Chapter Thirty-Eight

N I C C O L O

The first thing that greets me when I open my eyes is the light of the sun slanting through the windows. I squint, covering my face with one hand, while feeling the sheets beside me with the other.

I thought I would touch Florence's warm skin and her soft body next to mine, but my palm is only met by cold sheets. I quickly sit up with a frown, alarmed and confused by her absence.

"Florence?" I call out, but I get no answer.

I get up from the bed and grab a pair of linen pants and a shirt from the drawer near the bed, heading to the bathroom to check if she's there. It's empty. I go to the tiny kitchen next and see that she's not there either.

Florence is nowhere to be found.

With everything that happened, I can say that perhaps I have gotten a lot more paranoid. My heart is racing as I go around the house one more time, as though she’s just hiding in the corner like a kid waiting to surprise me. Once I’m completely sure she’s not around, I get out of the cabin.

But then the messenger from last night blocks my way. “Alpha.” He bows in front of me and hands me a sealed envelope. “This is from your Beta.”

“Thank you,” I say, accepting the envelope and watching him walk away before breaking the seal and reading the message inside.

It is indeed Hardy’s writing, and it reads, “Everyone in the pack is doing alright. They are happy that you and Florence are reunited, and they wish to be reunited with both of you soon.”

The message is clipped and simple, but for some reason, I just stand there reading it over and over again like another hidden message will pop up.

I pocket the message after god knows how long, then I step outside. But before I can get any farther, I see Florence’s dad approaching me. “Good morning,” he greets me gruffly.

I bow. “Good morning, Alpha. Have you seen Florence?”

“No, but I did see her leave the cabin early morning for a jog,” he says, but there’s a small frown on his face. When he notices that I’m analyzing his expression, he just looks away. “She’s doing good, so don’t you worry. Just wait until she gets back.”

“Of course,” I say, but I can’t sit still. I see that he’s lifting some firewood, so I decide to rush and help him carry some logs to a little shed beside our cabin. He freezes and looks at me in surprise for a while, but he doesn’t stop me from helping him.

Still, I’m the one who feels awkward. I feel like he’s wary of me, and I don’t like that. I want him to feel comfortable with me, not only because I hope to marry his daughter someday but because I have a lot of respect for him.

I clear my throat. “I just want to apologize for what happened last night. You’re right, I was rash and I hurt those people. If there’s a way I can make it up to them, I will. I also want to start the investigation about the poisoning incident.”

Alpha Amos stops and looks at me. “That’s an admirable thing from you, Alpha Niccolo.”

I stare at him to detect sarcasm, but I don’t see it. “It’s the right thing to do.”

He resumes working, but after a while he asks me, “Do you really love her?”

The question catches me off guard. To my surprise, my face heats up and my heart races again at the thought of Florence. I feel like a teenager being teased about his crush. I pause working. “I do. I really do. With all my heart.”

He smiles, satisfied with my answer.

But now that I’m nervous, I just want to talk the shyness away. “I know we didn’t meet on the best of terms, Alpha Amos. I know I made trouble and hurt a lot of people. But I promise you, I love and respect Florence more than anyone or anything in this world. I would do anything for her.”

“I see that, and I appreciate it. Truly.” He pats me on the back, but his smile slowly falters and his expression just turns serious. “I just... I hope that if things get bad, you would be there for her, and you would take her with you no matter what. I hope you protect her and never look back.”

I nod at his words, but something about it feels strangely ominous, like he knows something I don’t. I open my mouth to ask him what he means but I’m stopped by footsteps behind me.

* * *

F L O R E N C E

Finally I found Niccolo; now the only thing I have to do is get him away from Dad and this place.

I didn’t go for a morning jog like I told Dad. When I went to the packhouse last night and talked to Alpha Isaac, I saw something on his desk: a memo about a meeting with all the other Alphas of the state.

But it’s not just a meeting, it’s a trial of some sort.

A trial for Niccolo and his alleged trespassing of the pack.

The problem is, I didn’t see the date.

When I came there to see him, my plan was already set. I was going to act like I was telling him everything I know about Niccolo and the Ombra Nera Pack, but I would just be feeding him lies. When I saw that memo, it only reinforced that plan.

So I spent the majority of that night talking about how the pack is just like ours, just stricter about their borders and more protective of their people.

The questions that Alpha Isaac asked me were strange, to say the least. He asked me about Niccolo and his wolf form, and if I knew anything about his parents. This one question, I couldn’t lie about. I just told him that I know his parents were killed.

He seemed satisfied with my lies, which haunted me for the rest of the night.

That’s why before the sun can even rise, I decided to escape from our cabin once again and sneak back into the packhouse. This time, I climbed the window to enter the empty study and found the memo.

And I found that the trial would be held at the pack, this very day.

Which means I have to get Niccolo out of here.

Getting away from the study is hard enough, but I just had to see Dad too—hence another lie, this time about having an early jog. I didn’t mind that even though I knew he was a bit suspicious, but now that I see him looking at me, I can tell that he knows for real that I just lied to him.

Still, I act normal as I wrap my arms around Niccolo from behind. “Good morning, Niccolo. Good morning, Dad.” I force a smile even with my nerves all over the place. “I’m surprised to see you two bonding.”

Dad narrows his eyes at me for a second but he also smiles. “Well. Just some man-to-man chat.”

I let out a laugh that’s too high-pitched because of my nerves. “I hate to interrupt, but I was thinking... I want to give Niccolo a tour of the pack.”

Niccolo’s face lights up. “I would love that. We can go right now!”

My heart almost gives way with relief. I meet Dad’s gaze and for a moment I think he will protest, but then he nods in understanding.

He knows.

I turn to Niccolo and grab his hand. “Come with me.”