Chapter 7: The Council

Luca’s POV

I walked away from her and left for the office, leaving her back there, 

I can't deal with this right now.

I went into my other study. I needed to think because the weight of my decisions sat heavy on my shoulders, pressing down like a man strangling my throat...

Isabella Rossi.

My mate.

I should have rejected her the moment my wolf stirred for her. I should have forced the words out, broken the bond before it became something deeper—something I couldn’t control.

But my wolf refused.

Every time I even thought about saying it, I felt like I was suffocating.

And now, my pack—the people I swore to protect, to lead—were restless. 

The Council was requesting a meeting and my mate, the woman I had brought into this chaos, had no idea what kind of war she had stepped into. 

What kind of war she was deciding to fight…

A sharp knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts.

Lorenzo.

“They’re waiting for you,” he said. His face was unreadable, but I knew him too well. 

He didn’t agree with my choices of keeping her, but he also wouldn’t betray me.

Yet...

I pushed off the desk, breathing out heavily through my noseamd mouth and chewed on my lower lip. 

“Let’s get this over with.”

The council members sat in the private chamber, their expressions grave. 

I looked at each of them through my lashes.

Five of them—each representing a faction of my pack. All were older, seasoned wolves who had been around since my father’s reign.

Elias, the eldest among them, spoke first. 

“Luca.” His tone carried the i know youre not doing this tinge to it. A voice that had advised alphas even before me. “We have concerns.”

I leaned back in my chair, my fingers drummed on the armrest. “About what?”

The silence stretched before everyone, then another council member, leaned forward.

 “You know what Luca, don't play with us.”

I said nothing. Let them say it.

“The girl.” Elias’s gaze sharpened. “The human.”

“She is my mate,” I said flatly.

“That is the problem,” Matteo—another Matteo, not my enforcer—spoke. “An Alpha with a human mate is unheard of. It weakens our standing, makes us a target.”

“She is not a liability.” The words left me before I could stop them.

She is indeed a liability but my wolf just wouldn't let me let go of her.

Elias sighed. “Perhaps not yet. But do you think our enemies will not use her against you? Do you think your they will not see this as a sign of weakness?”

I clenched my jaw. I hated this. Hated that they weren’t wrong.

“She is under my protection,” I said. “No one will touch her.”

His lips thinned. “And what of the contract?”

My muscles tensed. I knew this would come up.

The contract that bound Isabella to my Mafia—an arrangement to settle her family’s debt.

“She is already your mate,” Elias continued. “There is no need to keep her tied by a contract. Let her go.”

Let her go.

I had considered it. It would be the safest choice for her, the easiest way to sever any unnecessary ties. But I couldn’t. My wolf wouldn’t allow it.

“She stays,” I said, my voice final.

The council exchanged looks, but none of them argued. They knew better.

Well… For now.

I stood up and left, leaving no room for further conversation.

…

I found her in the garden.

Isabella was sitting on the stone bench, her arms wrapped around herself, staring up at the sky. She looked small in my oversized jacket, her hair falling loosely over her shoulders.

She must have sensed me, because she turned before I even spoke.

“You look like hell,” she said.

A dry chuckle left me. “And you look too comfortable in my clothes.”

She smirked, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

I sat beside her, close enough to feel her warmth but not touching. My wolf wanted that, craved it. But I needed control right now.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, turning to face me fully.

Everything.

I should tell her about letting her go. I should tell her that I was considering terminating the contract, setting her free, giving her back the life she was stolen from.

I should.

But I didn’t.

Instead, I exhaled, staring straight ahead. “had a pack meeting today.”

Her expression tightened. “And?”

“They don’t want you here.”

She flinched, but recovered quickly. “Shocker.”

I glanced at her, taking in the stubborn tilt of her chin, the fire in her eyes. She wasn’t afraid.

That alone made my wolf purr.

“You don’t care?” I asked.

She scoffed. “Of course I care. But I’m not going to let a bunch of overgrown wolves make me feel worse, in as much as I don't even want to be here.”

I smirked. “Brave words for someone surrounded by them.”

She rolled her eyes. “What did they say?”

I hesitated. “They want me to let you go.”

Silence.

"Hmm smart people,you really should listen to them you know…" she trailed off as if she wanted to say more.

Her lips parted slightly, but no sound came out. She just continued to stare at me, like she was waiting.

For what?

For me to say I would?

For me to tell her it was over?

I should have.

I should have said the words, ended it before it grew into something I couldn’t control.

But I didn’t.

“I told them no.”

Her breath hitched, and I saw it—was that… relief?

“Why?” she asked quietly.

A dozen reasons ran through my mind. None of them ones I wanted to admit.

Because my wolf would kill me if I let you go.

Because you belong to me now.

Because I don’t want to lose you.

Instead, I settled for the easiest answer.

“Because I don’t take orders from anyone.”

Her lips curved, but I saw the flicker of disappointment in her eyes. She wanted more. She wanted something real.

I wasn’t ready to give that to her.

Yet.

She turned away, staring back at the stars.

I should leave. I should walk away before this turns into something worse—something impossible to control.

But I didn’t.

I stayed.

And that was more dangerous than anything else.

…

I jolted up on the bed, beads of sweat dressed my forehead. I was basically drenched in sweat.

"Fucking Air conditioning system." I growled and went to check why I was sweating in a room with a functional AC.

Only to see that I had turned up the heat instead of the cooler…

"Fucking idiot." I swore at myself before lighting up a cigarette to puff out some of the built up tension in my body from that dream