Chapter Thirty-Five

F L O R E N C E

I stare at Alpha Isaac for a long while, already knowing what I'm going to say but still wondering how I can phrase it in a way that doesn't come with me punching something, preferably his face.

He just stares back at me with a mildly amused expression, like this is something he finds quite enjoyable. Like he thinks he just did something good with that proposal.

Meanwhile, I'm just standing there with my fists clenched. I still feel a bit clammy from the mystery poison incident, and now I'm faced with this obstacle.

It's either he gets what he wants, or I get what I want. It all depends on Niccolo's freedom.

"Well?" he prompts. "What do you say, Florence? What do you think about this?"

"What exactly do you want?" I ask, meaning to be calmer but my frustration is already bubbling. "Why don't you just free Niccolo?"

"Because he hurt your very own people, Florence," he replies slowly and calmly. Still, I can feel a bite of impatience behind those words. "He attacked your own warriors. There are many of them in the infirmary with you. A couple of them are in a perilous state. Remember what I told you about everyone in the state viewing Ombra Nera as some kind of unpredictable place with dangerous people?"

"I remember very well. You don't have to remind me."

"In this case, I do. It's like that pack came out of nowhere." Alpha Isaac gestures vaguely with his hands. "It's a mystery. You know how people behave towards things they don't know much about. They attack. They become defensive. Sometimes, they would be more than happy to eradicate this new and unknown thing."

I glare at him. "They will not touch Ombra Nera. Believe me, they can't."

He smiles, but there's a clear strain in the gesture that's very apparent in his eyes. "I know. But think about it. What would the other packs think if they found out that the place of the great Enforcer and his daughter got attacked by the uncontrollable Alpha of the Ombra Nera Pack? What would they say if they find out that this Alpha attacked the place . . . even with his Luna present?"

My hands get cold, but I just keep clenching them. "They would find out that his Luna got poisoned, and that made him do what he had to--"

"Does that include hurting innocent people, though?" he asks me. "Think about it. Either way, whatever you say, they will think he's a bad Alpha. They would think he's dangerous. He represents his pack, and if they clock him as unpredictable, they would give the same label to his pack and his people. Do you really want to put a target on their back?"

"No," I hiss through gritted teeth.

I want to tell him that he's just rambling off nonsense, but he's right. All the things he said are correct. The state will label Niccolo and his pack as a threat, and they would not be afraid to band together and annihilate a common enemy.

If I don't make the right decision, I would be endangering my mate and everything he holds dear.

"So?" Alpha Isaac turns to me. "What do you say, Florence? Will you give me all the information I need? I will help you quell doubts about your mate and his pack. Things would be clearer when I come forward to the delegates during our yearly assembly."

For a whole moment, I can't speak. I just stay there thinking, turning it over in my head and trying to find a way that won't violate anything in Niccolo's pack and himself.

But right now, it seems that I have no other options left.

I turn to face Alpha Isaac, and he offers me a smile like he already knows what I'm thinking and what I'm about to decide.

* * *

N I C C O L O

Needless to say, I'm absolutely ashamed of being imprisoned in my mate's pack.

Shame and humiliation are the only emotions that are as strong as the worry I feel right now as I sit inside my cell. My wrists are shackled to the door, and my ankles are being dragged around by weights. Still, I find myself pacing the floor, burying my face in my hands.

I don't know what to do. A part of me wants to call Hardy for help and maybe repair the damage I have done to him as soon as I can, but I don't think I can take it if he rejects it. I'm already at my lowest peak.

And Florence. . . .

The first night we're apart, this happens. She gets in danger and I get locked up for trying to check on her. I admit that I didn't go about it as peacefully as I can, but I can't help but feel like her father is purposefully turning a blind eye to things.

Or maybe I'm just crazy.

Sighing, I finally sit down, closing my eyes.

Maybe this is just what I get from being the child of a tyrant, the product of greed and sin. Maybe this is the real curse. Maybe I'm the--

My thoughts sputter to a stop when I hear the gates in the distance opening. I can hear a couple of people talking, but I can't make out what they're saying. All I know is that suddenly, my heart starts to beat like crazy.

Footsteps echo in the dark hallway outside my cell, and I immediately jump to my feet in case there is danger.

But the only thing that looms into view is the beautiful, unforgettable face of my mate.

"Florence," I whisper, and her name escapes my lips in the softest way.

I run towards the bars in my cell but my shackles limit me from reaching her. Her eyes well with tears, but I see her taking out a big old-fashioned key and opening my cell.

Then she runs inside, straight into my arms where she belongs.

I hold her as tightly as I can, inhaling her scent. She smells amazing as always. She smells like home.

I tighten my arms around her as relief floods through me, and I don't know how long we stood there holding each other. All I know is that even though we haven't been apart for the whole day, even though we held each other for a possibly long time, it still doesn't feel enough.

"I love you," I whisper as she slowly breaks away from me enough to hold my face. "I love you so much and I'm sorry I hurt your people. I'm sorry I was rash, but I really thought you were hurt because I heard your voice and--"

"Don't apologize," she whispers against my lips, planting a soft kiss that intoxicates me. I find myself dazed when it's over, but her next words strike me. "I was hurt. I was poisoned--"

"What?" I splutter. "Who did it?"

Florence shakes her head. "That I still don't know, but right now we can't talk about it at length. You have to help me find who it is, and I have to tell you so many things too. . . ."

She trails off as another set of footsteps echoes in the hallway. We break apart, but I wrap an arm around her protectively as a tall figure stands in front of my cell.

It's a man who I don't recognize, but he's wearing a red fur cloak like a king and a wreath of laurels on his head, the traditional symbol of an Alpha.

Confusion strikes me. Isn't it that Florence's father is supposed to be the Alpha? Who is he?

I'm about to ask Florence through mind-link when suddenly, I feel her blocking me.

"It's not safe," is the only thing she tells me.

The man with laurels looks at me and smiles. "Welcome to the Blood Moon Pack, Alpha Niccolo. Let's have a chat in my home, shall we?"