Francesco – Alpha of the Italian Pack point of view:


    <i>4</i><b>+</b>281


    “Alpha, you called?”


    The familiar voice of Beta Alfonso pulled me from the haze of emotion clouding my mind. He stood at the doorway of my office, nked by Marlow<i>, </i>our Head Warrior–ever alert, always ready.


    Today was the trigger.


    The moment I could no longer run from the truth.


    Lucas roared within me, his fury shaking the walls of my soul. I could barely hold him back.


    ‘You let her bleed!‘ he snapped, his growl echoing in my skull. ‘You let her get hurt! She should never have been in danger! That’s on you!‘


    I winced at the usation, but it wasn’t wrong.


    Tonight, she stood alone–brave, selfless–throwing herself in harm’s way to protect others.


    She didn’t hesitate. Didn’t run.


    She bled because of it.


    ‘We should’ve protected her. Not the other way around!‘


    I clenched my fists. My knuckles turned white. Lucas’s anger was fueled by fear–an old, agonizing fear I knew all too well.


    The moment Eine copsed in my arms, her blood staining my hands, it felt like history repeating itself.


    Anastasia….


    My chest tightened. We had failed her too.


    And now, Lucas med me. Not for the rogues. Not for the danger. But for denying what I knew all along.


    She’s ours.


    She’s our second chance.


    I’ve known it from the moment I saw her eyes in the moonlight. That quiet strength, the pain she tried to hide.


    The bond was there–subtle but impossible to ignore. Still, I fought it. Told myself it was a coincidence. A trick of fate. A dangerous hope.


    But I was wrong.


    She’s not just any she–wolf.


    She’s mine.


    “Alpha?” Alfonso’s voice came again. He and Marlow stood silent, respectful, but concerned. They could sense the shift. The storm building in my chest.


    I exhaled slowly, turning from therge oak desk.


    My voice came low, roughened by the truth I could no longer bury. “Eine Rollin…”


    <b>20:01 </b>


    They waited.


    “She’s my second chance.”


    The silence in the room thickened. No one moved.


    Then finally, Alfonso gave a short, solemn nod–like he had expected this all along.


    Marlow, however, looked shocked. He blinked. “You’re sure?”


    I looked between them and asked, “You knew, Alfonso?”


    He gave me a small smile, faintly amused. “Alpha… these past months–you’ve changed.”


    My brow furrowed.


    “You’re colder when she’s distant. Restless. And yet… softer when she’s near. The Anastasia Roses? You never gifted them to anyone before let alone allowing anyone get closer to the garden.”


    Marlow’s eyes widened. “Wait–those flowers?”


    Alfonso smirked and gave him a knowing look.


    I ran a hand through my hair, feeling the weight of realization settle like iron on my shoulders.


    So even my Beta saw it before I dared admit it. Lucas huffed smugly.


    ‘Told you. You’re stupid Alpha Lycan!‘


    Lignored him.


    “I was a coward,” I confessed. “I didn’t want to believe it. I didn’t want to risk feeling again.”


    Alfonso’s gaze softened. “You’re not the only one afraid of pain, Alpha. She’s healing from a rejection, too. One that nearly shattered her.”


    I knew that. I felt that in every nce she tried to hide, every time she forced herself to smile while carrying invisible wounds. Even Mika, her wolf, was


    still quiet. Still recovering.


    “I won’t force it,” I said, standing and walking to therge window that overlooked the guest quarters. “She needs time,”


    Marlow crossed his arms, his voice more practical. “So what now? Will you im her?”


    I shook my head.


    “When she’s ready,” I said firmly. “I won’t be another man.”


    The room went still.


    “She has to choose me… not because she’s bound to me. But because she wants to.”


    Alfonso nodded in agreement. “Then we protect her. Like we protect you.”


    “That’s not a request,” I said, turning back to face them, my Alpha tone slipping into ce. “It’s an order. She’s under our protection now.“”


    “Yes, Alpha,” they responded in unison.


    “She’s still unconscious?” I sighed, thinking that because her wolf isn’t there, the reason why she healed longer than any wolf.


    “Yes. Audrey is watching her. She leaves only when you arrive–just as you ordered.”


    My chest ached. “Good.”


    “She’ll be fine,” Marlow said. “She’s strong.”


    “She shouldn’t have needed to be,” 1 muttered. “She was in a neutral zone. That shouldn’t have happened.”


    “I’ve already begun organizing security rotations,” Alfonso said. “We’ll fortify the borders without alerting the humans.”


    I nodded, appreciating his foresight.


    “We can’t let this happen again,” I said, “Not just for her–but for everyone who’s caught between worlds.”


    Alfonso gave a slight bow. “We’ll be ready.”


    “You’re going to see her?” Marlow asked as they turned to leave.


    I nodded.


    “It’s the only thing that keeps Lucas and 1 sane.” I admit before turn to leave


    It was nearly 9 PM when I reached the private wing of the healer’s hall.


    The corridors were quiet, lit only by the soft flicker of enchantednterns. Audrey nodded at me from the corner where she sat reading a book. She stood silently and left, her trust in me clear.


    Inside the room, Einey still–pale, but breathing steadily.


    I approached slowly, careful not to wake her, but knowing deep down that even unconscious, she could feel me. My presence. My wolf.


    Lucas settled slightly, his fury giving way to guilt and longing.


    ‘She’s here… she’s safe. Thank the Moon.‘


    I sat beside her bed and leaned forward, elbows resting on my knees. I watched her chest rise and fall, each breath a reassurance that I hadn’t lost her.


    Not again.


    I put thetest bouquet of Anastasia Roses–blue, rare, and sacred that I brought on the small table beside her. She didn’t know yet that I grew them myself. That no one else had ess to them. That giving her was more than a gift and Alfonso knows that.


    Giving it to her is like a promise.


    She’ll know soon.‘


    Maybe.


    I brushed a lock of her hair away from her forehead, fingers lingering for just a moment. Her skin was warm now. Stable. Healing.


    But what about her heart?


    What about the pain she still carried from being rejected, from believing she wasn’t enough?


    She was. She always had been.


    “You don’t have to be strong all the time,” whispered. “Not with me.”


    I didn’t expect a response. But still, something changed.


    27


    <b>??</b><b>? </b>? ?<b>??</b>??


    Her brow furrowed lightly. Her lips parted.


    A flicker of connection pulsed through me, faint but unmistakable.


    Lucas surged forward, his spirit wrapping around her like a shield.


    We’ll wait as long as she needs.


    I sat back, exhaling quietly.


    For the first time in years, I wasn’t haunted by the past. I was grounded in the present. And I was beginning to hope for a future.


    With her.


    Eine Aurora Rollin. My second chance.