Just Selene

I froze. "Makayla? Is that you?" I said, with hopes of getting a response but none came. I tried again but still, nothing. 

Disappointment floods my chest. Stupid of me to think she was back by some miracle. 

I peeked behind me and saw a shadow from behind the wall. "Hello?" I called out but there was no response. Frowning, I moved towards it but on getting closer, there was no one there. I convinced myself that it was in my head and returned on my initial quest.

On getting to the garden, I paused in my tracks. There was a man crouched in front of one section of my garden, removing weeds and pruning leaves. That wasn't what surprised me, it was the garden itself.

My heart sank at the sight of the garden. Weeks of neglect had left it choked with weeds, vines dragging down the buds. It was the perfect illustration for my soul. Neglected. Overgrown.

It felt like the last thing I had control of, had been snatched from my hands. I stood there dumbfounded, staring at the place with a heavy heart as I felt my eyes welling up with tears.

"Luna?" The man called out, standing up. "Is everything alright?"

He was tall, with kind eyes etched by laughter lines rather than cruelty. His blonde hair was streaked with brown, and a faint, earthy scent of  rich soil and moss clung to him.

He wasn't one of Romano's soldiers, and he didn't have the almost predatory air others had. He simply stood there, watching me.

I wondered why a strange man was tending to my garden. He looked completely out of place.

"It's just... my garden is a mess," I explained awkwardly. 

I braced myself for the robotic concern that Alpha Romano's men had, but he said nothing.

"I am happy to help," he said before kneeling again. He pressed his fingers into the soil, gently loosening the earth and pulled out the weeds, careful not to disturb the fragile buds around.

I watched him for a few minutes, surprised. No questions, No judgement, just help.

Something ached inside me. I joined him, mirroring his actions. The silence between us felt strangely natural, almost familiar. Grannie Alba exuded the same aura as him.

"Who are you?" I asked when I finally found my voice.

He paused. "Giovanni." His lips curving into a smile.

"How do you know who I am?"

"Everyone knows the Luna of the Romano Crest Pack." He chuckled softly, resuming his work. "Besides, the garden has missed you. The plants told me," He said with so much conviction that I almost believed him for a moment.

"Are you part of the pack? I haven't seen you around."

"I am," he confirmed, snapping off a particularly stubborn root.

"But I travel quite a bit. I have a deep interest in nature, you see. The way the earth breathes and the way it talks. There's so much more to learn when you're not confined to one place." He spoke from a place of great passion, it was refreshing to hear.

We worked in comfortable silence for a long time and by the time the sun began to dip below the horizon, the garden looked revitalized. And strangely, I felt the same way.

Giovanni thanked me for the honour and then said his goodbyes.

As I walked back to my room, a strange lightness settled over me, not happiness, but strength. The despair still lingered, it no longer consumed me. Something new stirred inside me, resolved.

I refused to be an accessory, tossed around at will. I felt alive, invigorated, ready. And I would do everything I could to hold onto that feeling, cultivate it and watch it grow.

Enzo's POV

The meeting with Dante, Silas and the head of enforcers, left a bitter taste in my mouth. More rogue wolves at the borders. They were becoming brazen in their attacks.

"Are you certain of your assessment?" I asked Silas, leaning back in my chair. "Rogues? Or a probing attack?"

Silas nodded. "Their scent profiles were inconsistent with any known pack, Alpha. They're disorganized, but aggressive. Likely emboldened by the recent.... shifts in power." He carefully avoided mentioning Selene, but I knew what he meant.

I might have been able to seal the bond between I and Selene soon but the shift had already happened. The pack felt it. My wolf felt it.

"There's no need to increase the perimeter wards. I want any intrusion met with overwhelming force. Send a message."

Dante nodded in agreement. "Consider it done, Alpha."

After a few more minutes of strategic planning, they bowed and exited my office. I rubbed my temples. I needed a break, a moment of silence.

I headed to my private study on the opposite side of the villa. As I walked down one of the long corridors, I caught sight of movement through the tall windows. SELENE.

And Lisa.

It was strange seeing Lisa, much less inside my premises. We had a brief fling some years back when I considered taking her as my mate but she wasn't the right fit so I ended things with her. 

Although, she still warmed my bed long after that.

I stopped, leaning against the wall, watching. Selene looked pale and visibly trembling in meek defense.

Pathetic. Just as I'd expected. She was still the same weak Omega, utterly unsuited to the power she now carried.

I saw Selene clench her fists, a flicker of temper in her posture. Lisa's words must have stung. Good. Maybe a little fire would do her some good, though I doubted it would amount to anything.

"You know nothing about me, Lisa," she snapped. "You know nothing about what I've been through."

  

I shook my head, disappointment and annoyance passing through me. "Still nothing," I muttered to myself, turning and walking away. The pack needed a strong Luna, not a weeping willow.

I continued on my way, dismissing their petty squabble. There were far more important things to consider than Selene's inability to handle a minor verbal altercation. The rogue wolves were a real problem. 

The instability was a real problem. Selene was just... Selene.