INICIAR SESIÓNLUCA——I have fought wars. I have buried warriors. I have stood in rooms full of blood and loss and still walked out breathing.But driving back to the pack house with Kiki crying beside me felt like the most brutal thing I had ever survived.I kept my eyes on the road because the moment I looked at her properly I knew I would lose control, and control was the only thing standing between us and complete collapse. Her pain sat in the car like a living thing. Loud and suffocating. Every sob felt like it punched straight through my ribs and lodged itself in my lungs.I told myself one thing over and over again.Do not fall apart. Not yet.She curled into herself like she was trying to disappear, arms wrapped tight around her middle, shoulders shaking, breath broken. She looked smaller than I had ever seen her, and the bond reacted violently to that. My wolf slammed against my chest, furious and panicked and ready to tear the world apart for hurting what was mine.I forced it down.Now w
KIKI——I followed him because I wanted him to know that I know all about him and because running away would not stop the truth from chasing me.I had followed him with fire in my chest, ready to confront him, ready to throw the envelope in his face and let him know that I knew. I knew about the woman. I knew about the lies. I knew about the life he was hiding. When I heard the word dead my mind went exactly where pain always takes it. I thought he had killed his wife. I thought he was that cold. That ruthless. That capable of choosing me and erasing whoever stood in the way.And then he said Stella.And my mom.Dead.The words did not make sense together. They crashed into my head and bounced around like they were looking for somewhere to land and finding nothing solid enough to hold them. I stared at him like he had spoken a language I did not understand.“Wha—what did you just say about my sister and my mom,” I asked, and I hated how small my voice sounded, how it trembled like it
LUCA—“I am almost on my way,” I whisper yelled the second I picked up the call, my voice low and tight like I was trying to hold my chest together with sound alone.Losing Stella already felt unreal. Like my mind had stepped away to protect itself and left my body to deal with the damage. And now the damn phone would not stop ringing. Every vibration felt like another piece of bad news lining up to finish the job.“Luca,” Kingsley said, and I did not like the tone of his voice. Not one bit. “We have more bad news.”I stopped walking.“What news could possibly be worse than what you just told me,” I snapped, anger bleeding through because I could not afford fear right now. “Stop dancing around it and say it.”There was a pause on the line. Too long.“The former Luna is dead,” he said carefully. “She collapsed when she heard about Stella.”My breath punched out of my lungs.“Heavens,” I muttered. “Who told her. Was it you. And are you absolutely certain she is dead.”“Yes,” Kingsley r
KIKI——The envelope feels heavier than it should.Not because of the paper. Not because of whatever is inside. It is heavy in that way bad news always is, like your body already knows before your brain catches up.I open it.And there it is.The first picture punches me straight in the chest.Luca.In bed. And he looked like was sleeping. Bare chest. Relaxed face. The kind of peaceful you only get when you are completely unbothered by consequences. A woman is curled against him, her head resting on his chest like she belongs there. Like that space was made for her. Like this is normal. Like this is intimate.“Oh,” I whisper. “Of course.”I flip to the next picture with shaking fingers because apparently I hate myself.And that is when I see him.A little boy.Dark hair. Strong jaw even at that age. That same unmistakable look in his eyes. Luca’s face copied and pasted onto a smaller body like the universe was mocking me personally.This is a fucking joke.I stare at the picture longe
LUCA——Okay. I need to be honest with myself for exactly one second.She was fucking beautiful in that silver dress.Not just beautiful like pretty or attractive or nice to look at. No. Beautiful in the way that hits you in the chest without warning and knocks all the air out of your lungs. The kind that makes you forget what you were about to say and why you were pretending to be calm in the first place.I was not expecting it to mess with my head like that.I chose the right dress. That much was clear. It hugged her in all the places I pretended not to notice and moved when she moved like it was loyal to her body alone. For a moment I just stood there looking at her like an idiot and thanking every instinct I had ever trusted.Then she opened her mouth.And reminded me exactly who I was dealing with.Getting her to the date felt like walking beside a loaded weapon that could go off emotionally at any second. I tried to tease her. Tried to make her smile. Tried to lighten the mood t
KIKI——Luca takes my hand like it is the most natural thing in the world and for a second I consider biting him just to feel in control again.Instead I let him lead me outside.Big mistake.Because the place he brings me to is… ridiculous. Soft lights strung between tall trees. Water flowing somewhere nearby like it was hired to be romantic. A table set just far enough from everything else that it feels private without being creepy. Flowers. Candles. The whole dramatic fantasy package.I stop walking.“You cannot be serious.”He turns to me with that stupid calm face that makes me want to throw something expensive. “What. You do not like it.”“I feel like I walked into a movie trailer,” I say. “Is this the part where you say something poetic and I pretend I am not emotionally constipated.”He laughs. Actually laughs. Like a normal person. “Relax. No poetry. I promised myself I would not traumatize you tonight.”“Wow. Growth,” I deadpan.He pulls out a chair for me. “Sit down before







