MasukChiaraâs POV âTheyâre gone. I donât know howââ Anitaâs voice cracked, but I wasnât listening anymore. The words hammered in my head, relentless, like a drumbeat I couldnât escape. Gone. My legs went numb, but I pushed past her into the villa, eyes darting around frantically for any sign of Luca or Sofia. Their laughter, their tiny shoes left in the hallway, anythingâbut there was nothing. âWhere are they?â I shouted, spinning to face Anita. She flinched, hands wringing together as she tried to form words. âI⌠I donât know, Chiara. I just⌠I left for a second. I swear. They were here. I donâtââ Lorenzoâs voice cut through her panicked rambling. âWhere were you when they disappeared?â I could hear the tension under his calm voice, the control barely holding back. My own chest heaved as I struggled to breathe through the panic and fury. âThe garden,â Anita stammered. âThey were playing. I came inside to grab their snacks, and when I went back outââ Her voice broke. âThey were ju
Chiaraâs POV My body froze completely. âWhat about the twins?â Anitaâs words tumbled out in a frantic rush, each one stabbing me like a cold blade. âChiara, itâs the twins. Somethingâs happened.â My stomach dropped, the blood draining from my face. I gripped the phone tighter, knuckles whitening. âWhat happened?â I demanded. âI⌠I donât know. Theyâre gone. You need to come now.â And just like that, the line went dead. My hands trembled as I turned slowly, panic rising so fast I felt like I might choke. I scrambled into my bag, searching desperately for my car keys, but they seemed lost forever. Lorenzo was watching me from across the table, concern etched into every line of his face, but I didnât have time to meet his eyes. The twins⌠they were gone. âWhat is it?â he asked, voice tight with worry. I couldnât speak. The only words looping in my head were Anitaâs frantic, terrified voice. It couldnât be. âChiara,â Lorenzo said again, standing, trying to get my attention, but
Chiaraâs 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,
Luca's POV The house felt troppo quiet without Mamma. The kind of quiet that made my stomach feel weird, like when I ate too many Nutella cookies and Nonna caught me. Sofia was lying on her bed, staring up at the ceiling with her âthinking faceââthe one where her nose scrunched up like sheâd sme
Chiara's POV The first thing I felt was the sharp sting in my arm. My eyes fluttered open and met the dim glow of the tent lanterns, their golden light flickering against the canvas walls that swayed faintly in the cool Italian night breeze. Everything smelled of crushed herbs, antiseptic oils,
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







