LUCIANO’S POV“What do you mean Ciara is here?” I asked Dave.It had been a quiet couple of days since Arianna left. We had spent most of the day on the phone. She said they were waiting to see results so she had nothing much to do. I missed her. Talking on the phone was not good enough. I wished she would just dump a bag of blood with them and come home already. Now Dave was saying Ciara just arrived here. What did she want? What was Carter playing at? If she was here then he definitely sent her. “I mean. A cab dropped her at our gate about ten minutes ago.” Dave replied.“Where is she now?”“Alex is keeping her company in the dining room. Chef put something out for them. I think Chef misses Arianna raiding his fridge. He has been grumpy.” Dave was dronning on now.What the fuck did she want. I thought about calling Arianna but decided against it. “Find out what she wants. And make sure she knows that if this is another ploy there will be hell to pay.” I tell Dave. I was just abo
ARIANNA’S POVI was exhausted. Turns out bloodletting was exhausting. Dave had called it bloodletting when I called to congratulate him this morning. I wasn’t being completely drained but it definitely felt like it. Being drained of blood while my energy was being channeled for a spell to save lives. If there was something more dramatic than exhausted, then that’s what I was.It had been a long day, but I could rest now knowing I had done everything I could and the mystic moon would not be wiped out. At least not by this plague. Maybe by Carter’s iron fist regime, or hunger after he burns through the money Luciano gave him when we left, “You’ve done well” Naomi said to me with a smile on her face. We had been getting along quite well. Her face gave off a don’t mess with me vibe but that smile said give me a hug. And she smiled a lot. Well, she smiled a lot with everyone except Carter.I never bothered asking why she didn’t like him. He was Carter, he probably said or did something t
ARIANNA’S POV“Am I disturbing something?” Luciano asked over the phone.“No, just heading to bed. What have you been up to?” There was no point reliving the awkwardness that just happened. “Just work. Are you packed for tomorrow?” He sounded different, weird, “Are you okay? You sound weird” I asked avoiding his question. “Just a long and confusing day. What time do you leave tomorrow?” He asked again.“Umm … I’m going to stay one more day.” It was crickets after I said this. I knew he wouldn’t like it, but I expected him to say something. “Luciano, are you there? I agreed to have dinner with my parents tomorrow night. I just thought to get it over with, hear what they have to say.”“It’s fine Arianna, talk to your parents. Are you getting along with your sister?” That was an out of the blue question. “I couldn’t even if I wanted to. No one knows where she is. Carter basically turned the pack inside out looking for her.” I answered, he was still weirdly quiet. “Luciano?’“Yeah, we
ARIANNA’S POVI had no idea how far I had run but it was very dark now so I headed back to Carter’s. My parents were gone when I got there but Carter was waiting for me in the living room.“Where have you been?” he asked ‘I went for a run to clear my head.” I tried walking past him but he stood in my way.“Can we talk?”“About what Carter? How you ambushed me with that stupid dinner?” Great, so much for a run to clear my head.“No, that wasn't an ambush, I just wanted you to know that you have the option of coming back.” I looked at him standing there, he was actually serious. This had to be a joke.“Coming back! I have the option to come back. Come back to what Carter? Parents who hate me or a mate who rejected me. Which is it? I was furious and screaming. How dare he? How dare all of them? “It's not like that anymore. Things can be different now your mom wants you back and your dad will come around.”“Oh, really, is that supposed to make up for everything?”“No, it's not. But you
LUCIANO’S POV“Where did you get that?” I asked Ciara as she pulled a key out of her back pocket.I recognized the key, it was the third spare to my office. I had one, Dave had one and Ariana had one there was no reason why Ciara was holding one.“I think you know where I got it.” she responded. There was no way she had this, Ariana would not give it to her.“You expect me to believe that Ariana gave that to you.” “Well, no. She didn't give it to me. She just told me where to get it. Your bedside table, nice room by the way. That bed post could be useful.” She winked at me“Why would she do that?” I asked, getting impatient.“You need to pay more attention to your mate. She may love you but she fears Carter more. Or maybe … she loves Carter. Whatever her reasons, it didn't take more than one conversation with Carter to convince her. I wasn't there for it. Did he wooh her or did he threaten her or maybe a little of both.” She shrugged She was mad she was insane that had to be the onl
ARIANNA’S POV“As of this moment, you are no longer a part of this pack. You will leave this compound immediately.”I was shocked into temporary paralysis. For almost a minute, I could not move or blink. What was happening? Had I stepped into a joke? My body had no reaction for this moment. I tried to talk to form a train of thought, but I kept coming up blank. My shock finally gave way to anger. He was believing whatever shit story Ciara told him, over me. If there was ever a person I trusted with my feelings, my fears, it was him. And he was tossing me aside with such ease. I took a deep breath and drew myself up to my full height. “Goodbye, Luciano.” I walked out of the office without looking back. I ran down the stairs, passing Dave on my way down and not stopping at his excitement to see me. I ran past my suitcase, I didn’t stop running till I was out the gate and a good distance from it. That was when the tears came. I folded myself up by the roadside, and let the delayed f
LUCIANO’S POV“Where is Arianna going in such a hurry?” Dave asked as he walked in. I didn’t give him an answer but my face must have told him that something was off. “What did you do?” He asked. I could not relive what just happened. My chest was so tight, I could barely breathe. I got up and left Dave standing confused in the middle of my office. I must have walked the full perimeter of the compound more than ten times. I could not bring myself to stop moving. What had I done? What if I was wrong? She looked so broken before she left. “Goodbye Luciano” those words kept replaying in my head. No, I did what had to be done. I can’t have a traitor hanging around. The thought did not sit well with me. The girl I had fallen for was not a traitor. What the hell happened? How did we come to this? “Fuck!” I screamed into the distance. I saw Dave walking towards me, waving his phone in the air.“Where is she? Why isn’t she taking my calls?” There was no point avoiding him anymore.“I
LUCIANO’S POV“Can you tell how long it has been in there?” I asked Sarah“The date it was sent is right here. I don’t know how you didn’t notice it earlier. It’s not a very complex one so your phone should have been acting up trying to get rid of it.”“It’s not mine. It’s Arianna’s” I said more to myself than to Sarah.“You didn’t say if I should delete it or not.” I looked at her, thinking for a moment.“No, there’s no need. I’ll take care of it.” I stretched out my hand and she handed me the phone.What the fuck had I done? I sat in my office the entire day. Hating myself and relieving the past month. “The phone has a mind of it’s own now.” “What key?” “Goodbye Luciano.”I had been an astronomical asshole. I believed she lied to and betrayed me. I needed to find her. How? “Her credit card!” I picked up my phone and dialed Gerald. He managed all my accounts and the pack’s and also Arianna’s. He had given her all her cards and information. I looked at the time and it was well