Chapter 18

Luca's Pov

Fuck! I threw another punch at the cracked wall. My hands hurt less with every strike, but my anger grew.

“Are you done?” Tyler asked from the other side of the room. He was the reason for this, and if he didn’t keep his fucking mouth shut, my fists would be reaching his jaw by now.

I couldn’t get the image of both of them in the garden out of my head. I gave him one order: fucking help her train. What exactly did he not understand? He intentionally touched what was mine, and I hate when others touch what’s mine—I’m territorial.

“Shut up.”

He sighed and walked to the table. “We don’t have much time. I have something to discuss with you.”

“What?” I snapped, turning my attention back to him.

“It’s about the pack. It’s important,” he said.

“What is it about?”

“The younger pups have started having the sickness. You need to do something about this—you’ve been ignoring the subject for a while.”

“I’m not ignoring it. I’ve been working towards fixing it,” I denied.

“And how so? You haven’t chosen a Luna yet? You haven’t even seen your fated mate to complete the mating bond.”

“I haven’t found the right one,” I lied. Tyler was a dick, and I wasn’t completely ignoring the subject. I was looking for other alternatives.

“You’re putting everyone’s lives in jeopardy. Your people need you now. We see you as our King and Alpha, so we’re inclined to trust you.”

As much as I was angry with Tyler, the fucker was right. My pack was different from others. I needed a strong Luna by my side to rule—not an enemy, but a friend. I had waited for my fated mate for years and believed the moon goddess was simply playing me for a fool. The council and I eventually reached an agreement for me to choose my mate and mark her.

It wasn’t what I preferred. For what it’s worth, I needed a woman I would fall in love with as my fated mate. I had dreamt about her—I had no face to put to the image—but I had dreamt and imagined how much I would cherish her.

“I’m aware of all this. Do you think I want my people to die? Do you think I don’t want to find my fated mate?”

“Don’t you think it’s too late for that? I’m your friend, Luca, and that’s why I supported you choosing a mate. Clarisse was the best choice. She would have made a good Luna for Silver Rose.”

“Don’t even start,” I warned, looking at him.

“Or is there something you’re not telling me? You seem nonchalant about all of this, and it’s bothering me. I know you’re not that type of person. Do you have a mate that I’m not aware of?” he asked with hopeful eyes.

I want to tell him. If anything, I want to finally mark Samantha as mine, but I cannot. It goes against the laws of Silver Rose. It’s funny, isn’t it? The moon goddess gives me a fucking curse that I need to tackle: either be mated or watch my pack die; yet somehow, my fated mate is from an enemy pack.

We’ve always been enemies to the Blood Rose Pack. They’ve always hated us, and we reciprocate the same. It’s nothing new. But I simply cannot go against the fact that my fated mate is from an enemy pack. I can’t break the laws that have been in Silver Rose for generations. I’m a King—what would that say about me?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

His eyes widened in shock. “You have found your mate, haven’t you? This is good news, Luca! Tell me who it is.”

I should fucking shut him up already.

I didn’t answer, and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Is it Sam?”

“Answer me, Luca. Is it Sam?”

“Yes,” I replied, looking straight at him. It shouldn’t bring me joy, but somehow, I enjoyed the way his expression changed from shock to sadness. There was no need to stress it further: Samantha is mine and mine alone.

“That’s why you took her as your woman?”

“Correct.”

“I don’t understand. Why not just complete the bond and claim her as your Luna?” The question threw me off balance, and it became hard to swallow the bile in my throat.

“You’re not even giving me answers here, Luca.”

“She’s not from Silver Rose. She’s from another pack,” I said.

“And?”

“She’s from Blood Rose. Do you want me to fucking spell it out?”

“This is bad… this is very bad,” he announced.

“I know. That's why I'm looking for another alternative. I found Samantha the night of one of my parties. I had heard her scream in the woods, and she was stained with blood. My wolf, Cillian, couldn’t leave her there, even if I wanted to. I noticed I could get her scent, and I could mindlink with her wolf.”

“That has never happened before. Her wolf spoke to you directly?”

“Yes, and then I had a hunch that we might be mates, and that night, I confirmed it. I want the best for Silver Rose, but I don’t want to do anything forbidden that would cause repercussions,” I finished.

“Why don’t you reject her instead?” he asked. The question I’d been asking myself since the last meeting with the council. I had made up my mind to do it, but every time, I ended up stopping myself.

Samantha was rejected by her mate and lost her babies. She was still learning how to fight in and out of her wolf form; she wasn’t strong enough and a rejection would make things worse. I don’t believe I’m saying this, but I don’t want to see her in pain, even if I’ve been completely ignoring her. I’m in pain as well, but it’s better if she gets stronger and leaves here.

“I can’t reject her. It’ll hurt her. She’s lost too much, and right now, she has nowhere to go. Rejecting her is an option, but not now. I know it sounds absurd, but I want her to be stronger and emotionally capable to take it.”

Tyler looked at me with a raised brow. His head was slightly tilted to the side, and he had that small grin on his face. I knew what he was doing—trying to figure me out like he always has and terribly failed at.

“You like her, don’t you? You feel something already?”

“It’s nothing. It’s just the stupid bond,” I said, pushing the thought to the back of my mind. It has to be.