Twenty-One

Luca.

I do not know what came over me; why did I get angry and leave her to go home by herself? Was she safe? What was I going to do if anything happened to her?

"Andrew." I called him over the phone.

“Yes, Sir.” He replied swiftly.

“Pay in fifty thousand to Elena’s account,” I told him.

I did not know if she had money to fend for herself, but from what I learned, she was not doing well for herself, and I needed to help her out. At least now she is mine.

Was she even mine? Did the mate bond affect her as much as it did me? I did not want to go back to her and bring her; I did not want to pursue her, and she would come back when she wanted, but her protection was my responsibility.

“And send a car for her too, with a driver,” I added.

At least the driver would help me keep an eye on her.

"Yes, sir,” Andrew replied, and he did as he was told.

I had to go to one last place. I had to threaten the Edwardo’s too to leave the contract to us because we were the ones who worked for it. The Avantes had made a lifelong contract with New York to award all the contracts to us. That is how it was done; that was how we built New York and our family name.

"Four, let’s go to Edwardo's mansion,” he said over the phone. Four was in the other car behind him.

We reached the Edwardo mansion, which was on the other side of the city. The Edwardos were a new clan. I will not lie, they were impressive, and I acknowledged how far they had come and how they had managed to make their name known throughout New York.

"Who are you looking for?” The security at the gate asked Four who was now in the car in front of them.

"I am here to see your boss,” Four replied.

The security guard looked at him and then looked at the name plate of Luca’s car. His name was written on the name plate: Luca Avante.

The security called and put a phone call through.

"Let them in."

Nathan Edwardo was a friend of Luca; they went to the same school together with Four and Antonio. Things took a turn when they all came back from school, grew up, and took over their family’s businesses.

"What do we owe this visit, Luca?” Nathan spoke immediately, and he got out of the vehicle.

Luca came out with four beside him.

"You know why we are here, Nathan. I will not like us to be on bad terms because of a contract that my family does not want to lose. I have told you before that you should take your family to another city. We already run this one, Nathan,” Luca said.

Four, still silent, observed the exchange with a stoic demeanor. The loyalty to Luca was evident in his stance, but there was a hint of discomfort in his eyes, as if he understood the complexity of the situation.

Nathan's jaw clenched, and he replied, "I can't just abandon everything because your family wants it all. We can find a compromise, Luca. Let's not ruin years of friendship over this."

Luca sighed, glancing at Four before turning back to Nathan. "I don't want things to get ugly, Nathan. But I can't guarantee that if you don't reconsider. The contract means a lot to us, and we won't back down."

The sudden escalation in the confrontation sent shockwaves through the air. The click of guns being drawn echoed, and tension reached its peak. Nathan's bodyguard, fueled by a desire to protect his employer, pointed his gun at Luca with a stern expression.

Luca, however, remained unfazed, meeting the threatening gaze without a hint of fear. Beside him, Four mirrored his calm composure. The revelation that they were werewolves explained their confidence in the face of mortal weapons.

Nathan, caught in the middle of the standoff, felt the gravity of the situation. "Put the guns down, both of you," he urged, realizing the potential for disaster.

Luca's lips curled into a sly smile. "Nathan, my friend, you should know that bullets won't solve our problems. But your family's future depends on the decisions we make today."

Four, still holding his gun steady, spoke with a low growl in his voice, "You should listen to Luca, Nathan. We don't want bloodshed, but we won't let anything stand in the way of our goals."

Nathan's bodyguard hesitated, glancing at Nathan for guidance. Nathan, realizing the futility of violence, raised his hand, signaling for the bodyguard to stand down.

The bodyguard shot Four in the leg. Four pulled the bullet out and shook his head, waiting for an order from Luca.

"Blow his brain out,” Luca ordered.

Luca and Four were good with guns, but there was a moment when they could not use their powers as wolves.

“How do you expect to run an empire when you cannot control your men?” Luca laughed.

Nathan knew there was always something uncanny about the Avantes, but he could not place it.

"You do not need to even disturb yourself; you just need to prepare an entire talk on how you lost the contract." Luca spoke and got into his car.

He shook his head. Nathan was one of the real ones; if not for their family issues, they could have formed a real brotherhood.

He sat down and went through his phone. He had collected Elena’s number from the company’s log book some days ago, as if he had known that something like this was going to happen. What Elena did not know was that Luca had done research on her; he knew her address, knew her close friends, and also knew where she lived. So no matter where she was going, he was going to find her, but for now, he wanted to give her privacy to do what she wanted and later bring her back. He had trips to go for and meetings to attend to, and having her around was going to be a distraction, and it was a win that she had even gone.