Chapter 5

Chiara’s POV

Was he here because of the twins?

The thought hit me like a physical blow. My fingers tightened around the crystal glass of prosecco until my knuckles ached, the thin stem threatening to shatter in my grip. I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think.

Had Lorenzo found out?

My gaze locked onto him, and the elegant ballroom of Villa San Celestino blurred into a meaningless haze of panic. He stood near the arched entrance, tall, immovable, radiating authority the way only an Alpha could. Power clung to him like a second skin. And yet, under his stare, I felt stripped bare—like he could see through every lie, every carefully constructed wall I had built around my life.

I swallowed hard, fighting the terror rising in my chest.

Impossible, I told myself desperately. There was no way he knew.

I had done everything to protect my children. I had erased us. Changed my surname. Changed theirs. Buried every trace of our past so deeply that even the twins believed the story I fed them.

Even to them, Lorenzo was nothing more than a ghost—a father I had lied about.

A man I had told them was dead.

So why was he here?

Why now?

This gathering wasn’t supposed to include him. I had checked the guest list obsessively, memorized every name printed on the thick ivory invitations. He was not meant to be anywhere near me. The Pietraluna Pack summit had been planned carefully. Too carefully.

And yet there he was.

More commanding than I remembered.

More devastatingly handsome.

My wolf stirred uneasily inside me, a traitorous whisper of longing and need rising up without permission. I crushed it instantly.

No. I will not fall for that again.

I reminded my wolf—newly awakened after the birth of my twins—that this man was the reason for my scars.

Seeing Lorenzo now, he seemed taller somehow. Broader. More mature. Like the years had added something dangerous I hadn’t anticipated. I hated myself for noticing. Anger and resentment twisted in my gut, sharp and familiar—but beneath it lurked something worse.

Attraction.

Stronger than before.

Stronger since I gained my wolf.

It was confusing.

Maddening. I shoved it down and clung instead to the rage that had kept me alive all these years.

Then his gaze tore away from me—and landed on Raffaele, who stood close at my side.

I saw it immediately.

The narrowing of Lorenzo’s eyes.

The darkening intensity that made my breath hitch.

Was he assuming Raffaele and I were together now?

The thought sent a jolt through me, and I instinctively tried to inch away, even though I knew how it must look.

But Raffaele leaned in closer, his breath warm against my ear as he murmured something about incoming guests and the importance of tonight’s alliances. His hand hovered near my arm, protective, familiar.

I didn’t hear a word.

Every nerve in my body was hyper-aware of Lorenzo’s presence—of the way his attention clung to us like a blade poised to strike.

Then I saw Ginevra.

She lingered just behind him.

She had changed too.

Her posture was poised, calculated, and the way she hovered at his side made it clear she had become his right hand. His shadow. A position that sat badly in my chest. She was colder now. Sharper. More assured—like the years had carved her into something just as dangerous as him.

It didn’t matter.

She was still a filthy mistress who clung to him.

And it didn’t change the fact that I wanted to tear the smirk off her face.

My heart pounded harder as I forced a polite smile, praying Raffaele wouldn’t notice how close I was to unraveling. His fingers brushed my elbow briefly, grounding me just enough for me to nod at whatever he was saying.

Then Lorenzo’s gaze snapped back to me.

His hazel eyes darkened—dangerous, warning.

My wolf shifted uncomfortably inside me. I brushed it off.

Raffaele finally straightened, excusing himself to greet another Alpha who had just arrived. And the moment he stepped away—

That was when Lorenzo moved.

He crossed the room with slow, deliberate steps, each one heavy with threat. My heart slammed against my ribs, instincts screaming at me to run—to flee before he unraveled everything I had built.

But I didn’t.

I lifted my chin and stood my ground, projecting confidence I did not feel.

“Chiara,” he said.

His voice was smooth. Calm. Deceptively so.

But beneath it lurked something dangerous enough to make my stomach twist.

“I didn’t realize you’d stoop this low for attention.”

I blinked, momentarily stunned.

“Excuse me?”

He arched an eyebrow, his gaze sharpening. “Parading around with Alphas like Raffaele. Is that supposed to make me jealous?”

My jaw clenched, anger flaring hot and sudden. “There are plenty of Alphas here,” I shot back coldly, refusing to absorb his insult. “I’m not here for you, Lorenzo.”

He tilted his head, studying me like a puzzle he hadn’t finished solving. “Then why are you here?”

The question felt like a challenge—one that made my pulse spike. Did he know? Was this his way of cornering me, of forcing me to slip?

“I don’t owe you an explanation,” I replied, masking the tremor in my voice. I hated that he could still do this to me. Hated that he could make me feel small. Exposed. Weak.

“We’re not—” My voice caught, and I forced myself to continue. “We’re nothing to each other anymore.”

Six years.

It had been six years. I should be able to stand on my own now, to exist in the same space as him without bending under his presence. And yet—undeniably—he still affected me. I hated that. Hated that after all this time, he could still hurt me. And I hated it even more that a part of me still let him.

Before he could respond, the room shifted as my name was called. Relief washed through me, and I seized the opportunity to step away, putting distance between us before I unraveled completely.

I moved toward the front of the hall, the marble floors of the Villa cool beneath my heels. My hands trembled as I clutched the notes I had prepared, but when I looked out over the gathering, I forced myself to breathe.

You’re not the same woman you were six years ago, I reminded myself.

You’re stronger. You built this life.

I cleared my throat and began.

“Thank you all for gathering here today,” I said. “This meeting is about more than alliances. It’s about unity. About standing together against whatever threats may come.”

As I spoke, the words settled into me, steadier, surer. “Each of us has fought our own battles. We’ve endured losses. But today, we stand not as separate packs—but as a single force. Stronger together.”

The room responded. I could feel it.

Even Lorenzo seemed caught, his eyes locked onto me with an intensity I tried not to acknowledge. And Raffaele, standing off to the side, looked proud—nodding slightly, a small smile tugging at his lips.

When I finished, the applause was real. Genuine.

For a brief moment, pride bloomed in my chest.

I had come so far.

And no one—not even Lorenzo—could take that away from me.

But the moment didn’t last.

Needing space to breathe, I slipped away toward the washroom. Cold water splashed against my face as I braced myself against the sink, trying to calm the storm inside me—

When a voice cut through the air behind me.

“Fancy seeing you here, runaway Luna.”

A shiver slid down my spine.

I turned to find Ginevra leaning against the wall, arms crossed, eyes sharp with open disdain.

I straightened. “I think you have the wrong person,” I said coolly, dismissing her.

Her eyes narrowed. “Stay away from Lorenzo,” she warned. “You left for a reason. Don’t think you can waltz back into his life.”

I crossed my arms, mirroring her defiance. “I’m not here for him,” I snapped. “And like I said—you have the wrong person.”

Ginevra pushed off the wall and stepped closer. The air between us thickened, suffocating.

“Oh, I know exactly who you are,” she hissed, certainty dripping from every word. “But you’d do well to remember your place.”

Then she turned and walked out.

I stood there for a moment, shaken and furious, forcing myself to breathe before following. As I stepped into the corridor, my eyes caught on her neck.

I froze.

No bite mark.

No claim.

No sign that Lorenzo had ever marked her.

My heart thundered as confusion crashed over me.

Six years ago, I had believed he had chosen her. Believed he had found his mate and cast me aside.

But… had I been wrong?