\[Denali’s POV\]
“Are you ready?”
Rosco’s question drifts through the torrent of anxious thoughts that are racing through my mind and draws me back to the present. A week passed since our arrival in Italy, and today was the day that we met with a lawyer to begin the process of taking Emerald Moon back from my father.
Since our leaving the states, nothing more has happened, and since it seemed that we may be in the clear, Rosco deemed now the time to begin to act. I was both excited and terrified given our current situation, but according to Rosco’s friend Marty, the video of the person who looked like me pushing Anastasia down the stairs was deleted, and it never made its way to the authorities or even the media. It meant that there was no way to lay blame on me, but somehow it still felt like the wrong way to go.
“As I’m going to be,” I respond, letting my gaze travel up the stone building in front of us. “Let’s just get this over with, hm?”
"Sure." Rosco smiles gently. “Come along, mi reina.”
When we enter, a large man with snow white hair and a broad grin greets us.
“Welcome, Mr. Torres,” he booms, grabbing Rosco and pulling him into a hug. “I can’t tell you how pleased I am that you were willing to refer your case to me.”
As he speaks, he releases Rosco and turns his gaze toward me, but when he prepares to try to hug me as well, a low growl of warning escapes Rosco, and he stops immediately.
“Sorry, sorry,” the man chuckles, holding up his hands in surrender. “I apologize for overstepping boundaries. Please come this way so that we can discuss our case.”
Remaining silent, I wait until Rosco wraps a protective arm around me and then begins to lead me forward. Just by that one simple notion, I can feel my anxiety fading, but when we reach our destination, it flares again as the situation becomes that much more real.
This was it. I was actually going to fight my family for Emerald Moon. This wasn’t something I ever thought that I would be doing, not when I was nothing more than an omega and a scorned daughter.
“Don’t be shy, dear,” Rosco’s lawyer urges. “Come, have a seat.”
Nodding, I move forward while Rosco closes the door behind us and then takes a seat beside me. Once he gets comfortable, he places a hand on my knee and gives it a squeeze.
“Yancy, I think you may be a bit too loud for my wife; can’t you see you’re making her uncomfortable?” He says, smirking. “Could you tone it down a bit?”
Eyes widening, I look at Rosco in disbelief over how rude his comment was to Yancy, but to my surprise, the man bursts into laughter.
“Alright,” he chuckles. “But it is hard to believe that someone as aggressive and cruel as you has such a demure wife.”
For a moment, I’m not sure if I should be offended or not, but in the end, I know that he is right, just from Rosco’s actions since we met. He was most certainly much more outspoken and stubborn than me, but I was getting better, and I guess it was all thanks to him. He gave me a reason to believe that I was worth more than I was.
“What can I say?" Rosco chuckles, grabbing my hand and bringing it to his lips, then leaving it there. “She is the calm to my wild.”
Flushing, I try to ignore the look that the lawyer gives me before finally opening the manilla folder that sits in front of him so that he can look over the paperwork I filled out for my suit against my father.
“Well, well, hidden will,” Yancy murmurs, flipping through the pages. “It seems that the alpha of Emerald Moon has been quite the snake.”
“Pardon?” I ask, not quite understanding what he means. If the will was hidden, how could my father know anything about it?
“I may have done a little digging,” Yancy admits. “And I found that along with taking what wasn’t his, he has also been embezzling his company's funds with a foreign corporation, which is well known for being quite dirty.”
“Dirty?” Rosco repeats, seeming just as surprised as me. “What have they been known for?”
“Drugs, human trafficking, illegal weapons trade,” Yancy ticks off. “Despite the many claims, they haven’t been proven guilty, but they’re under investigation, which is how I managed to get my hands on the trades between Roger Ozera and them.”
"Wow!" Rosco whistles before chuckling. “How can we also prove that the company is actually involved in all of this?”
“Catching them in the act,” Yancy responds immediately. “If they’re caught, the FBI will finally have proof of their involvement.”
“Then we need to get that proof,” Rosco insists. “Whatever it takes.”
“It would help a lot with this fight for the rights of Emerald Moon,” Yancy agrees. “Right now, the entire pack and those around him see Roger as a stand-up individual despite the way he treated his own daughter, so even if we manage to get the pack back for the young lady, she will have a hard time gaining their loyalty and respect. However, if Roger is proven to be a snake with a connection to a notoriously evil pack, then they will be easier to persuade.”
“Where is this pack?” I ask, joining the conversation. “If getting evidence against them is what is needed, then..."
“We will handle it,” Rosco finishes for me. “You are just recovering and don’t need to throw yourself into anything dangerous.”
Opening my mouth, I prepare to argue but stop as I realize it won’t do any good right now. However, that didn’t mean that I was going to give up.
“We’ll discuss it later when we are alone." I sigh, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with him.
Tearing my gaze away from him, I find that Yancy is watching us with a look of amusement, and when he notices me eyeing him, he winks before turning his gaze back to the file in front of him.
“I didn’t mean to cause trouble in paradise,” he chuckles, flipping to the last page. “For now, I think we’re done since I’ve shared the information I intended. Do either of you have any questions, comments, or concerns?”
“How soon will he be served?” Rosco asks.
“When would you like?” Yancy counters. "After all, this is your case, not mine.”
“The sooner the better,” I announce before Rosco can respond. “He has held my place long enough.”
“Then look forward to my news!" Yancy laughs before letting us leave.
As we step out into the day, Rosco turns on me and prepares to speak, but stops as a commotion reaches us from the street.
Going on alert, I look around until I spot what looks like a woman being man-handled by two men. One clings to her arm while the other pulls at the purse that she clutches desperately. The whole scene is shocking to see in broad daylight, but that isn’t the thing that makes me begin to move. Instead, it is the fact that the woman I am watching looks almost identical to me.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Rosco growls, grabbing me before I can reach the woman. “Running into something that doesn’t involve you, how could..."
“Look at her!” I hiss, nodding toward the woman. “Does she look familiar to you?”
Growing quiet, I wait as Rosco takes in the woman and then looks back at me before turning to her again.
“What the hell?” He hisses, squinting as if it will make the woman’s appearance change. “Why does she..."
“Instead of worrying about that, we need to help her! We can question later!”
As the words leave my lips, the woman’s purse is snatched from her, and she falls to the ground while everyone just watches.
“Rosco!” I snap, shoving at his back. “Go before they get away!”
Nodding, he begins to move, shoving his way through the crowd that is watching, and when he disappears, I head straight toward the woman who lays on the sidewalk, sobbing.
“Hey,” I murmur, kneeling down beside her and gently touching her shoulder. “Don’t worry. My husband is going to get your bag back.”
Letting out a shaky breath, the woman gives a small nod before lifting her large blue gaze to mine, causing my heart to skip and another round of shock to rush through me.
“Thank you,” she whispers. “They came out of nowhere, and I tried my best,” she hiccups. “I couldn’t stop them, and no one helped. I’m in a foreign country, and they took everything.”
“Don’t worry,” I repeat, though a strange emotion begins to roll through me due to her appearance. “Rosco will retrieve your things. Until then, why don’t we get you up and treated? Look, you’ve managed to scrape your arms.”
“What?” She gasps, tearing her gaze from mine and looking down at her exposed skin. “It seems I have. Thank you; you’re so kind for worrying..."
"Denali," I say, helping her up.
"Denali," she repeats, giving a beautiful smile. "I'm Elise; it's nice to meet you, but isn't it weird?" She continues, taking me in. "We look almost exactly the same. Odd, isn't it?"
"That's what I was thinking," I admit. "But right now, that isn't the important thing.