Emery’s POV
When I opened my eyes, I was in an unfamiliar basement. It had a barely functional light bulb and many knickknacks spread about.
Where was I?
Last I remembered, I was leaving. I hadn’t even gone back to my parents’ home. I sent Mom a heartfelt letter containing my apology for being such a problematic daughter, asking for her forgiveness and advising her to take this opportunity to leave that man. To leave the person who couldn’t give two shits about us.
I refused to keep being a burden to her. I left through the back woods to avoid notice. One minute I was leaving this wreck of a pack behind, the next I felt a blunt object hit the back of my head then darkness.
Had Luciano changed his mind about sparing me? No, I didn’t think so. Luciano wasn’t one to attack from behind. He would have killed me and gotten it over with. He was the Alpha after all. No one would even question him.
The door creaked open and Elder Tommaso stepped in. My eyes widened with shock as I realized where I must be. Why would Elder Tommaso abduct me behind Luciano’s back? I knew it was behind Luciano’s back because this was his private residence.
Luciano would never allow his uncle to be bothered with something as mundane as the torture of a prisoner which meant that he was doing this on his own. I don’t know what that meant for me but I doubted that it meant anything good. Luciano and his uncle were tighter than thieves and anything that had them divided wasn’t anything I wanted to be a party to.
“Emery.” His raspy voice played around with my name as though tasting the feel of it on his lips.
“Elder Tommaso.” I bowed as much as I could with my restraints, which wasn’t much but I had to try. I tried to control my heartbeat but I didn’t have much success with that.
“Emery, I have a few questions for you. Then you can be on your way.” He smiled a shark smile, all teeth.
“I trust you will be a good girl, however, if you lie to me or refuse to speak, I have both of your parents. I hear you are closer to your mother. We shall start with her first, I’ll cut off a digit of hers for every question of mine you refuse to answer then I’ll start with you.”
My mouth fell open with shock and fear.
“Please Elder, have mercy. What could this lowly person have to tell you that you wouldn’t already know? Please have mercy on my parents–”
“We shall see. Has Arabella woken up from her coma?”
Wait, Luciano hadn’t told Elder Tommaso that she had gained consciousness but why?
I hadn’t seen her with my eyes to confirm it but I seriously doubted that someone in a coma could have marked and mated with Luciano.
How could I tell him though? Arabella had saved my life. The least I could do for her was to keep her secret. But I refused to put my mother’s life in jeopardy to keep Arabella safe.
What was I going to do? What could I do?
“Interesting, I thought you hated Arabella and that you would be hungry to spill your guts but perhaps you need an extra incentive.”
Elder Tommaso picked up his cell phone and placed a call. I could hear the person on the other end respond.
“Yes, Elder.”
“Bring me the woman’s index finger. She won’t miss it too much.”
I heard the screams of my mother in the background. He wasn’t bluffing.
“Stop, please stop. I’ll tell you everything. Just leave my mother unharmed.”
Luciano could take care of his mate but my mother had only me to rely on. I felt disgusted with myself for betraying someone who had saved my life but I had tried my best for Arabella.
“Leave her.” Elder Tommaso didn’t end the call before looking at me.
“Speak quickly, girl before I ask them to bring your mother’s dead body to you.”
“Yes, she is awake. She has been awake for some time now. Perhaps a few weeks.”
Elder Tommaso’s entire demeanour changed. His brows came together as his lips twisted in disdain. “I suspected as much. How disappointing Luciano.”
He brought his phone to his ear again and spoke.
“Muster the men. Your goal is to eliminate Arabella Bianchi.”
“No!”
I wasn’t aware of when the scream escaped me. I didn’t care about Arabella at that moment but Luciano. She was his true mate. If Elder Tommaso had her killed then Luciano could follow straight afterwards with a broken heart.
I should have detested him for abandoning me like that but the truth was the heart wanted what it wanted. My feelings for Luciano were already beyond my control.
He’d questioned my love saying that true love wasn’t selfish like mine but who was he to say that? People loved differently because we all had differing capacities for love. So even though he had rejected and belittled my feelings, I didn’t want him to die.
“You can’t kill her. She is Luciano’s true mate.”
Elder Tommaso’s phone fell out of his grasp. He walked towards me like a man possessed. He gripped me by my upper arms.
“What did you just say?!”
Tears fell from my eyes in helplessness.
“She is his mate and they are already marked and mated. If you kill her then Luciano might lose his life as well.”
“Nonsense. I would have smelt it if Luciano was mated. His scent isn’t that of–”
“He’s been using a scent blocker. Haven’t you noticed how strange he’s been smelling of late?” I interrupted him now angry that he wasn’t seeing what was right in front of him.
I watched the realization dawn on him as he pulled back from me. He looked surprisingly vulnerable at that moment like he hadn’t expected the betrayal from Luciano.
That made two of us. It took him a while before he finally picked up his phone from the floor. And an even longer time before he dialled a number and spoke.
My eyes widened with every word that he spoke but there was nothing more that I could do.
*********
Arabella’s POV
Luciano had been tense since he got back from work and I didn’t know what to do to get him to talk about it. I finished up the delicious pasta and made a note to compliment the cook on a job well done.
Luciano’s food remained untouched. I stood up from my seat opposite him and pulled a chair right next to him.
I took his hand and he startled out of his thoughts to notice I was beside him. “Arabella, what are you doing–”
“What’s wrong? You seem out of sorts and you haven’t touched your dinner much less noticed the night dress I put on just for you.”
Luciano looked at me again just noticing what I had on, his eyes darkened with appreciation. He kissed me lightly on my lips leaving them tingling.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that my uncle acted weird today and I have been overthinking the whole issue.”
I thought about it for a minute.
“I don’t think you are blowing it out of proportion. Your uncle is a man who is extremely erratic. If you saw something that bothered you. It’s probably something noteworthy.”
Luciano smiled at me.
“What?”
But I was smiling back like a simpleton.
“Nothing. I can’t believe I lucked out with you sometimes.”
“Tease.” My cheeks burned.
“I would never.”
Luciano leaned in and captured my lips, I lost myself in him for that minute. Then he pulled away.
“I need to ask you something. About your dad.”
I froze but he continued on.
“If I killed him, would you hate me for it?”
It was so easy with Luciano that sometimes I forgot what my father had done to him and his family.
“I don’t think I could ever really hate you, Luciano.” I looked away from him, unable to meet his beautiful gaze as I spoke.
“My father has wronged you and I don’t think I have the right to tell you what to do or not to do with him. He manipulated me, and tried to sell me off as a bride to the highest bidder. I dislike him but he’s still my only living parent and I find myself hoping that one day, he’ll explain his own side of the story. That he’ll show up and apologise or something.”
I sniffed feeling like I had betrayed Luciano by saying that I wanted him to spare his parents’ murderer.
To my surprise, he embraced me, comforting me.
“Then that’s what will happen. I will give you a chance to speak to your father before I sentence him. I promise.”
I pulled back slightly in shock.
“You would do that? For me?”
“Of course. I love you. I want you to be happy and if talking to him will make you happy then I can do that for you.”
“I love you too.”
Then I embraced him again and this time I let him hold me longer. Luciano had changed so much that every moment with him seemed like a dream that I never wanted to wake up from.
I wanted to treasure all these moments and store them up so that I never forgot how beautiful they were.
But the truth was that nothing good came without a price.