MasukChiaraās POV I was worried about Piera, but I couldnāt 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. āOh, Chiara,ā Giulia said as I hugged her tightly. āAre you sure you have to leave? You canāt stay and work things out with Luciano?ā āIām sorry,ā 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. āItās not your fault.ā Gods, I loved this woman as much as if sheād been my own mother. As an orphan, she was the closest thing Iād ever had to one. I hated to leave her, but I couldnāt stay while distancing myself from the pack. It wouldnāt be right. I had to cut everyone off. After hugging Giulia, En
Chiaraās 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 heād gone out drinking that evening, and the faint scent of whiskey still lingered in the air. āLuciano, this isnāt your bedroom,ā I said cautiously. āI know that,ā he whispered, stumbling closer to my bed. āIām not going to my bed tonight. Iām staying here.ā 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 romanticāmore 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 Lucaās 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 homeābut at least she wasnāt threatening suicide anymore. Iād 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 houseāempty 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 Lucaās 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 meāand I hadnāt done much to fix it. Iād 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 wouldnāt solve everything. Still, as gestures went, it couldnāt hurt. Maybe sheād see that I was tryingāthat I wasnāt giving up. That had to count for something. I wasnāt thrilled about leaving her alone out there, especially in that dress. At least she had my suit jacket draped over her shoulders. With that, sheād be covered in enough of my scent to discourage most alphas. Except, perhaps, Giacomoāwho 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 Iād need to have a conversation with him about propriety toward his Luna. As I stood in line waiting fo
Chiaraās POV āLuciano,ā Giulia scolded softly. āYou should be more considerate of Chiara.ā āSilvia Romanoās presence in my home has nothing to do with Chiara,ā Luciano replied coolly. My home, heād said. Not our home. That hurt more than it should haveāespecially now, after Iād already left. He really must not miss me at all. And he was right, more than he knew. Silviaās 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. Iād already checked out of this marriage. Just like I was doing now. I didnāt want to hear any more of this argumentānot Giuliaās accusations or Lucianoās excuses. āIt was nice seeing you again,ā I said politely to Giulia and Enrico. āIf youāll excuse meā¦ā Before they could stop me, I turned and walked away. I didnāt really have anywhere to go. No one hereāaside from maybe Giacomo, who was nowhere in sightāactually wanted to tal
Chiaraās POV I looked down at my dress, genuinely unsure what was wrong with it. Yes, it was more revealing than the conservative outfits Iād worn throughout our marriage, but I didnāt 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. āHeyāā Jasper started, but the moment Lucianoās furious gaze snapped toward him, the words died in his throat. Swallowing hard, Jasper stepped back, allowing Luciano to drag me away. āWhere are we going?ā I asked. āTo the bedroom,ā Luciano said curtly. āSo you can change.ā I planted my feet, forcing him to either dislocate my arm or stop altogether. āIām not changing,ā I saidāmy voice steadier than I felt. As Chiara, I would never have gone against Lucianoās wishes before. But maybe my Doctor B side was bleeding into the rest of me nowābringing with it a courage and strength I hadnāt possessed in the pas







