"Stop lying to Luca, my friend! ("")
Before I could stop them, the words sprang from me and echoed down the pack house's vacant passage. Luca stopped, his wide shoulders tight as his palm rested on the edge of the table.
His voice low but strained, he replied, "I'm not lying."
Then tell me the truth, I said, approaching closely. "Why do you turn off every time the past surfaces? Given what you know, what exactly frightens you?"
His grey eyes wavered with something I couldn't quite identify: agony, anxiety, maybe wrath. At last he whispered, "You don't want to know, Aria." "Believe me."
"Stop telling me to trust you when you won't even trust me with the truth," I yelled back, my chest constricting.
Luca's jaw tightened, and I briefly considered him perhaps storming off. Then he turned completely to face me, his eyes weighty. "You are seeking the truth?" Okay. But avoid claiming, "I didn't warn you."
He showed me his office; the door closed softly behind us. The room was dark, the only illumination being the flickering fireplace. Leaning on the desk, Luca crossed his arms as if preparing for what was ahead.
His voice subdued, he murmured at last, "I wasn't supposed to be Alpha."
I blinked, startled. "What?""
"My brother, Marcus, was supposed to take over the pack," Luca said, staring down on the floor. "He was the strongest, the oldest, the one everyone looked to run. But he is no longer here. And I bear responsibility.
His words weight lingered in the air, and my heart hurt for him. "What occurred? "I inquired softly."
Luca paused, hands closing into fists. " Attack occurred here. Another pack vying for our land. Marcus was heading the defence, hence I was instructed to back off. However, I did not. I reasoned I could prove myself and contribute.
He gasped sharply and his voice broke. I erred. I wasn't prepared. Marcus payed for my error. I made one. Me killed him.
"Luca," I muttered, my chest constricting with the weight of his remorse.
"After that, I was compelled to replace him," he replied, his tone sharpening. But none wanted me as Alpha. Not the pack, not the seniors, not even myself. They saw me as a failed reminder of what we lost. And they were correct.
I moved towards him, my fingers hanging over his arm. "You're not a failure," I remarked, voice calm.
"You don't know," he continued, his grey eyes fixed on me. "You never know what it is like to constantly feel as though you are failing and carry the weight of everyone's expectations."
Maybe I do not, I said. But you are not the same person you were then. Luca, you have progressed. You now know. And the pack need someone who cares enough to attempt; they do not require perfection.
He looked at me, his face insensible. "Why do you think I am credible? He asked quietly.
"Because I see the truth," I answered with shaking voice. "Even when you do not."
The moment hovered between us, loaded and electrified. The link between us pulsed and its intensity drew me towards him. But the door sprung open before any of us could say anything, and Kael marched in with keen golden eyes.
"Sorry to interrupt," he replied, but his voice didn't seem contrite. But we have a dilemma here.
"What now? Luca questioned with clear annoyance.
Kael replied, his voice dark, "The rival pack is on the move." "And this time they are not just aiming for the pack. They are visiting for the bond.
We moved fast collecting the fighters and were ready for whatever was approaching. The necklace around my neck shone weakly, its brightness a continual reminder of the strength connected to our link.
Luca's fingers stroked mine as we stood on the margins of the pack's range. Heart thumping, I turned to him.
His voice firm, he replied, "We'll get through this."
Squeezing his hand, I murmured, "together."
He nodded, a sliver of will flickering back into his eyes. "Together."
Dawn arrived with the onslaught. From the shadows, the wolves of the opposing pack emerged with deliberate speed. Side by side, Luca and I battled; our kinship sharpening our senses propelled us forward.
Still, it wasn't enough. Rising into the conflict, the competing Alpha locked golden eyes with me.
"You cannot guard her permanently, Luca," he remarked, his voice full of contempt. "The relationship is a vulnerability, not a strength."
"You're wrong," Luca said, his claws spreading.
The Alpha said, lunging forward, " prove it."
The pendant flashed with blinding light while their collision rocked the battlefield, and the mark on my wrist burned hotter than it had ever done. Low and insistent, a voice kept repeating in my head.
"The past may be mended but cannot be erased. Count on the connection; otherwise, you risk losing everything.
My pulse pounding, I looked towards Luca and the light surrounded us. This struggle was about us, not just about the pack now.