Wrath of The Dragon General.

Hurt my family and die!

“Mummy, what are you doing?”

Leonardo’s small voice cut through the tense air after Dante’s words. For a moment it sounded like Emilia had believed him.

“Leo! What are you doing out here? Come on, go back inside!” Emilia wrenched her wrist free from Dante’s hand the instant the boy appeared.

The boy’s curious eyes flicked to Dante for only a second. Dante tried to smile, but Emilia pushed Leonardo back through the doorway without hesitation.

She turned on Dante. “What are you still doing here? Leave right now.” Her tone was hard, as if she had decided not to hear any of his explanations.

“Emilia, I—”

“Oh, spare me!” She raised a hand to cut him off, anger bright in her voice. “You think I don’t know? You are the disgraced Virelli who got me pregnant and ran away. Now you come back to play hero?” She laughed, short and bitter. Dante saw tears gather at the corner of her eyes; she blinked them away and wiped her face with the back of her hand.

He could only imagine the pain she had carried. The thought that someone had broken this woman and their son made his skin crawl with anger.

“Look, Emilia. I was falsely accused. I am back now. I am in a position to—”

A sharp slap landed across his cheek before he could finish.

“Stay the hell away from me and my son, or I’ll kill you!” she screamed, pointing at him.

The slap did not hurt as much as the sting in his chest. He watched her turn and slam the door in his face.

How could he fix this? He was the Dragon General, Grand Duke Dante Virelli. He had power, land, and men who obeyed his command. And yet the two people who mattered most were not by his side.

Outside, the first drops of a storm began to fall. Rain stitched silver lines through the air, and the sky darkened like a sheet pulled across the sun. Dante stood on the worn path, not moving, as the world around him blurred with rain.

A few minutes after they had returned to the small table, a soft voice sounded from inside. “Mummy, who is that man standing by our porch? Can’t we let him in? He will get sick standing out there all day.”

Emilia’s shoulders stiffened. She rose from the table, wiping her hands on her apron. “He is just a stranger, Leo. We do not let people we do not know into our home. Leave him be. Come here, baby,” she urged, trying to keep her voice steady.

“But you taught me to be kind to strangers,” Leonardo protested. “He looks like he needs our help.”

Emilia’s face tightened. For a moment she looked torn, a flash of softness crossing her features before she hardened again. She had learned to protect them both by closing doors.

“Oh, come on, Leo. Not everyone is good,” she said, moving toward the window. She leaned over the sill and looked out at Dante standing in the rain. The light from the kitchen threw a weak glow over the yard, showing the damp edges of the path and the dark shape of Dante’s coat. “That man is dangerous,” she added. “Stay away from him if you ever see him.”

“Like Uncle Evans and Paulo?” Leonardo asked, naming the men he already knew to fear.

“Yes, like them,” Emilia answered quickly. Leonardo took a last curious look at the porch, then nodded.

“Okay, Mummy,” he said, and shuffled back to his chair.

Emilia stayed at the window a moment longer, watching Dante’s outline in the rain. Then she closed the curtain and turned back to the table, folding her hands as if to hold themselves steady against what might come next.

Shortly after the storm stopped, it was time for Emilia to go to her small plot where she planted cabbage to sell at the town market. The sky had cleared but the air was still cool, and mud clung to the edges of the path.

She opened the door slowly and glanced toward the porch to see if Dante was still standing there. When she realized he had gone, she let out a small, shaky breath of relief. Almost at once a flush of regret rose in her chest.

Was I too harsh to him? she wondered.

No, she told herself. I did the right thing by pushing him away. I am already branded as the loose woman who got pregnant out of wedlock. Leonardo suffers because his mother is thought to be nothing. If I let him in now, my son will suffer more for having such a father. I cannot take that risk, she thought, pressing her lips together and sighing.

Later that morning they walked the short mile to the farm, a narrow field tucked behind a low fence. The rows of cabbage heads were green and heavy with rain. Emilia bent to the soil, her hands steady as she pulled weeds and checked the leaves. The work steadied her mind.

“Leo, don’t run off like you always do,” she called over her shoulder. “Find some shade to sit under. I will pick a good load for the market tomorrow, okay?”

“Yes, Mummy,” Leonardo answered, nodding. He watched her for a moment and then wandered toward a patch of tall grass at the edge of the field. He had always liked to chase small animals and birds. It was a harmless hobby but it pulled him away sometimes.

Emilia was so absorbed in her work that she did not notice him leave. Leonardo crouched and crept after a brown rodent that darted through the grass. “Come here, little one,” he whispered. “I just want to be friends. I won’t hurt you.” He moved closer, hand outstretched, and the creature hopped a few steps away.

The boy followed, laughing softly when the rodent slipped into a hole. He kept moving further from the cabbages and his mother. When he finally looked up, the field behind him looked different, wilder, and a thin fear ticked at the back of his neck.

“Oh— I need to go back. Mum will be looking for me,” he murmured, turning to find the path home.

“Look who we have here!” a masculine voice called out from the treeline. Leonardo froze and turned slowly. His stomach dropped.

“If it isn’t our dear Leonardo, who else would it be?” Paulo said, stepping into the light like a bad joke come to life. He grinned in a way that showed he liked making others small.

“Seems his dear bodyguard isn’t here to protect sweet Leonardo. Does mummy know you are all alone in the woods?” Evans sneered, emerging beside Paulo. He had a slow, dangerous smile and walked like he owned the place.

“Stay away from me, bad men! My mummy will deal with you if you touch me!” Leonardo stepped back, voice shaking, as the two men closed the distance.

“Oh really?” Evans said, rubbing his hands together. “I can only imagine the look on her face when she finds out we have her son. She will beg us to do whatever we want, Paulo!” His voice rose with cruel excitement.

Paulo laughed, a wet, greedy sound. “Oh yes. Finally, that luscious tanned body will be under my sheet. I can’t believe this day is here. Get him!” He lunged for the boy.

Before Paulo could reach Leonardo, a firm, low voice cut through the woods like steel.

“If you lay your filthy hands on my son, you will feel the worst pain you have ever known.”

The three of them froze. The voice was calm, cold, and full of warning. The wind moved the leaves, and for a moment the field held its breath.