Chapter 3 3

Italy 1468

He stood in his study, observing his pack members as they trained. Their skin lined with sweat and their feet with dirt. The Luna Rossa pack was at the top for a reason, no one dared to mess with them. The armies they trained were as large as the other packs themselves. The strategies they were taught have been said to be practiced by the Lycans themselves. At the heart of it all was Lorenzo Moretti himself. Men respected him and wished they were him, while the ladies were ready to drop their panties by just looking at him.

He was a sight to behold, they said.

He could kill me and I would be ok with it, they said.

I wish he was my mate, they said.

I could melt at the sight of him, they said.

Yet there was one female who didn't see the big deal with him.

So what? He's just a man, she thought but didn't dare say.

Rosanna Belluci was an interesting woman. She wanted the finer things in life and didn't mind being the center of attention. Her tan complexion matched with her rosy cheeks and long brown locks often caught the attention of men. Her smile was as radiant as the sun and her eyes a deep brown that enchanted men with a simple look. Those brown eyes reminded them of home, enveloped them in a sense of friendliness and comfort. At the same time, they had strength to them, filled with willpower and certainty. Men described her as the goddess herself. Others said she was a witch who had warped her looks to gain the attention of men.

How foolish, Rosanna thought.

She opens her legs for any man.

She's quite the whore.

Her hair is too plain.

Her face is too round

Her laugh resembles the croak of a toad.

Her nose is bigger than her brain.

Her breasts are the only reason men like her.

I bet her mother was a whore like her too.

Rosanna was used to the rude comments of the pack women. She attracted attention wherever she went even though she never tried. Her mother had told her it was her aura, warm like a summer day yet strong as steel. The women of the Luna Rossa thought differently. She never believed it to be her fault that their mates were always trying to grope her. If anything it was the males' fault.

The spotlight had been on her since the day she was born so the maiden chose to spend most of her time in the library reading. She found it to be more productive than gossiping with the other women about petty matters. Unfortunately all this time she spent away had been shaped into "whore time" by the other females.

She did not mind though. Her books were her escape. Her escape from the life she lived.

Blood Moon was suffering from chaos. News of the future luna cheating on the future alpha got out and people were starting to pick sides.

She would never do that! Her heart is bigger than Selene's!

Alessandra was surprised, to say the least. She knew her sister could be two-faced at times but she never expected her to cheat on Zane. All that damn girl could talk about was their wedding and a large abundance of pups.

To make matters worse Alessandra had no recollection of Friday's events. It was already Monday and the only thing she could remember was Sage The Gemini's iconic tune blasting from the speakers.

Alessandra was focused on her training and was warming up for the race that was going to take place tonight. She didn't have time to ponder over the events of Friday, she needed to put all her focus into one thing, winning.

Man life is a bitch. There are many things in my life I expected, but being cheated on by the girl I gave my heart to was not one of them. She was supposed to be different, she was supposed to love me, not because of my title but because of who I am.

Not to mention that every damn pack official keeps on talking to me about how news of my future luna cheating on me cannot get out or we will have packs questioning our authority.

Every female I see reminds me of Isabel in some way. I can hear my pack's pity-filled whispers.

The poor boy.

He doesn't deserve this, first his mom and now the Luna?

It irritated my wolf to no end that these wolves were calling Isabel, the betraying cheater, their Luna. She was not their Luna and the only Luna they would have would be his mate.

Imbeciles! Our mate is the Luna!

I do not want a mate.

It doesn't matter, our mate will be a gift from the goddess herself and if you do anything to mess it up, I will kill you Zane.

With a huff, his wolf retreated to the back of his mind. Stupid wolf, our mate will be no better than Isabel.

Isabel. Isabel. Isabel.

It seems like no matter where I go I can't get away from that damn woman.

The truth is my heart still beats for her and my lungs only breathe for her. How can I still love someone who hurt me so deeply? I don't know what death feels like but if it is anything like this, goddess spare me. I can feel myself dying, I can feel it in my bones. At this point, death would be better because at least with death, you know that eventually, it will be over. This seems worse than death because I have to live through it and I will remain alive to feel it. I will feel every damn little prick at my heart that comes with this heartbreak.

Just once in my damn life, I want to feel free. I want to feel the rush of freedom and independence. I want to feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins when I've done something I wasn't supposed to. I want the adrenaline to flow through my bloodstream, as fast as a gunshot.

When was the last time I did something for myself? When was the last time I did something for myself and not the pack or Isabel? When was the last time I had been selfish?

I don't want to live for others, I want to live for me. I want to do whatever the hell I want without worrying about the consequences.

We are alphas, Zane, we cannot be selfish.

Technically I have two years before I become Alpha.

And I am going to use these two years in my favor.

I will die before I give my heart to another woman again. A woman meant pain, a woman meant suffering, but most importantly, a woman meant the loss of his desired freedom.