Chapter 5 THE FACE OF BLOOD

CHAPTER 5 - The Face of Blood

The knock came at 6:12 p.m.

Sharp. Precise. Like everything Luca did.

Aria froze mid-stir, wooden spoon suspended over a pot of pasta. Nico and Nino sat at the kitchen table, coloring. They both stilled at the sound, eyes darting to her.

"Stay here," she said softly.

She wiped her hands, heart already racing.

It couldn't be.

Not now.

Not this soon.

But it was.

When she opened the door, he was there-Luciano De Rossi. Taller than she remembered. Broader. And infinitely more dangerous.

His suit was black, no tie. Collar open just enough to hint at the wolf beneath the silk. His eyes met hers with that unshakable calm that had once unraveled her.

And behind that calm?

Fire. Fury.

"I'm not here to make a scene," he said. "Let me in."

"No."

"Aria."

His voice was lower now. Just her name-like a warning and a memory all in one.

She looked back, saw Nino peeking around the corner, clutching his coloring pencil like a weapon. Nico stood beside him, silent and watching.

She stepped outside and shut the door behind her.

The hallway lights hummed.

"You shouldn't be here," she said.

"You should've told me," he replied.

"You don't understand-"

"I understand perfectly. You disappeared, you faked your name, you erased me from their lives. You didn't lose the baby. You lied."

Aria's jaw tightened.

"I did what I had to do to keep them safe," she said.

He leaned closer. "You think hiding them from their father keeps them safe? You think living in this building, in this neighborhood, under a false name is protection? You think your ballet background prepares you for the world I was trying to shield you from?"

She flinched.

He noticed.

"Don't talk to me about protection," she hissed. "You surrounded yourself with men who kill for sport. You were being hunted, Luca. There were bounties on your head. I couldn't take that chance."

"You didn't give me a choice," he growled.

"I didn't have one either."

The hallway went silent again, thick with years of resentment. Regret. And something deeper neither of them wanted to name.

"You saw them?" she asked, voice softer now.

His expression shifted. "I did."

Her arms crossed over her chest, protective. "Then you know they're good boys. Smart. Strong. They've had a life-without guns and bodyguards and blood."

"They're mine," he said. "They deserve the truth."

"You're not taking them."

"I'm not trying to," he said. "But I'm not walking away either. You kept them from me for five years, Aria. I'm not asking you. I'm telling you. That ends now."

She swallowed hard.

"I'm not ready," she whispered.

"You had five years."

"I'm not ready for you," she said, barely holding herself together. "For all of this. For them to know what you are. Who you are."

"I'm their father."

"And you're the Black Wolf," she snapped. "Don't forget that."

He stilled.

"Is that what you've told them?" he asked, voice cool. "That I'm a monster?"

"I've told them nothing," she said. "Because no matter what you've done, I knew one day they'd want to meet you. And I didn't want them poisoned."

A long pause.

Then, quietly: "They're not the only ones you protected, were they?"

She blinked. "What?"

"You're still in love with me," he said.

She laughed once-bitter and breathless. "Don't flatter yourself."

He stepped closer. "I know what I see in your eyes. It's not fear. Not really."

"I am afraid, Luca," she said, tears threatening. "But not of you. Of what you'll do to them. Of what they'll become."

He tilted his head. "They already carry me in their blood."

She wiped her cheek. "Don't remind me."

He exhaled hard, then ran a hand through his hair. For a moment, he wasn't the king of shadows. Just a man. Broken, furious, and trying to stitch together something that never should've torn.

"I want to see them," he said.

"No."

"Aria-"

"Not yet."

"Then I'll wait," he said. "But not forever."

She stared at him.

And slowly, her voice broke: "You said once you'd burn the world for me. Would you burn them, too?"

Luca didn't answer.

He couldn't.

---

✦ Inside the Apartment

Nino looked up as Aria returned, eyes still wide.

"Mommy, who was that man?"

She paused at the doorway, heart heavy. "Someone from before."

Nico crawled into her lap, silent.

"Is he the one in the picture?" Nino asked.

Aria froze. "What picture?"

He ran into their room and came back with a notebook.

Flipped the pages.

And there-drawn in charcoal and instinct-was him.

Luciano. Towering. Watchful. A black wolf behind him, glowing red eyes. Two smaller wolves beside it.

Aria pressed a hand over her mouth.

"How did you-"

"I see him in my dreams," Nino said. "He's always watching. But not scary. Just... waiting."

She closed her eyes.

It was beginning.

No more running.