Alpha Luciano’s POV
I sat outside the surgical ward as they took the bullet out of Arabella.
Uncle Tommaso sat next to me and we were silent for a time.
“I’m sorry.” He began.
“Me too.”
I was sorry about a lot of things.
I was sorry for the way I had treated him, he was my uncle. The man who had raised me. He deserved better.
I was sorry about the way I had treated Arabella in the beginning when she had been as much of a victim as I was. Vitalio Bianchi, may his soul rest in peace had never betrayed my family. Instead, he had been betrayed by his own family.
“I shouldn’t have kidnapped her… you were right. Vengeance is a blade that cuts both the wielder and the person who is cut.”
I was silent. In my head, I was replaying the scene from earlier on. Seeing Arabella shoot down the man who she had thought to be her father until just seconds ago. I should have felt cheated out of my revenge but I couldn’t help but feel like she was the one with a larger claim to it.
I wondered what it would cost her to go to bed every day knowing that she had killed the man she saw as a father so easily. It didn’t matter. I would be there for her every step of the way. If she needed a hand to hold, a shoulder to cry on, or someone to tell her that she was okay, I would be there for her.
It was the least I could do after everything.
“How is Emery? Did she survive?”
My uncle seemed to be in a repentant mood today. I couldn’t blame him. It felt that way for me too. Like a new dawn had just come into my life after the shadow of Vatalio had finally passed over us.
“Cecile said she is stable. She is at the hospital as well if you want to tender your apologies in person.”
Uncle Tommaso stood up. “I just might do that.”
He was already some steps away when he called out to me.
“Luciano.”
I looked up at him.
“When I first found out that Arabella was your mate, I felt like the moon goddess had made a mistake. She was not supposed to be for you, for this pack, this family. But now I feel… she is perfect for you. She might even be a better fit for this family than you are. She reminds me of your mother.”
I recalled how my mother had stood strong all those years ago fighting all those men off by herself, her face impassive, her pose unyielding. I had thought I had known all the aspects of Arabella. That she was nice, goofy, enticing, had a large heart and was just a little crazy.
Now I knew that I had barely plunged into the depth of her character. With every new side to her, I saw the more I fell madly in love with her.
“I think I agree with that, Uncle.”
********
The doctor came out to call me after Arabella regained consciousness. Arabella was in bed, the hospital gown on her still making her look extremely beautiful.
Arabella raised her eyes to me and her cheeks darkened with colour. I wanted to sit in the seat next to her bedside but she scooted over on her bed.
I raised my eyebrow surprised.
“I’m not sure you have been cleared by the doctor for that kind of rigorous activity.”
She blushed even more. “Goddess, Luciano. Must you turn everything sexual? I merely wanted you to sit next to me. Nevermind.”
She moved to scoot over but I didn’t let her.
It took some manoeuvring but I had supernatural strength so it took me a little more than a few seconds to lift her off the bed, lay on the bed and arrange her partly on top of me, partly on the bed.
Arabella blushed again at the space or lack of space between us. One wouldn’t think that we’d been having sex every other hour if they saw her face. I fought the urge to tease her again.
Instead, I focused on more important matters.
“Are you alright?”
“I don’t know.” She twisted slightly to look at me.
“He lied to me my whole life, he killed my parents. Yet he was the only parent I grew up knowing. Surely there must be something wrong with me if I could find it so easy to kill him. Maybe I am broken.”
“Hush. Don’t ever call yourself broken. You are the most perfect thing in this world. You are definitely not broke. He was the broken one. You are perfect.” At my words, tears filled her eyes and I brushed my thumbs over her cheeks wiping them off.
“It’s okay to not feel things normal people feel. Grief differs individually and the onset also differs. It’s okay if you want to cry for him, it’s also okay to not want to shed a tear for him.”
“I never knew you had a philosophical side to you.” Arabella said sniffing.
I laughed. “There is a lot we still have to learn about ourselves. Luckily we have the rest of our lives to do that.”
Arabella smiled, her face was radiant. The intensity of the smile hit me like a sucker punch to the gut. “The rest of our lives. I like the sound of that.”
“Me too.” I captured her lips with mine and for a moment, I forgot we were in a hospital.
Her lips were soft and pliant as she slipped her hands on my shoulder moving even closer as the kiss deepened. I felt myself harden and the door of the room slammed open.
Our kiss broke apart. Arabella buried her face in my chest as though that would erase the image of us kissing from the doctor’s mind. I had no such compunction. I wrapped my arm around her and smiled at the doctor.
“Did you forget anything here? My mate and I were in the middle of something.”
“Luciano!” Arabella pulled away slightly and hit my chest, her cheeks red with mortification.
The doctor looked like she was fighting a smile as well.
“You might want to go a little easier for now. Her stitches will come off in a day or two max. Then you may continue your um… somethings.”
Arabella groaned her hands covering her cheeks.
“I came here to tell both of you… congratulations, you are going to be parents. During our examination, we found out that…”
The doctor continued speaking but Arabella and I had stopped listening. She put her hand on her belly. I put my hand on it as well. We exchanged a look.
I didn’t need the mate bond to tell me what she meant because I felt it too. Happiness, joy, trepidation. We’d been given a second chance. A second chance to do this over. A chance that I wasn’t going to squander.
I would protect both of them with my life and Goddess help anyone who tried to come between us.
I embraced her and felt her melt in my arms.
“I love you, Arabella.”
“I love you too, Luciano.”