for them.

    “Beta Vincenzo!” Tomas, a younger kid, about six years old, clings to me as I pull him from the window. His skin is covered in soot and his eyes are red from the smoke. He is coughing furiously, trying to breathe.

   “Tomas, who else is inside?” I ask him as I carry him to a safe area away from the fire. His eyes are filled with tears, and he won’t let go of my neck.

   “Alpha and Luna found me. I was with Miss Carolina. They pushed me to the window, but then I heard a loud crash, and they told me to run to the window,” he says as he breaks out into loud sobs. 

   I hand him off to somebody else and rush back to the school.

    As I run up to the school, the fire is now swallowing the entire building. I look up and see the roof is beginning to cave in. There are still over two dozen pack members around, trying to put the fire out.

   “Everyone, get away from the school now!” I yell at the top of my lungs, pushing my Beta aura out. It isn’t nearly as strong as Matteo’s Alpha aura, or command, but it works. Everyone looks up and runs away from the school. Not even a moment later, the building collapses to the ground.

In the same moment, everyone drops to the ground in pain. 

   I have felt this pain before. I felt it when Alpha Antonio, Matteo’s father, passed away from the fated plague. My head throbs; my chest tightens. 

   No. Not Matteo! Please, Moon Goddess!

    Everyone lets out a loud howl as we all feel the link snap and we know that our Alpha has been taken from us. I shift to my wolf to try to ease the pain. 

   The air around me ripples and I feel my bones being pulled and elongating. I can feel my aura changing. Fabian is next to me, and I watch through my wolf’s eyes as he looks up at me and bows.

   “Alpha Vincenzo…” He drops to one knee, as do the rest of the pack members. 

   The Alpha title has just been passed down to me. I stand up, feeling slightly taller, and make my way back to the school. 

   The flames are going down now that the majority of the structure has been burnt and smothered. I scan the scene as my pack members cry over the loss of their loved ones and our Alpha. I walk through the rubble, and I find him. Matteo has been crushed under a giant beam. Next to him is the body of his chosen mate, Rene. We have lost our Luna too. 

    I walk a little further and I can smell burned flesh, mixed with the faintest hint of jasmine. 

   No! Please!

Under a pile of debris, so close to a window, is her body. 

  My Carolina… 

  Gone.