ChiaraAlessandro took me to an office at the end of the second floor.He sat me down on a couch, and then I closed the office door. From there, he went into what I assumed was a bathroom. I couldn't help the tears that ran down my eyes; I was completely beside myself.Alessandro returned with a small damp towel and began to wipe away the blood that was beginning to dry on my face, arms, and neck. The thought of that man's blood on me sickened me, but the guilt consumed me completely.I began to cry harder.“It's going to be okay, Chiara, I promise,” Alessandro said as he carefully cleaned me up.I didn't know how long he lasted wiping me with that towel; I only know that I was out of phase with my reality. I felt out of my body, and that terrified Alessandro. He took off his jacket, put it on me, and then hugged me until the warmth of his body made me sigh loudly.“Are you okay?” asked Alessandro, and I looked into his eyes.“You killed a man in front of me,” I whispered in disbelief
ChiaraThe Lura Nera club was everything it showed and more.The facade was a visual spectacle that everyone could appreciate.The building was gigantic, but it retained the old Palermo architecture, and I was fascinated by the sign with the big moon at the entrance. One of the guards opened the car door for me to get out, but before giving me his hand to help me get out, the man gave me a serious look.I didn't like that look very much.“Before you go into the club, I repeat again that it is not safe for you to be here,” the man said, and I sighed. “Believe it or not, you are in danger. We don't know who is watching you outside the club.”“I take responsibility for my decision,” I said firmly.I knew the guard was right, but at that moment I was thinking very recklessly.“If anything happens to you, rest assured you will be the least affected; our heads will roll,” the man said sternly. “I hope you know what you're doing.”I nodded.I knew I had to control the damage from my tantrum,
ChiaraThe novel I was writing was going well.I had managed to focus on the development of the three main conflicts, and with the computer, I had been able to generate a more detailed outline of what I was doing. The fact that Loreta listened to each and every one of my requests made my room small.“You need an office to yourself,” Loreta said as she brought me my afternoon snack.“I have plenty of room in this room,” I said with embarrassment.“The problem is you need a focus space,” Loreta said and set the snack down on the nightstand. “I think I could fit out a room that's near the pool for you. It would be a studio with all the elements, and you'd have a whole wall to write things down on. Or is it better to install a whiteboard?”I looked at Loreta in surprise.“With this space I'm fine and—”“Bullshit,” Loreta said mockingly. “You're chaos, and I have a feeling Alessandro hasn't seen this room, or he'd suffer a tic.”“Is he a control freak?” I asked with a frown.Loreta laughe
AlessandroI heard Chiara come up the stairs and head for the kitchen.Loreta looked at the garbage curiously.“What's wrong?” I asked Loreta.“Chiara's father sent a gift,” she said, and I raised my eyebrows.“Why wasn't I notified?” I asked, annoyed.The situation was too tense to pass up something as important as a gift; it could have been a damn bomb, a tracker, or any artifact harmful to Chiara.Gregory growled loudly in my head.“Because I checked it myself,” said Nicola, who walked into the kitchen and looked at me calmly. “The personal messenger of Lorenzo himself came, so it must have been a very important package, given the situation that happened during the engagement party. Because of that, I accepted the gift, checked the contents, and it seemed very harmless, so I let it go. However, I am interested to know Chiara's reaction.”I looked at Loreta immediately for her to tell me, and she just pointed to the trash can.“Chiara threw the note in the trash; she didn't hesitate
ChiaraThe beast knocked me to the ground in excitement, and I laughed.The wolf howled with joy and ran around until he saw me.I understood perfectly what he wanted, so I played with the huge wolf as if nothing more important existed. I ran, jumped, rolled, and even dived into the river to cool off.All of that I did without hesitation or fear of the beast.I realized that whatever I felt for the animal, it was something much more primal than I could have suspected. I didn't give the matter a second thought, so I just enjoyed sunbathing with the wolf on a large rock in the river.The sun was at its ideal point, and I fell asleep.I didn't know how long I lay there, but I felt the wolf licking, and when I opened my eyes, there was a blanket on the ground, and on it was food. I raised my eyebrows, surprised by the detail, and hugged the animal.“Thank you, Gregory,” I said his name softly, and the wolf licked my face.I laughed at how affectionate he could be, so I sat on the blanket.
ChiaraAlessandro stopped kissing me and smiled.“Why am I going crazy for you?” I asked him fearfully.I couldn't play dumb and deny what was happening; the reality was simple: I had developed an absurd need for Alessandro.“I'll explain, but after I eat breakfast,” Alessandro said, and I frowned. “I promise. We'll go to the woods.”“Why go to the forest?” I asked curiously.“Because I need to shift, my beast has been restless and wants to be with you,” Alessandro said, and I smiled.He helped himself to his breakfast, and I finished eating what was left on my plate.A pleasant silence reigned in the kitchen, and I felt a peace that I hadn't felt before.It was as if something inside me finally calmed down because I had Alessandro so close, which turned out to be completely out of place.In no time at all he and his beast had really sunk deep inside of me.“Was everything okay in Rome?” I asked carefully.“I worked out most of the kinks,” Alessandro said sincerely. “How are you doing
Chiara“Are you okay?” asked Loreta with concern.Since Alessandro had moved away, a kind of depression had consumed me. I didn't understand why it was happening, but I didn't feel well. I just wanted to keep him close, and it had been three days since he had told me he was going to Rome.I felt like I was in the pit of a pit.Loreta was restless and worried about me.The only thing that had helped me get out of bed was having a video call with my grandfather and calming him down. The old man had noticed my energy slump; however, I knew how to redirect the conversation so he wouldn't worry. Of the rest, I had left a mess on the desk that Loreta had gotten so I could work better on my novel.“I'm fine,” I told Loreta calmly. “Let's just say I'm just having an energy slump; haven't you ever had that?”I tried to be funny, but that made Loreta frown and cross her arms.“It's a serious issue, Chiara,” Loreta said. “You don't want to get out of bed, you don't want to eat anything, and you
ChiaraI tried to distract myself with a horror series.It was a completely failed mission because I was too restless for my own good.A visceral part of me needed Alessandro's scent at all costs; it was like a drug I couldn't get enough of, and I didn't understand where this irrational need was coming from.“This is crazy,” I whispered as I tried to calm down.The truth: it was painful to be without Alessandro's scent.It was as if my nose was unable to function properly. I couldn't be that far away from Alessandro for that long, and I didn't know if it was Stockholm syndrome or something to do with his wolf. Either option was too bad because it represented a connection I did not intend to have with Alessandro.Inescapably, I saw it as having chains on me.However, after that kiss he and I gave each other, it was obvious that we didn't just feel attraction; there was something else that I was afraid to admit. And that was dangerous to my heart. I could stand many things, but in my m
ChiaraThe heat was going to burn us.So I pulled my lips away from Alessandro's for a moment to take a deep breath.We both gasped, and he hugged me tightly before putting his nose on my neck.That simple gesture almost undid me.“What just happened?” I asked out loud.Alessandro laughed and sat up, making me fit between his legs, and I could feel his erection. At that moment some modesty returned to my body, but the look in his eyes turned me on again.“We didn't do anything wrong, or, well, you didn't do anything wrong because you kissed me,” Alessandro said before giving me a kiss on my forehead.“I don't know what it was that—”Alessandro put a finger on my lips to silence me.“You don't have to say anything; let me enjoy this moment a little longer, please,” he whispered before resting his nose on my neck again. “Kissing you has been much more pleasurable than in my dreams.”I swallowed saliva, and then Alessandro saw me.His eyes were golden, and for the first time, I wasn't af