"Vaster than the sea, more violent than the wind, your love is the only thing on this earth that could ruin me." -Tennessee Truths

Italy, Past

The town stood still. Blood littered the stone paths as a dirty reminder of the loss everyone felt. Families were dead. Merchants were dead. Even the priests and priestesses had been slaughtered. The families of the conspirators suffered the most. Everyone believed it was warranted. Nobody goes against the Morettis.

Now their alpha was dead. No one had expected him to last so long without Rosanna but revenge takes time.

Clarice De Luca stood on the balcony of the Moretti Villa, her guards stood behind her. It was encased by trees but if she looked hard enough she could see the people of her pack walking around aimlessly, trying to function like usual. But how do things ever go back to normal after half of your pack is slaughtered?

She hears Dante approach her, their son in his arms.

"We can fix this," he tells her.

If only it were that easy. All she wanted to do was mourn the loss of her brother. A brother who would be seen as a villain for the rest of history. She wanted to hate him for what he did, but how could she? He was the person who had protected her during their childhood. He was the one who consoled her when she was sad. He had been her family forever and now he was gone.

In a way, Clarice had been prepared for it. The pressure of being Alpha had taken a toll on Lorenzo. By the time he was ten, he had already stopped smiling. Clarice had been ecstatic when Lorenzo found Rosanna. He finally looked happy.

And how could he not? Their love was different. It was more than being mates. It was about joy and laughter, mixed with all of the little things that made life great. His love for her shone like the brightest star in the night sky. Lorenzo Moretti loved Rosanna more than life itself.

But in the end, it was not enough because she still died, and shortly after he did too. It was impossibly unfair. Lorenzo had done everything right. He rebuilt the pack from the ground up after the mess his father had created. He took care of all the pack members and made sure they never lacked anything. He made sure Clarice never felt the absence of their parents by showering her with so much love it nearly suffocated her.

Yet he had gone and done this.

Her brother had entrusted her with a big responsibility. She would rebuild this pack from the ground up to its former glory.

After all, the Luna Rossa Pack never backs down.

"Send word to Florence, I want the Medici sisters transferred to our territory before anyone else gets a hand on them," Clarice says. The guard nods before disappearing.

I promise I'll fix this.

It was a silent prayer to her dead brother. If only she knew the destruction her actions would unleash.

When I woke up this morning, I was being crushed by a large arm. Not the best way to start your day.

"Zane."

No response.

I nudge him a little bit but he only pushes down harder and mumbles something incoherent. So I do what anyone else would.

"Ah fuck! Goddamn it, did you just bite me?" Zane sputters out. His eyes are still clouded with sleep as he voices his anger.

I throw my head back and laugh because he sounds just like the boy who used to pull on my braids as a child.

"What are you laughing so hard about?" He grumbles out the words but I can feel his eyes tracking my movements.

"Recounting your days as a child bully," I answer. He winces.

"I was angry at the world."

"You still seem angry at the world."

He looks into my eyes before saying, "Not as much."

His words leave me dumbfounded. I have so many questions to ask him but I can't risk him pulling away again. He takes a deep breath before speaking.

"I can't promise you love. I can't give you the fairytale ending, but I swear I will protect you. I'll give you whatever you desire, you will never want for anything. This is my promise to you."

He's standing away from me and though he didn't move it seems as if the space between us increased. How do I tell him that I don't want anything? I just want him.

"So you can love her but you cannot love me."

The words come out before I can stop them.

"A fraction of what I feel for you is greater than the entirety of what I felt for Isabel. Do not compare yourself to such a woman."

I blink and he has already left the room. With a sign, I plop myself on our bed. My hands run through my hair in frustration. Maybe one day we will love each other, but that day is not anytime soon.

I sit there with my thoughts for a moment then the doorbell rings. Zane never gets visitors, so I am caught off guard. I hurriedly put on my gray silk robe and pat down my hair. I forgo the mirror, too afraid to look at my reflection.

By the time I've made it to the door, Zane has to. I can already tell by the smell who is at the door. Zane's hand grips the metal handle and he swings open the door.

"Alessandra!"

My mother launches herself at me. She's always been about the dramatics and I curse myself for not expecting it.

"Oh mi tesoro, the house is so empty without you," my dad says before sweeping me into a hug. My papa gives the best hugs so I make sure to savor it. I refrain from telling him that I've been out of the house for years.

The smile that had taken over my face from being visited by my parents drops when I see who is walking up the steps to the house. Her light brown hair catches the sunlight as it bounces off her shoulders. She walks with confidence as if she has taken this path a hundred times before. A terrible thought hits me at that moment.

Has she been here before? Has she awed over the design of this beautiful house as I have? Did Zane tell her she looks perfect as she lay naked on his bed? Nausea consumes me as I think of them doing the things I do with him. I am not an idiot. I know they have had sex before but the pinch of worry will always be there.

Will he go back to her? Did he have a better time with her than me? The insecurity I feel is so foreign because I have always been sure of myself.

I want to throw her out. The urge to grab her and throw her into the lake that our house overlooks is overwhelming but I don't. Zane might be my mate but she is my sister. We came into this world together and that's a bond that is hard to break.

It's always been hard to be mad at her and it is no different now because every time I look at her face I think of her on the floor of our house, weeping. Her face was so red as she clutched her chest and felt the mate she never got a chance to meet be ripped away.

"Luna," she says as she gets to the door. I can tell by her tone that she thinks I do not deserve the title of alpha-female.

"Isabel."

My arms itch to hug her but my brain tells me not to. If she plans to disrespect in me my own home then I have no plans of exchanging pleasantries.

She pushes me aside and enters. Her eyes immediately fall on Zane. They are full of longing and a bit of anger. I'm almost scared to look at Zane and see the same emotion reciprocated in his eyes. However, when I look over at him, he almost looks bored.

Trust that man to look bored in such a tense situation. I stand beside him as we both look at my sister who is only looking at him.

"So this is the place that should have been mine," Isabel says as she spins to get a good look at the house.

I hear Zane grind his teeth. Before he gets a chance to say anything, I beat him to it.

"No need for the blatant disrespect Isabel."

"No? You stole my whole life from me and you want to talk about disrespect?"

She takes a step forward.

"You know what's disrespectful Alessandra? My quiet twin sister, who Zane always found annoying becoming the alpha's mate."

She takes another step and she's right in front of me.

"Let's not forget who had him first, sister."

She spits the word sister like it's an insult. As if I am not worthy to be related to her.

My hand grabs her wrist and I squeeze it in a harsh grip. The vibrations of her pulse speed up as I dig my nails into her arm. Her stare meets mine in an icy collision. One side fueled with anger and the other with retribution.

"You don't get to walk into my house and disrespect me. I am your superior and you shall treat me as such."

The tone of my voice never wavers. It's steady, never too loud, and never too quiet. I could humiliate her in front of our family if I wanted to. I could use my alpha command and even make her kneel, but I don't.

"Leave."

The words are clipped and taste bitter in my mouth. This is not the way our future was supposed to be. She was supposed to be by my side. We would have family dinners together and share all the pack gossip. Everything went wrong.

And I don't know how to fix it even though I desperately want to.