LOGINNinaās POV āCome on, Nico,ā Nina whispered impatiently as she tugged on her brotherās sleeve. āI donāt want to be late.ā āWe wonāt be late,ā Nico replied with complete confidence. āThey wouldnāt start without us.ā While guests had already begun taking their seats in the folding wooden chairs arranged along the beach, and the rest of the wedding party prepared inside the house, Nina and Nico had secretly escaped to collect seashells by the shore. Now that they had found one of the largest shells either of them had ever seen, Nina suddenly realized how much time had passed. Panicking a little, she dragged her brother back toward the house while trying not to notice the wet sand stuck to the hem of her dress and the bottoms of his pants. Both of them were barefoot after losing their shoes somewhere near the tide long ago. Honestly, who wore shoes on a beach anyway? As they approached the house, they immediately started sneaking around, hoping nobody would catch them. Nico careful
Chiaraās POV In our small house near the sea in Moonglow, I woke early as usual to prepare for work. Luciano De Luca woke at the same time. Lately, that had become our quiet little routine. While the sky outside still carried traces of dawn, he stood in the kitchen heating water on the stove so we could drink tea together before starting the day. āYou sleep okay?ā I asked softly. Even now, despite everything changing between us, Luciano still slept in the spare bedroom. I had offered to let him move into mine more than once, but he always refused gently. He said he didnāt want his presence or feelings to pressure me. He wanted our relationship to grow naturally this time. When he suggested buying a nearby house instead, I shut the idea down immediately. The children loved having him here. And honestly⦠So did I. Sometimes I still found it difficult to believe he had truly abandoned everything for us. Even in my most impossible fantasies years ago, I never would have imag
Giacomoās POV A few days after I punched Luciano De Luca in the face, only for him to resign as Alpha and run after Chiara like a man possessed, Caterina invited me out for lunch. Now we sat across from each other in a small cafĆ© we had started frequenting over the years whenever we met up. She watched me carefully over the rim of her coffee cup, studying me the way someone might study an injured wolf, uncertain whether it needed comfort or distance. She should have known by now that if I had been in a truly foul mood, I would have declined the invitation entirely. Still, irritable was probably the best word to describe me lately. For the past several days, I had been drowning in my own misery. The strange thing was that I wasnāt devastated anymore. There was still loss, of course. A lingering ache. But the sharpest pain had finally started dulling around the edges. There was nothing left to do now except let Chiara go. Sometimes I wondered if things would have turned out diff
Luciano De Lucaās POV Giacomoās punch caught me completely off guard. I stumbled backward, nearly falling into the elevator again as the doors began sliding shut behind me. Pain exploded through my face instantly. He had definitely broken my nose. Holding it tightly, I stepped back out of the elevator while blood dripped down the front of my shirt. My werewolf healing was already beginning to repair the damage, but for a moment, the pain had been sharp enough to make my eyes water. And Giacomo clearly hadnāt held back. āWhat the hell, Giacomo?ā I demanded. āWhat the hell, me?ā he snapped furiously. āWhat the hell is wrong with you?ā āWhat does that even mean?ā āChiaraās flight leaves today, doesnāt it?ā he asked incredulously. āYes.ā āThen why the hell are you standing here?ā His words struck harder than the punch. For days, I had gone back and forth in my mind about what I should do. The mature thing would have been to go see Chiara and the children off properly. To smi
Chiara's POV āLuciano.ā I could tell he was hanging on my every word, nervously waiting for my answer. It hurt knowing that what I was about to say would crush him. Still, I knew this was something he needed to hear. āIām sorry,ā I said softly. āI canāt marry you.ā Before he could respond, and judging by the way his lips parted, he desperately wanted to, I raised my hand gently, asking him to let me finish. āI care about you, Luciano. I really do. But is that enough? Iām not the same woman I used to be anymore.ā āWhatever our differences are,ā Luciano De Luca said, āwe can work through them. If we care enough about each other, if we truly want this relationship, then shouldnāt we be able to make everything else fall into place?ā āI canāt become your Luna again,ā I admitted quietly. āI have my own career now. My own life.ā āI would never ask you to stay home and become a housewife,ā Luciano replied immediately. āI know thatās not what you want.ā āBut there would still be res
Chiara's POV We all waited in suffocating silence to see how Enricoās body would react to the medicine. Had I been too late? The heart monitor still raced wildly while Enrico groaned in obvious pain. Nearby Healers exchanged grim looks, already preparing themselves for the possibility that he might slip away despite everything. Piera and I physically stepped in front of them, refusing to let anyone interfere. Just a few more seconds. That was all we needed. Then suddenly, Enrico drew in one deep, powerful breath. The frantic beeping of the monitor immediately began to slow until, little by little, it settled into a steady rhythm. āFather?ā Luciano asked carefully as he leaned closer to the bed. Enrico slowly lifted one arm and tugged weakly at the oxygen mask covering his face. Carefully, I stepped forward and removed it for him. The moment it came off, Enrico smiled directly at Luciano before turning his attention toward me. āChiara,ā he said hoarsely. āI assume this was
Lucianoās POV āA person should not be punished forever for the mistakes of their past,ā I said into the microphone, my voice steady even as my thoughts betrayed me. Because if that were true, then what chance did I have? If Silvia could not be forgiven, then how could I ever be, after everythi
Chiaraās POVāNo,ā Luciano De Luca said quickly.I ignored the flash of relief that surged through me. Foolish heart, foolish feelings. Luciano De Luca and I had broken our bond. What did it matter now who he decided to have his future children with?Subtly, I placed my hand over my growing belly.
Chiaraās POV I stood in stunned silence, my mouth falling open, looking at Luciano De Luca, trying to understand what he was saying. While not a divorce, a mutual rejection would end our mating bond. Luciano De Lucaās mark on my neck would fade and weād both be free to bond with others instead.
Luciano De Lucaās POV She called me Luciano. That was the first thought to run through my mind as Chiara opened the door for me at Caterina's house. The second? Why did her face fall so much when she saw it was me, and not Giacomo? It was as if the bright light inside of her had been snuffed







