Chapter 001

Rose Costa 

It was barely two o'clock in the midnight and I had woken up more than three times. The night seemed so long for some reason. It was not like I wanted it to be morning real quick. On the contrary I wished morning wouldn't come.

Ring! Ring! 

I had just returned from a really boring college lecture and was trying to rest when I heard my phone ring. I rolled to the other side of my bed and stretched my hands so I could retrieve my phone from the reading table close by.

“Hello Rose”, the familiar deep voice of my father Stanis Costa filled my ear.

“Hi Dad, good afternoon sir”, I replied shakily. “Dad is surely really mad at me right now”, I thought.

“Why have you not been picking my calls Rose? You dare disrespect me?” Dad thundered.

“I'm very sorry dad I was writing a test”, I lied. I needed a concrete excuse. “I did not know my phone was ringing. I was not trying to disrespect you sir”, I said truthfully. I would never dare disrespect my father.

“Our pack is having a very important ceremony this weekend, Rose”, he said and I frowned.

“What’s that got to do with me now?” I wondered but dared not ask father that. 

“Our pack, the Lago Di Smeraldo pack will be merging with the Romano crime syndicate”, he continued and I wished I could tell him to go about his business without informing me but I listened to him quietly instead.

“Our partnership with the Romano Crime syndicate pack will not only strengthen us as a werewolf pack but will be good for our business”, he explained and I just listened. “We already have deep connections in several regions of the country and this partnership will expand us”.

“Yes dad”, I replied absent-mindly.

“There will be a ceremony to officially seal our partnership this weekend. Everyone has a role to play. Your older twin sisters Adalina and Amara like you know have been chosen by the Romano twin Alphas to be their Lunas. Their union will be announced during the ceremony” he paused and for the first few seconds I asked myself “Did he hang up?” But I knew dad too well to expect him that he only called me to tell me what was going on at home.

“Be there! I will not remind you again. I expect you home by Friday. What happened the last time better not repeat itself”, he warned.

“Personally, I do not want the last time to happen again. It was too embarrassing. I would do anything to avoid it”, I said to myself recalling the last time dad had called to inform me about a family event like he just did. 

“I did not attend the event or attempt to return home at the very least because I didn't think my presence meant anything. I still don't think it would have”, I thought.

“You have no regard for family!” Adalina had screamed in my face as I opened my room door. 

“What are you doing here?” I asked, surprised at my family's unexpected visit to my college apartment.

“That's a stupid question to ask Rose. You missed our Luna naming day. You didn't think we would come here?” She asked sarcastically.

“All you had to do was show up. Be there for your sisters but what did you do? You stayed away. Everyone was present except you!” Amara said, sounding annoyed.

I couldn't understand why my sisters were angry. “You two have never needed me around. Why are you acting so pissed because I didn't show up for your Luna naming day?” I retorted angrily. 

“What do you mean by that? You are our sister. You should have been there” Amara replied almost immediately.

“I mean you and Adalina have never paid me any attention since we were children. I get it that you two are twins and I'm just a little sister. Why are you making a big deal out of this? You've always celebrated with each other. Why are you acting like this is different?” I asked, angry at their obvious pretense. 

“Shut your mouth Rose! Shut your mouth! You are our sister and what is important is that you refused to attend an event as important as our Luna naming day!” Adalina said, charging towards me, almost yelling.

“What is important to you all does not have to be important to me!” I screamed back at her. 

With this, it was as though I had released something in dad. Something he had been trying to lock in for a little while longer or maybe it was just time to release it because immediately I made that statement, I saw dad’s hand fly to my direction and I moved swiftly to avoid getting hit by the slap. 

“How swift did I think I could be?” I asked myself as tears welled up in my eyes. “The great enforcer and head warrior of the Lago Di Smeraldo pack never missed”, I reminded myself as my tears rolled down my face.

“You silly girl! Don't you ever disregard my order again!” He thundered fiercely. 

I looked downwards, realizing how stupid I had been. I was thinking about my sisters when I should have known dad was very much involved in the event. 

“I… I’m very sorry, father. I did not mean to…” I started to apologize but was intercepted.

“Shut your mouth now!” Dad ordered dangerously. “The important business of the family is not important to you?” He asked rhetorically. “ Who…

“No sir, that's not what I meant”, I said, interrupting him.

“Do not talk when I am talking!” He said sharply, giving me a slap on my other cheek. I went quiet after that.

“Your sisters had an important event and you should have been there. I called you myself to inform you”, he said looking at me with angry eyes. Dad hated to be disobeyed and that was what I had done.

“I'm sorry father”, I said with my head lowered in remorse.

“No matter what, it's family first! Family before anything else! You should have been there for your sisters”, He said and I think I saw Adalina smile. 

“Adalina and Amara have never been there for me, father. They didn't even attend my matriculation ceremony”, I protested.

“That is not what we are talking about now Rose I am sure you know that”, dad replied ruling out my complaint. “This better not repeat itself again”, dad warned and with that he turned and left my room. My sisters, Adalina and Amara followed him immediately.

As they left, the small crowd that had gathered outside began to disperse. I jammed the door quickly, embarrassed by the number of people who had been watching. I robbed my cheeks as I recalled the incident.

“Yes dad I will do as you have said. What happened the last time will not happen again”, I declared with a certainty that could not be doubted. He hung up after that without saying anything else.