Werewolves long for the day they meet their mates. For Zane and Alessandra that's not the case. Zane is in love with Alessandra's sister and Alessandra isn't looking for love. Can these stubborn wolves resist the mate bond?
They might deny the bond...
"I promise we will meet again in another life and I'll be the mate you deserve. Not even death will keep us apart." - Alpha Lorenzo Moretti (Prologue)
Italy 1469
The wildlife was silent. Perhaps it was the foul stench of blood that drove them away or maybe it was the looming danger that could be felt in the air.
Nearly half of the Luna Rossa Pack had been wiped out. It was a first for werewolf history. No alpha had killed their own in such a quantity before.
Alpha Lorenzo stands on the very spot he had found his mate's bloody body. He had held her in his arms, the trees surrounded them as they said their last words to one another. Her eyes were open and she clung to her last shred of life to tell her lover goodbye. He remembers watching as she died and hearing the howls of the pack echoing through the forest.
Lorenzo would never forget the feeling of hearing her heart stop. It was as if all he could focus on was her face, but he saw it. He saw her expression as her heart gave out. Even in her last moments, she was concerned about their child.
Save the child, Lorenzo.
Please you have to.
He had failed at that too. What type of mate was he? He couldn't keep his mate safe and he couldn't keep his child alive.
In hindsight, the child never stood a chance. Rosanna had been mauled to the point that saving the child was impossible.
Despite Rosanna's goodbye, he was not ready to let her go. He hadn't even marked her, but even if he had, he knew he would do this all over again because one lifetime is simply not enough.
Three witches surround him. His chest and feet bare as he prepares for his fate. Most of the people in his position would be fearful but all he can feel is relief. He will finally get to see Rosanna again and there will never be a day he will spend on his earth without his beauty next to him.
"Lorenzo this might not work, no one has done this before," one of the witches tells him.
Lorenzo simply smirks and looks up to the moon.
"She promised me. The only reason there aren't more bodies filling her temple is because she promised!" Lorenzo shouts. His voice booms like he thinks it will reach the moon.
Selene watches from above. Her eyes fill with tears as she remembers all of the souls that had filled the wolf realm so abruptly. They were all stripped from their lives too soon but what was she to do? A god is not supposed to intervene in human/supernatural affairs, however, this was an exception.
"As you wish Alpha," a witch says.
They began to chant as the moon approaches its apex but they are interrupted.
"Lorenzo please don't do this!"
Lorenzo looks at his sister. Her brown eyes are full of tears and her hand cradles her baby bump. Dante stands behind her silently pleading me with his eyes.
"You know I can't stop," Lorenzo tells her.
"You're my family Lorenzo! If you leave me there is no one left. Who will be alpha? Who will be my brother?" She's crying at this point. The tears flow down her face like a waterfall.
"What about my child? They won't get to meet their uncle!"
Lorenzo's heart breaks a little more. It's always been him and his sister. The two were thick as thieves. They had lost their mother when they were children and their father wasn't much of a parent after he lost his mate. His sister was all Lorenzo had left in the world but she had so much to live for now.
He looks at Dante and gives him a nod. Lorenzo feels content leaving this world knowing his sister will be taken care of. Not that she needs it, she was a Moretti before she was a De Luca and our blood is strong. There's not much that can take us down.
"You are my famiglia. I will always be with you even if you can't see me," Lorenzo tells her.
"Lorenzo what about the pack! You are the last Moretti!" she yells at him. She's desperate at this point, all she wants is for her brother to live.
"That's not true and you know it. It's all yours now. Even if you are a De Luca your blood will always be Moretti."
She breaks apart and falls to the floor in a sob.
"It's yours now. The Moretti line ends here with me. It's time for a new era, the De Lucas will be the alpha family now."
"I, Alpha Lorenzo Moretti, declare Clarice De Luca, Alpha of the Luna Rossa Pack."
Clarice lets out a gasp.
"But I'm a-"
"Woman? Come on sister we both know Mama was more of an alpha than Papa ever was."
"But I don't want to be Alpha! This is your job, Lorenzo!"
"If you choose to one day, you can give your title over to Dante. Just know this, Moretti blood is what this pack was built on and it's what it will continue to build on with your child. Their last name might be De Luca but the Moretti blood will flow through their veins."
"I have permanently stained the family name with my deeds. You can right my wrongs," Lorenzo adds to his previous statement. He knows that he will be portrayed as a villain in history but he doesn't care. There is no remorse in his heart. He would do it ten times over if it meant he would see his Rosanna again.
He looks to his left and gesture for the witches to continue. Their chants start up again.
"I love you, Clarice. You will be a great alpha."
He looks at Dante and gives him a nod. Dante grabs Clarice by her waist and pulls her away just as the flames encircle Lorenzo.
"NO!" Clarice shouts. She thrashes against Dante but he is determined to keep his mate and child safe.
As the chants continue, Lorenzo feels a sharp pain in his chest. He falls to the ground in pain. The flames continue to rise in a circle around him. He looks to the moon and smiles. He's so close.
The witches put their hands out in unison. They pull their right hands towards them, the flames moving with them. With a final chant, they push their right hands forward. The fire follows their movement and engulfs Lorenzo in flames. Clarice lets out a final yell of desperation.
Lorenzo lets out a cry as his body is taken by the fire. He lets out an animalistic yell as his head tips back almost as if he is howling at the moon.
He nearly sobs as he feels it. He finally feels it again. Whole.
Rosanna is with him in his last moments, just like he was for her.
He smiles as the fire finally takes him all the way. One day he will hold her in his arms again.
He promised.
The witches end their chants with a final phrase.
Fata viam invenient.
Fate will find a way.
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