Alpha Roman’s POV
I had been sitting in my chambers, reviewing the day’s reports. Purposely making Malia wait was a punishment. I wanted her to sit alone and realize I was displeased with her. Only then would the desperation to right her wrongs grow.
The door creaked open, I didn’t need to look up to know it was Luca. My Beta had a certain air about him, one that marked his presence even before he spoke. His steps were hesitant, quieter than usual, but I could feel his nervousness. His heart was beating so quickly I thought the man would faint.
I hated it. It felt like weakness.
“Alpha…” His voice was uncertain, something I wasn’t used to hearing from him.
I finally looked up, my gaze sharpening. Luca wasn’t the nervous type-at least, not normally. “What is it, Luca?” I asked, keeping my tone neutral, my attention still divided between the papers before me and the Beta.
He hesitated for a moment, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, and I could see that whatever was about to come out of his mouth had him on edge. The silence stretched between us, and I could feel the tension thickening in the room. Something was different, and I knew it wasn’t the usual business that Luca brought to me.
“I’ve found her, Alpha,” he said, his words rushed but still carrying an undertone of disbelief.
“Found who?” I asked, though I already suspected the answer. The pause, the hesitation-it was obvious. I leaned back in my chair, folding my arms across my chest, waiting for him to continue.
Luca’s eyes flickered away, staring down at his hands as if gathering the strength to speak. “My mate, Alpha,” he whispered, almost as if saying it aloud would make it real.
I sat back for a moment, feeling something unfamiliar stir within me. I didn’t let it show-didn’t let my expression shift-but there was a tiny flicker of something in my chest. Not pity, not sympathy. It was something different. Something I couldn’t quite name.
It wasn’t often that a wolf found their mate. In my long years, I’d seen few mates come together. A mate bond was so strong that love lasts forever. Once mates found each other, they were incapable of loving any other person. This is why every werewolf seeks a mate, it’s their happy ending. It was rare enough to be something worth acknowledging, and for that brief moment, I could feel the joy Luca had bottled up inside him.
“That’s… good news, Luca,” I said, my voice almost too soft, but I didn’t care. I had to acknowledge this. After all, this wasn’t just another announcement-it was a life-changing one. “Not everyone is fortunate enough to find theirs.”
He nodded, his shoulders relaxing slightly, but the excitement was still there, visible in the way he stood. His chest rose and fell with each breath, his fingers twitching at his sides as if he wanted to reach out and tell me more.
“I want to marry her, Alpha,” Luca continued, his voice steadying now that the initial rush had passed. “I want to have a wedding, but… the wedding hall is already booked. I…” He paused, glancing at me nervously. “I don’t know what to do. I-”
Before he could continue, I raised a hand, cutting him off. “You want to marry her. Of course you do.” I gave him a rare, brief smile. “You have my full support, Luca.”
His eyes widened, the relief so obvious it almost made me chuckle. But I didn’t. This wasn’t a moment for amusement. Not when someone like Luca, who had been by my side through everything, had just found his other half.
“You can use the palace, of course,” I added, leaning forward slightly, my voice softer now. “I’ll have the entire wedding funded. Every detail. You’ll have everything you need for the ceremony.”
Luca blinked, his face flushing with surprise. “Alpha, I-” He stopped himself, visibly moved. “Thank you. I never expected this.”
I waved it off, a small gesture that made it clear it was nothing. “You’ve earned it, Luca. Your loyalty, your dedication to me, to this pack-it deserves to be rewarded.” I gave him a steady look. “You’ve been by my side from the beginning. I would not have made it this far without you.”
Luca’s expression softened, his eyes bright with something I didn’t see often-genuine gratitude, and perhaps something more. “I’ll pick someone to take over my duties while I’m away for the honeymoon,” he added quickly, clearly not wanting to leave anything unspoken.
“Good,” I said, nodding. “Handpick someone you trust. Make sure they can handle the pressure. And Luca, ensure they’re not a stuttering fool who falls at my feet like an idiot. You know I hate that.”
He smiled, but it was brief. There was still something simmering beneath his surface-something pure. It wasn’t often that I saw someone genuinely excited, and I couldn’t help but feel the momentary pleasure in knowing that someone close to me had found happiness in a way I could not.
He stood there for a long moment, as if wanting to say something more, but I could see that words weren’t needed now. He was happy, and it showed. It was all over his face.
“Thank you, Alpha,” he said, almost in a whisper, before turning to leave.
Just as Luca reached the door, I called out to him, an impulse I couldn’t ignore.
“Luca.”
He stopped, turning back to face me with an expectant look. “Yes, Alpha?”
I watched him for a moment before asking the question that had been lingering in my mind. “How did it feel? When you met your mate? Were there butterflies?”
The words left my mouth before I could stop them, and for the briefest moment, I felt… something. It wasn’t an emotion I was accustomed to, not something I would normally voice. But I asked anyway, curious in a way I hadn’t been in years.
Luca’s face lit up, the joy in his eyes even more apparent now. “It was magnificent, Alpha. The moment I saw her, everything else just… faded. It was like the world stopped for just a second.” His voice softened as he spoke, almost lost in the memory. “She’s everything I ever imagined, but more. There was this-this pull. This force that I couldn’t explain, something so real, so raw.”
I leaned back in my chair, a little too intrigued. I didn’t often hear people speak of their mates, maybe it’s because I barely interacted with people. People annoyed me, made me sick. While being treated like a god made me feel on top of the world, it grew old and boring. I was curious, who better to ask than my beta. My own wolf had only experienced such a connection, with one. The masked woman from the fair. I couldn’t wait to see her again. Listening to Luca confirmed that she was indeed my mate.
“And was there something else?” I asked. “Something about her-did she excite you in a way that you didn’t expect?”
Luca’s face broke into a grin, the joy unmistakable. “Her stubbornness, Alpha. It excites me in a way I can’t describe. She’s so determined, so full of fire. It’s like-like every time she challenges me, my heart just skips, like I can’t wait for her to make me chase her even more.” His voice trailed off, and for a moment, I felt a strange shift in the room.
I couldn’t explain it, but something inside me tightened, like a knot that had been pulled too tight. I felt my wolf stir beneath the surface. There was something-something about Luca’s words that caused a ripple in the air.
I leaned forward, my gaze hardening slightly. “Stubbornness, huh? Makes your heart skip?” I repeated the words, letting them hang in the air for a moment, they were familiar.
I realized, slowly, what was happening.
“Yes Alpha.” Luca added. “She’s part of the new batch of royal guards. She just came from training. She was top in her class. She barely takes my orders, the first time we met, I thought she’d bow and fall at my feet. Instead, she was fiery. She questioned everything, refusing to follow blindly. She has a mind of her own. You’d think I hate that, but it is as if my mind rewired only for her. I got excited at her challenge, her defiance.”
At that moment, a piece of the puzzle clicked into place. Realization stirs inside me, the tension in my chest-Luca’s description, his words about his mate, had resonated with me more than they should have. My mind raced, thoughts colliding as I pieced it together.
Luca’s mate was fiery, determined, and stubborn. Someone who made his heart race with their defiance.
And in that instant, I knew.
That second description didn’t match the masked girl from the fair. That was something different entirely. The girl I had been thinking about-the one who had haunted my thoughts-wasn’t stubborn in the same way.
No, the stubborn one, the one whose defiance made my heart flutter with excitement, was Jacky.
I felt a strange twist in my gut. Something dark flickered at the back of my mind. My smile slowly dropped, replaced by a feeling I couldn’t quite place.
The realization hit me hard.
Oh No! This is history repeating itself!