The voice is soft, insistent. I blink. Elle is over me, frowning and trying to shake me.
“What.... Lucas!” I look around. “Where is he?”
“That’s what we’d like to know.”
I meet Dominic’s fiery gaze, and gulp.
∞ ∞ ∞
∞ Coraggio ∞
“What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?”
-Vincent Van Gogh-
Lucas
A ringing in my head wakes me up. Metallic taste fills my mouth. A groan escapes me, and I shift – only for the floor to move with me. I’m definitely on something solid, I realize after the initial dizziness. The fuckers knocked me out straight after dragging me to the van. Must’ve been afraid of something – me morphing? If only I could figure out whatever the fuck that is, then I could stop wasting time here.
Instead, I have to take a deep inhale, while trying to appear immobile. My chest hurts – they kicked me, too. I try to move a wrist, and hear the tell-tale clink of chains.
Interessante...
Bit by bit, I move to a half-seated position and open my eyes. My vision is blurry at first. Whatever kind of tranquilizer they used must have knocked me out for hours. And the more I take in my surroundings, the faster my heart beats.
I’m no longer in Rockland Creek. No, rather, I’m back in my old mansion, in the wine cellar by the looks of it. Father did always like an old dungeon, so when he purchased the villa it conveniently came with a wine cellar, as well as a jail cell. It used to freak my mother out, but Matteo and I played in here countless times as kids.
My hand touches the ground, feeling the worn stone, the echoes of laughter. The walls are older than I remember, and the smell here is filled with mold and rankness. Low lights hang above, casting dim glows everywhere.
Where I’m at is in the cell itself. A cot with straw is set in a corner, and two massive chains are anchored to the ground, and my wrists. The door to the cell is closed, locked from the outside. And by the scents in the air, I catch a whiff of wolves. Guards. And nearby, too.
Merda. How do I get out of here?
Clatter upstairs and the sounds of creaking hinges set my teeth on edge.
“Dov’è?” The sound of a slap. “Idiota! Stop sleeping, unless you wish me to burn your eyelids. Where is my son?”
My body tenses. I know that voice all too well. Spent my childhood trying to do well by him. The last time I’d seen him was while cradling my mother’s broken body, after she’d unsuccessfully tried to kill him, and instead took her own life. Refusing to do his bidding.
He’s the one who sent Monica. He’s the one who started all this shit instead of letting the past be in the past.
I know this, of course. But somehow, the anger over his interference hasn’t quite gotten out of my system, it seems. So I wait until I hear the door to my cell open, keeping my head bowed as if I’m still not fully in control of my faculties.
His footsteps clatter on the cobblestones – those fancy Armani dress shoes he loves to wear. The self-assured bastard. Rage fills me, but rather than the red haze usually accompanying it, an odd calm spreads over me.
It’s almost surreally that I watch myself snap from the ground, break the chains holding me captive, and slam my father against the wall. The hinges rattle on the door, and the wall itself seems to curb.
My fingers grip his throat, squeezing the Adam’s apple that bobs fearfully under my touch. “Care to explain what the fuck the meaning of all this is, Alessandro?”
I’m towering over him now, and he’s definitely put on some weight. Those eyes are still as cold and calculating as ever, taking my measure even as I could snuff out the life from under him. I hate that I got my looks from him. I hate him with a passion. A spasm goes through my fingers, and they clench even tighter.
“You won’t do it.”
There’s a satisfied quality to his voice, as if he still knows me. As if he can still control me.
“You don’t know me anymore,” I spit in his face. My jaw hurts from the force I’m clenching it with. The calmness is gone, and there is that raging burn inside me to tear his insides out. My wolf growls a soft approval. “A long time ago, I swore to myself I would kill you if I ever saw you again. And now nothing, and I mean nothing, stands in my way.”
“Except for the guards,” he wheezes.
A quick glance to the side confirms three men snuck up, with their guns trained on me. A dark chuckle escapes me as I meet my father’s gaze once more.
“I’m not the child from before, Papà,” I growl. “You think a few men scare me off? Not in a lifetime.”
Something shifts in his eyes, as if realizing he miscalculated. “Death no longer fazes you?”
“No,” I say simply. “Miscalculated, have you? Too fucking bad. You dare take me from my pack, bring me back here? What, you think they won’t follow?”
He laughs. “That is precisely what I’m counting on. If only they would follow, so I could add them to my collection.”
My body freezes, giving away my surprise. Alessandro chuckles again. “What, bambino, don’t tell me they would not make the perfect tesoros for my antiques?”
My fingers squeeze of their own accord, and I watch in cold satisfaction as his skin turns purple. “Sì, Monica said something similar. Is that what this is all about?”
Alessandro’s face contorts in a grimace, some semblance of a scowl. So he didn’t know she had betrayed him fully. Good.
He ignores my question and instead says, “She will pay for the deception. Always knew she was a good-for-nothing whore.”
My fingers clench reflexively on his throat, enough that he starts choking in earnest. Rage fills me more at his words, and this time there is no Monica to pull me back from the brink. Even as everything narrows onto that frenzy, and the eagerness to see him die by my hands almost overwhelms everything else...something nags at me.
A feeling of unfinished business – I need answers. It’s a faint grasp at my logical side, but it works. Whatever happens with me, the pack is still alive and well. And if I find out what Alessandro plans, every bit of it, I can figure out how to protect them. Then I can truly help my wolves disappear, so he can never harm them.
With a sharp intake of breath, I force my hand to loosen up. The second he’s free, Alessandro shoves me away, his features twisted with indignation. “You will pay for that.”
I show him my palms, even as he jerks his head towards his guards. Two of the men holster their guns and walk in, their outfits similar to the ones who kidnapped me. Calmly, I let them surround me and tie new chains to my wrists, saving my sneer for my father.
“So this is what it’s come down to? I shouldn’t be surprised. The only way you knew how to hold people around you was through threat and violence. And if that didn’t work, there was always manipulation.”
Alessandro gestures for the guards to leave, and then we’re alone again. I guess he thinks some cold metal will keep me from killing him. If only he knew. It would take only one small tug, and he’d be lifeless. I force the thought away.
Besides my need for answers, there is another problem. If I kill him, I will take on the duties for his pack, in the way of the lupo mannaro. Much like Dominic did with the vrykolakas, I’ll end up with people under me that I have no desire to rule over.
Alessandro’s cold, beady eyes meet mine. “What do you know of it? You were a child.”
“I was twenty-five! Old enough to see through your bullshit. You had Matteo wrapped around your little finger. Removing attention to ensure he would be so begging and so desperate, he’d do your bidding without thinking it through.”
“You have nerve, to speak of your brother. When it’s your fault he died. Had you joined me fully, had you cooperated, I would not have needed him.”
Tremors run through me as I try to hold back my fury. “There is only one person responsible for his death, and I’m staring right at him.”
Alessandro nods as if
I haven’t spoken. “We started off on the wrong foot. I will let you sleep, rest. Then we can start anew.” He turns his back and leaves, but stops as soon as the cellar door is closed. “And make no mistake, we will restart. As many times as we have to.”
My shouted curses echo back to me, but there is no one left to hear them. Only the locked cellar door, and the emptiness surrounding me.
Monica
I don’t have time to get my bearings or figure out exactly what happened that got me unconscious. Dominic helps me up, then they bring me to Lucas’ house.
Despite the pack’s cordial demeanor, I have no doubt they see me at fault. If nothing else, the fact I’m flanked by Tristan and Dani in the car, with Dominic and Luz at the front, speaks volumes. Elle and Finn follow behind in another car.
Once we get to the bungalow, they let me in first and spread out in the house. Maybe on purpose or not, each wolf ends up blocking a way of escape, yet still remains within touching distance of his mate. Only Lucrezia and Elle stand in the middle, watching me warily.
I deserve that, more than they know. Before all hell broke loose, all I’d managed to own up to was lying and coming in under false pretenses. Now...
When no one says anything, I clear my throat. “I know what you’re thinking, but...” I shake my head. What’s the point of lying? “Actually, no. It’s true. Lucas being taken is my fault. You all being attacked is also my fault.”
Tristan makes a move as if to head closer, but one steely glare from Dominic roots him to the ground. “Explain yourself,” he asks instead.
I stare at all of them one by one, and tears fill my eyes. “I... Earlier, I told you that Alessandro sent me here to get Lucas. I’m a fixer in my pack, meaning I get what the alpha needs, deescalate situations, and basically run errands. It’s not a glamorous job, but it works when you have nothing else.”
“If you’re trying to make us pity you, it isn’t working,” Tristan growls.
“I’m not,” I say and bow my head. “I’m only trying to give you a clear picture of what’s going on. Anyway, Lucas wasn’t responsive, at least not the way Alessandro thought he’d be, and so I had to get creative in finding out more about him.”
“And we played right into it,” Lucrezia says.
I can’t figure out her tone but when I dare look up, her expression is hurt. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”
“So it was all a lie?” Elle asks, her voice quivering. “You used us?”
“No! I was genuine with you guys, it’s just...” My voice quivers. “I may have started on the wrong foot here, to get information, but then I got to know you all and I just felt like... I never wanted to hurt you. He promised me freedom! Freedom to choose whatever I want my life to be, and leave his pack. You don’t understand, I’ve been under Alessandro’s thumb for so long and this was a way to get out from it.”
“At the expense of others,” Lucrezia points out.
Dejected, I stare at the ground again. “I’m really sorry.”
“What about Alessandro?” Tristan asks. “You told Dominic he collects. Is that why he sent his goons here, because you blabbed about our gifts?”
I nod miserably. “I didn’t mean to. Initially, all I told Alessandro was that Lucas had mated wolves under him. It piqued his interest, but I was too slow to realize why. When I told him about the magic, he wanted me to find out more. I did when I spoke with the girls, but I didn’t tell him. The other day, it was a slip of the tongue. All I mentioned was zmeu magic.”
At a complete loss, I cover my face with my hands. Monica Delucci, always in control, now crying publicly. Wonderful.
Yet I owe it to these guys to be completely truthful. This isn’t about me, not anymore. It’s about getting everything out in the open so we can focus on Lucas.
Lucas... My gut churns. What the hell happened? How could we be taken unaware like that? Hormones or not, it’s no excuse for letting down our guard. If Alessandro has him now... Gulping, I force the words out faster.
“Alessandro shifted into the occult a few months ago. I didn’t get a chance to tell Lucas, but I think that’s what started this whole hunt to find him. And... And then it led him to you.”
“Because of what you revealed.”
A shuffle around has my attention, in time to notice Finn holding Tristan back. My confusion must have shown on my face, because the Irish wolf shrugs. “I’m not on your side, don’t get ideas. But Lucas has bonded with you, and whether we like it or not, that means you’re part of the pack.”
“What?” Tristan asks, staring between me and Finn.
Dani intertwines her hand with his, pulling him back by her side. “You really are thick-headed sometimes, carinho,” she says softly. “Did you not see Lucas’ reaction earlier, when Finn was threatening to toss Monica back to his father?”
Tristan takes my measure again, this time with a speculative stare. Lucrezia is the one who moves, speaking to Finn. “Is that what your little show was about earlier?”
He shrugs. “None of you could feel it, but it’s been getting stronger. Lucas himself is in denial, which made it all the more fun.”
“So she’s...his mate?” Elle asks.
“Yep.” Dani nods, shooting me a wary glance. “Which means, we have to cut her some slack.”
“You don’t.” I shake my head, coming out of my trance. “I’m not... It shouldn’t... That has nothing to do with anything.”
“On the contrary,” Dominic says. “It has everything to do with everything. In this pack, we respect each other’s mates, and take care of them. We’re family. It doesn’t mean we trust you, but it means we’ll take care of you.”
“At least until Lucas comes back and confirms what’s what.”
I scan the room, completely baffled. These wolves mean it. Though they’re wary of me, wary of what I did, I can feel they would still protect me. All because I’m Lucas’...
But am I really? Yes, he’s insufferable, yes he’s stubborn and great in bed, but there’s no way in just a few short days...
“It doesn’t take years,” Finn says as if reading my thoughts. “Sometimes all it takes is a day, or a glance.”
“And sometimes it does take a year,” Lucrezia smiles at Dom. She walks over to him, burying her face in his opened arms. Effortlessly.
I gulp, sensing the same kind of love across all the others. “It can’t be. I mean, that fairy lady did say something but –”
“Ileana came to see you?” Lucrezia arches an eyebrow. “Wow.”
“Why wow?”
Shrugs go all around, but it’s Finn who says, “She visited everyone at some point or another. Even gave Lucas a good trashing. She’s our matchmaker, courtesy of Dom.”
If I expected more explanation from the Romanian wolf, I’m sorely mistaken. He only shrugs. “Maybe Ileana was right, so what?” Dominic says as he rests his chin atop Lucrezia’s head. “We have all fallen, and I don’t hear anyone complaining.” There’s a wry tone to his voice, and just like that it takes the tension out of the room.
Lucrezia turns to me again, a suspicious glint in her eyes. “If this is all true, then how do you feel about Lucas?”
“I...” The question catches me by surprise, and I’m nowhere ready to answer it. I can’t even fully admit it to myself, let alone these guys.
She nods as if expecting my confusion. “You’d best figure it out, because he’s not a guy willing to accept love in his life. Even when it’s staring him in the face.”
Words fail me, so I keep my silence. But while the pack may be open to me, they’re not done with their questions.
“Suppose it’s safe to say Lucas’ wanker of a father is behind the kidnapping,” Finn says. “The question is, why does he need our alpha’s chimera powers, and ours on top of it?”
I shrug. “He’s greedy. The chimera won’t just have his powers, but also channel yours. To someone like Alessandro, it’s an invaluable tool he just has to add to his collection. I�
��m just... I’m just glad he didn’t get to any of you.”
And then something else dawns on me, and I inhale sharply.
“What is it?” Finn asks. “Your emotions are all over the place.”
I stare at all of them, and gulp. “The chimera in Lucas... That is what’s been causing all of this! You coming together is not by chance, merda, but now it all makes sense!”
They stare at me like I’ve lost it, but for the first time in my life, I feel like I’ve finally gotten it.
∞ ∞ ∞
∞ Inaspettato ∞
“To expect the unexpected shows a thoroughly modern intellect.”
-Oscar Wilde-
Lucas
Sleep is fitful that night. I sit in a corner so I can have a perfect view of the entrance, not trusting my father. I’ve seen his tactics, and the last thing I want is to be taken unawares. I know he must be pissed at the fact I got the upper hand. And, unfortunately, he now knows the extent of my physical strength.
I glance at the new, larger chains on my wrists. Could I snap them? Claro. But there is no point when I’ll be captured as soon as I’m out of here. Now that I’m in the wolf’s den, I may as well make the most of it and find out what he’s hiding under his sleeve.
Then I can pull out my own aces, and watch the bewilderment on his face.
Soon as I’m done plotting that, my mind wanders elsewhere. Why did he stay here, in the same house after Mamma died? And, even harder to think of, is the grave I dug for her that night. I still remember how long it took me to get the grime of the ground from under my nails. My tears mingled with the shower that night.
For the first time, I allow myself to feel. My head rests against the stone wall and I sigh heavily. Mamma...
I must have closed my eyes, because when I blink awake she’s there. Translucent, shimmering form, wavy hair, eyes saddened. “Luciano, I warned you...”
She speaks clearly now, no longer in broken words. Perhaps the closeness to her resting place makes for an easier connection. “Mamma, what were you trying to tell me?”
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