Viola was barely home when Leonardo sent an apology text, she ignored him. He had made her wait for over an hour, she had called him several times, she knew that it was deliberate.
He had stood her up on purpose and then promised to pick the ring himself.She was barely out of the car when Alessandra came running to her."Viola!""Hey Alessandra. I didn't go ring shopping today, stupid Leonardo stood me up.""But he did say he'd get it himself, so I don't really care that much."Alessandra nodded."No time for that mia figlia, Your grandfather has arranged a car for you, he wants to you to leave right away!"Viola looked around confused, she didn't know what was going on.Alessandra looked nervous."You are not to waste another minute here, his instructions were very clear. Bruno is waiting for you over there with the car."Viola furrowed her eyebrows."But what's going on? Why so soon?"Alessandra sighed."I don't know. I cannot explain it to you but you'll have to trust your grandfather and go with him. Leave now."She said as she pointed to the car.Viola obeyed knowing that staying too long could upset her grandfather.But what could her grandfather possibly want?She asked herself, he had avoided her all week and suddenly he had something very important to say to her?How important could it be?"Where are we going?"She asked Bruno as she entered the car and he shrugged."You'll know when we get there ma'am. Your grandfather is waiting for you."She turned to Alessandra who had an apologetic look on her face.She smiled at her."I'll be here when you get back."Viola nodded. She was still very much confused but there was very little she could say or do.Bruno had been driving for close to fifty minutes, they were away from Milan, just after the bridge over the Po River and a short distance from Piacenza, the cities and their in nice suburbs end suddenly. And all at once a rolling, delightful and “real” countryside appears, inhabited and full of traditions, sometimes almost looking French, yet with a gloomy and almost medieval appearance.Her grandfather owned land in the country, so she always heard but she had never really been there, nor did she have any idea of where they were going. At first she had thought they were visiting the Santangelo Vineyards, but she knew the road to the vineyard by heart and they were clearly on the wrong path if they were going to the vineyards.The horizon was dotted with castles, farms and hills, all of which part of the sweeping view of the valleys of Piacenza, all different and each beloved by the litigious tribes of fans who chose one as their “personal” garden based on personal preferences in terms of landscape, food and, above all, wine.Viola was admiring the beauty when all of a sudden the car started to slow down."We are here Ms Viola."They were at Val Luretta a place that has now become the latest rural trendy place to be, now one of the favorite places of the Milanese in search of rural chic and stone farmhouses for their vacations. A small and rugged area with an Irish air to its verdant plateaus.A quaint little farmhouse. It was the very first building she could see while driving up the curved driveway. A small, cream colored house with a porch that spans the entire front side. On the two sides are rose gardens with roses of every color known to man. The roses add a stark contrast to the muted color of the house itself.Viola was still standing in front of the house when her grandfather walked out. He was dressed in a grey suit and he had a sour expression on his face. A woman came to stand next to him.
She was short and she looked homely, she wore a dirty brown apron over her long frock.Viola didn't recognize her but from the looks of it, it looked like she was the one who owned the farmhouse."Nonno? What is going on?"She asked as she saw him."Come with me."He said without saying anything more.The woman also didn't say anything.Viola followed them into the farmhouse, It looked homely and cozy inside. Simple chairs, no television or sign of electricity, an old rocking chair and a vase full of the same roses she spotted outside."Sit."Her grandfather said."I have a lot to tell you. About you, about your mother, about who you really are."Viola's heart was beating rapidly in her chest, she always knew her grandfather was hiding something and now he was finally going to tell her."Your mother was an extraordinary woman."He said and Viola sat still. Her Nonno rarely talked about her mother. When he talked about her, it was to warn Viola never to make the same mistakes as she did or to remind her how much those mistakes costed her family. It was a hard pill to swallow, it was nice to have her grandfather talking to her about her mother in a different way."She had extraordinary powers. Just like the women in the Santangelo family."Viola furrowed her eyebrows in confusion but didn't say a word. She was going to let her grandfather finishe. She couldn't risk not knowing as much about her mother as she wanted to."But your mother was reckless and wild, she constantly fought against me.""She was always rebelling against my wishes. She thought I wanted to control her."Viola shifted uncomfortably in her chair, she herself knew first hand what her grandfather was like, how much he liked to exert control, her mother was not wrong thinking he wanted to lord over her, that was definitely what he wanted."Meanwhile I was only trying to protect her. When she met your father, I didn't approve of her union with your father. How could I? His family, his whole entire generations had a despicable history. One that doesn't go well with our kind."Our kind? What was Grandfather saying? She thought."I begged her to leave him but she refused.""She was away for years before she finally came back to me.""She was heavily pregnant and she needed my help. She wanted me to find a way to protect you.""Why? What happened?""Protect me from what?"Grandfather shrugged."I told you, your mother had extraordinary powers, just like every woman in the Santangelo family line. She had thought she could escape that part of her life, but when she got pregnant, it only haunted her the more.""I.. I don't understand!"Viola cried out.Her Grandfather shrugged."Have you ever wondered why you have that scar on the back of your neck?"Viola reached out and touched the back of her neck. The slightly raised dark bump was still there, as it had been ever since she was born."Alessandra says I was born with it."Her Grandfather shook his head."That scar, that was the ritual a witch had to perform immediately after you were born to hide your powers.""What?"Viola blurted out.Viola was hyperventilating, this was all too much to take in. Werewolves, witches, supernaturals, everything that had been downloaded to her seemed impossible to believe but made a lot of sense. Everything did, but she didn't know how she was exopeccted to believe it. "You are saying my father was a werewolf hunter? That was why you opposed the marriage."Her Nonno nodded his head. "His kind killed our kind. And I have kept the knowledge of that for a very long time. Your father has too many foes and a bloody history Your mother made the biggest mistakes of her life marrying him.""So, like my mother, I am a witch?"Her grandfather shrugged. "That is not the word I would use, because your skill set is far more advanced and greater than any ordinary witch. Your great grandmother who was my mother certainly didn't like to refer to herself as a witch."Viola shrugged. "What did she like to be called then?""Nothing. She didn't care
"Take her, take her inside."Mario said as Viola fell unconscious. It had felt like the ritual had gone on for days but as he looked out and saw how dark it was and looked at the time, it had barely gone for an hour. The ritual was complete, he thought as he wiped the sweat from his brows, he was exhausted. There was something about the ritual that seemed to drain the energy of everyone in the room, the witch most especially. Mario could remember how the witches chants had sounded so loud and draining that he had gone out for a break. He looked at the blood on the floor and turned to the quiet woman who was gently shivering at the corner. "Clean it up."Her name was Lisa. He had put her in charge of the witch twenty four years ago when he brought her to the farmhouse. He had taken great precautions to ensure that she would not reveal his secrets or the location of the witch. Lisa was mute, for the past twenty four years after her tongue and been cut off after an unfo
Lisa ran to Viola's side. Viola jumped put of bed so hard that her feet hurt. She looked around, her surroundings were not familiar. The room was dark and dirty and the sheets of the bed she had been sleeping on looked like they had not been washed in weeks. She wasn't sure where she was, but she could remember what happened right before she slipped into darkness. Hot, blinding pain that emanated from her body, then the feeling of drowning, forcefully, endlessly, till she could no longer hold on for air and had no choice but to release herself, that was when she had slipped into darkness. The very same time that she had started to dreamLisa rushed into the room, she had been sleeping when the screams alerted her, in fact it alerted everyone else in the farmhouse, the two guards that her grandfather had left behind too also came running. "Miss Viola! Is everything alright?"Hugo asked as he looked around the room. Viola nodded slowly. Her hand sub
Viola decided that it was no use talking to Daniela about her fears and what she wanted for her future. Daniela would never understand, besides she was the mother of the man she was to marry, why would she mention or say anything that would confuse Viola or that would cause her from not marrying her son? She did ask Daniela to tell her more about the pack hierarchy and supernaturals in general, and she was able to get as much information as she needed. When they got to the Durante mansion, she was welcomed by Selena and Leonardo's father Giorgio. They were very sweet people and did everything to make Viola feel comfortable. There was no sign of Leonardo yet but his father mentioned that he would be back in time before the engagement party. They showed her to her room. It was nothing short of pretty but it was so different from Viola's previous rooms. Daniela proudly commented that she decorated the room and Viola seemed to understand why it looked like
"What do you know about the girl?"Jack asked as he examined the food that was brought to his dinner table. Venison, he loved venison, but for some reason looking at the Venison on his table slightly repulsed him.He looked at Vanessa Romano again, she was clad in an emerald green gown that had a plunging neckline. She had a small suggestive smile on her dolled up face. She was a dangerous woman.She was beautiful but wily and some days he wondered if he could ever fully trust her. He couldn't, after she had left her husband and betrayed him, then moved on to another man while trading secrets about her husband's pack, Vanessa Romano was not to be trusted.But here he was, sitting next with her and dining with her, all because she was affiliated with his greatest enemy.Leonard Durante. The Alpha King.For years, he had tried and constantly failed to be that the Alpha of one of the largest and strongest packs in the we
"What happened to the garden?"Leonardo asked as he walked into the house. It was buzzing with excitement, caterers, maids, they were all gathered at the ballroom arranging and making final touches for the engagement party.Leonardo made a beeline to the powder room, where he knew his parents were waiting. He had just been to the garden after noticing from afar that all the plants and flowers had withered. He could have sworn that they were all full of life and in full bloom when he left. His father was seated casually reading a newspaper while his mother shrugged as she put down her cup of tea."It was Viola."Leonardo frowned as he pointed out the doorway, he couldn't believe it."You are telling me she did that?"His mother nodded."Yes, she did. She lost control. She's still new to her powers.""She's no ordinary girl you know, and I'm sure you already know that."His mother added.
"So, I know enough to know that this isn't a normal engagement party. Anything else I need to know?"Viola asked as they approached the end of the hallway. Leonardo nodded. "You're right. It's not.""That's why you have to stay alert. Make sure what happened in the garden doesn't happen again."Viola turned to him and then turned to look at Selena who looked away quickly. "You know about that?"She said and he shrugged. "It's hard not to notice it."He mentioned. "Stay by my side always and don't talk unless I tell you to."He issued his last warning and dragged her with him down the stairs. Don't talk until he told her to?Who did he think she was? Some toddler?As they approached the ballroom, heads began turning to look at them, some of them gasped while others began to clap eagerly. Viola looked around, her grandfather was nowhere to be found, she didn't remember him informing her that he would not attend. She
"I don't want any problems with you Jack."Leonardo said the minute they were in the study and Jack nodded. "Me too. One wouldn't want to run into problems with an Alpha King.""Then what's this I hear about your wolves on my land."Leonardo asked as he sipped his whisky but Jack shsrugged. "I think you are mistaken, that land used to belong to my pack.""It hasn't belonged to your pack in years Jack.""And I quite frankly wouldn't like to start a war with you over some land but those lands rightfully belong to the Solis pack. They're our borders and seeing wolves from the Shadow pack on it doesn't make my wolves feel very safe on it."Jack raised his eyebrow. "I see..."He trailed and Leonardo nodded. "I'm happy to take this issue up if you would like. We can go to the Bureau and have this settled the legal way if you want that."Jack scoffed. "The Bureau's a joke. I don't want them meddling in my affairs."