LOGINChiaraâs POV âDinner? With you?â The words tumbled out before I could stop them, and Lorenzo just stood there, calm in a way that I wasnât used to, like he had rehearsed this exact moment a thousand times. I wasnât sure what I expected after the meeting, but an invitation to dinner was not on the list. âI know itâs unexpected,â he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. âBut there are things we need to talk about, Chiara.â I stared at him, irritation bubbling just beneath the surface. âWeâve talked enough, havenât we?â He exhaled, a faint flash of frustration crossing his face, but he quickly reined it in. âJust one dinner. No arguments. Iâll take you back whenever you want. I promise.â It wasnât his words that swayed me, but the way he looked at me, like he had spent endless hours thinking this through, like whatever he needed to say could not wait. Curiosity, my constant enemy, nudged at the back of my mind. âFine,â I muttered before I could change my mind. I could alw
Chiaraâs POV âOh! Iâm so sorry!â someone slammed into me, and I stumbled back, barely steadying myself as a stack of papers scattered across the floor. âItâs fine,â I said quickly, as the girl, wide-eyed and clearly flustered, knelt to gather the papers she had dropped, apologizing profusely. I smoothed my hands down the front of my blazer and gave her a small, polite smile before walking toward the conference hall. The massive oval table stretched across the center of the room, and around it sat Alphas and Betas from various packs engaged in low murmurs of conversation. I was the only woman in the room, and I could feel the subtle, indifferent glances of the other men as though I had no right to be there. Why her? Why would the Moonstone Pack send a woman? I ignored them, straightened my shoulders, and walked to an empty chair at the edge of the table. I refused to let them see my nerves, though the raw aura of power exuded by the Alphas in the room pressed down like suffocating
Chiara's POV âMom, why do you smell like him?â I froze mid-step at Lucaâs innocent question. The twins stood in the doorway of the living room, faces scrunched in confusion. Lucaâs nose twitched as if he were still trying to pinpoint the source of the scent, and Sofia clutched her stuffed wolf tightly, her small brows furrowed. The words struck me like lightning, and my breath hitched as I stared at them, my heart hammering against my ribs. âWhat do you mean?â I asked carefully, even though I already knew the answer. âThat uncle from the hotel,â Luca said, his voice insistent. âThe one who bought us food when we got lost.â Lorenzo. My stomach twisted. How could they recognize his scent on me? I had showered twice since the confrontation at his motherâs villa, scrubbing at my skin as if I could erase the memory of his touch. Yet somehow, my children had sensed something I could not hide. Time was catching up. They were growing up so fast that I feared sooner or later they migh
Lorenzoâs POV I stood there as she left. The urge to go after her nearly consumed me, but something stopped meâa bitter mix of shame and the stark realization that I had hurt her, pushed her away, and now, she did not want anything to do with me. I had no right to demand anything from her, not after all I had done. The frustration simmered just beneath my skin, fueled by both anger and regret. Regret for the years I had let slip by without finding her, and anger at myself for being the reason she had left in the first place. My chest felt tight as I turned back toward my motherâs villa in the hills of Tuscany. I had come here hoping for answers, for some clarity, and instead I was left with more questions and a gnawing sense of failure. âSheâs not going to make this easy for you,â my mother said, appearing on the balcony with her arms crossed. That knowing look she always woreâthe one that said she saw everythingâwas there. âDid you talk to her?â she asked. âShe wouldnât listen,
Chiaraâs POV I froze at the bottom of the porch steps when I saw him. He was standing in the shadow of the old quercia at the edge of the driveway. Lorenzo. His eyes locked on mine instantly, and it was like he had a thousand questions in his head and no idea which one to ask first. For a moment, neither of us moved. The world seemed to have stopped, leaving just the two of us in a charged, suffocating silence. I swallowed hard and forced myself to keep walking, ignoring the way my pulse raced and the way my wolf stirred uneasily, yet delightedly, inside me. Though I did not share her joy. âChiara.â His voice stopped me dead in my tracks. Deep, rough, and carrying something I could not name, something I refused to nameâlonging. I did not turn around. âI have nothing to say to you.â I did not want to look into his eyes and feel guilty for all the lies I had said. Noemi had warned me he had changed, that he had been devastated when I left, that he was here to make amends, and I
Lorenzoâs POV I shouldnât have come. The thought slammed into me like a punch to the gut as I pressed my back against the cold stone wall just outside my motherâs sitting room. Her voice drifted through the half-open door, soft, warm, carrying a kind of peace I had not heard from her in years. And then there was Chiara. Her voice wasnât sharp or guarded the way it had been every time we crossed paths recently. This one was different. Softer. Vulnerable. It slipped under my skin before I could stop it, pulling at memories I had no right to hold onto anymore. My fists clenched at my sides as I forced myself to stay still, even though every instinct screamed at me to walk in and face her. My wolf was restless, pacing inside my head, demanding I go to her, demanding I claim what was mine. But I couldnât. Not like this. Not yet. âIâve managed,â she said quietly, but there was strength in it. âThe Pietra della Luna pack has been good to me. Itâs peaceful there.â Peaceful. The word
Lorenzoâs POV Chiara had always been a mystery to me. But now? She was something else entirely. Six years ago, she vanished from Florence like smoke. And when she returned, she wasnât the same timid girl who used to lower her eyes whenever I looked at her. She came back sharper. Stronger. Fier
Chiaraâs POV A rustle sliced through the quiet of the forest. I froze mid-stride, paws digging into the damp earth, every instinct snapping awake. The woods behind the hotel were never this loud unless something wanted to be heard. Or someone. The wind shifted. And there it was. Him. T
Chiaraâs POV Why did he do that? Lorenzo kept Ginevra by his side all these years. Everyone in the pack believed they were something solid. Untouchable. So why did he push her away tonight? Why did he ignore her? And why did he look at me like that? Like he wanted me to hold him instead of Raf
Chiaraâs POV âOne of the Alphas suggested the Alpine Bar down the street,â someone said as we stepped out of the Romano estate. A few others immediately rejected it, complaining about old fights and terrible grappa. After everything that happened in the conference hall, I did not expect the meet







