MasukChiaraâs POV I was worried about Piera, but I couldnât leave without saying goodbye to Giulia and Enrico. After all, my curiosity about what Luciano De Luca might say was only part of the reason I came tonight. My main priority had been to say farewell to his parents, knowing this would likely be the last time I saw them. âOh, Chiara,â Giulia said as I hugged her tightly. âAre you sure you have to leave? You canât stay and work things out with Luciano?â âIâm sorry,â I told her and meant it. In another life, maybe we could have all been happy together. As it was, Luciano and I felt doomed, and I was growing exhausted allowing myself to hope otherwise. Giulia squeezed my shoulders. âItâs not your fault.â Gods, I loved this woman as much as if sheâd been my own mother. As an orphan, she was the closest thing Iâd ever had to one. I hated to leave her, but I couldnât stay while distancing myself from the pack. It wouldnât be right. I had to cut everyone off. After hugging Giulia, En
Chiaraâs POV Nothing I had told Luciano De Luca was a lie. For a werewolf to conceive, both partners needed a certain measure of love and affection for one another. That I was pregnant could, from the outside, be seen as something of a miracle. I remembered that night when Luciano had come to me, a couple of weeks before our anniversary. Since we had slept in separate bedrooms, at first I suspected he might have been lost. I knew heâd gone out drinking that evening, and the faint scent of whiskey still lingered in the air. âLuciano, this isnât your bedroom,â I said cautiously. âI know that,â he whispered, stumbling closer to my bed. âIâm not going to my bed tonight. Iâm staying here.â This type of spontaneity was unusual for him. Usually, the nights we were intimate had been carefully planned in advance. It had never felt particularly romanticâmore like a chore that needed to be done for the sake of the pack. But that night was different. Luciano pulled back the blankets and s
Luciano De Lucaâs POV It took a while for me to finally calm Silvia down enough to hang up the phone, but when I did, I breathed a deep sigh of relief. At the end, she still insisted I come homeâbut at least she wasnât threatening suicide anymore. Iâd convinced her I would leave early. Early, however, did not mean this minute. Chiara loved the outdoors. Right now, I had to find her. After noticing she was missing from the pool area, I searched the houseâempty rooms, empty hallways. Then it hit me: she always complimented my mother on her gardens. I cursed myself. That should have been the first place I checked. Rushing outside, I found Chiara wandering among the flowers. Her face tilted toward the sky, eyes fixed on the stars. The moonlight painted her skin with an ethereal glow; she looked almost otherworldly, untouchable, like a goddess walking among mere mortals. Then she turned to me. A flash of pain crossed her eyes before a shield slid into place. Swallowing my rising gu
Luciano De Lucaâs POV I went into the house fully intending to get a slice of cake for Chiara. From her tone earlier, I knew she was annoyed with meâand I hadnât done much to fix it. Iâd thought bringing up the topic of her having a child might help smooth things over, but instead, it had only pushed her farther away. A piece of cake wouldnât solve everything. Still, as gestures went, it couldnât hurt. Maybe sheâd see that I was tryingâthat I wasnât giving up. That had to count for something. I wasnât thrilled about leaving her alone out there, especially in that dress. At least she had my suit jacket draped over her shoulders. With that, sheâd be covered in enough of my scent to discourage most alphas. Except, perhaps, Giacomoâwho seemed far too curious for his own good. Chiara was still my wife. Until that changed, Giacomo should know better than to hover around her. Maybe Iâd need to have a conversation with him about propriety toward his Luna. As I stood in line waiting fo
Chiaraâs POV âLuciano,â Giulia scolded softly. âYou should be more considerate of Chiara.â âSilvia Romanoâs presence in my home has nothing to do with Chiara,â Luciano replied coolly. My home, heâd said. Not our home. That hurt more than it should haveâespecially now, after Iâd already left. He really must not miss me at all. And he was right, more than he knew. Silviaâs presence truly had nothing to do with me, because as far as I was concerned, Luciano and I were already divorced. He was the one dragging things out by refusing to sign the papers. Iâd already checked out of this marriage. Just like I was doing now. I didnât want to hear any more of this argumentânot Giuliaâs accusations or Lucianoâs excuses. âIt was nice seeing you again,â I said politely to Giulia and Enrico. âIf youâll excuse meâŚâ Before they could stop me, I turned and walked away. I didnât really have anywhere to go. No one hereâaside from maybe Giacomo, who was nowhere in sightâactually wanted to tal
Chiaraâs POV I looked down at my dress, genuinely unsure what was wrong with it. Yes, it was more revealing than the conservative outfits Iâd worn throughout our marriage, but I didnât think it warranted the fierce glare Luciano De Luca was giving me now. Did he think I was embarrassing him? Was I embarrassing him? Suddenly, he grabbed my arm and pulled me away from Jasper. âHeyââ Jasper started, but the moment Lucianoâs furious gaze snapped toward him, the words died in his throat. Swallowing hard, Jasper stepped back, allowing Luciano to drag me away. âWhere are we going?â I asked. âTo the bedroom,â Luciano said curtly. âSo you can change.â I planted my feet, forcing him to either dislocate my arm or stop altogether. âIâm not changing,â I saidâmy voice steadier than I felt. As Chiara, I would never have gone against Lucianoâs wishes before. But maybe my Doctor B side was bleeding into the rest of me nowâbringing with it a courage and strength I hadnât possessed in the pas







