Luna's Rejected Vengeful Mate

Chapter 1 - Natalia White

A/N: So, another journey with new heroes begins. The new story will revolve around Blake Hunter and Natalia White, a loveless marriage that ensures a strong alliance and a plan for revenge.

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NATALIA WHITE

Italy, Milan

What a difficult day. Being a corporate advocate for "Luigi e Marone", one of Milan's most prominent law firms, has made most of my days difficult for the last four years. I spent every day in court trying to win troublesome cases against some of the biggest names in the industry.

It was just one of those days. I'd just won a custody case that included a two hundred million Italian lira inheritance. The poor boy was orphaned when his parents died in a plane crash. His father's cousin disputed the will in which the little boy's parents gave his Aunt full custody of their son and named her executor of his finances until he was eighteen. The latter was a school teacher who lived a simple and modest life. This cousin had also applied for custody, presenting his financial status as the main reason he should be the boy's guardian.

It had been a complex case since the uncle belonged to one of the most powerful families in Milan and had connections everywhere. I had sensed the boy's fear of his father's cousin the first time I saw the man talking to his nephew and vowed not to let the boy suffer in his grasp. Therefore, I overcame all obstacles and convinced the judge to give custody to the boy's Aunt.

I left the courthouse with a pleased smile, thinking of the boy's grateful eyes when he held his Aunt's hand and headed towards the exit.

As I passed an alley that led back to the office, the boy's uncle grabbed me by the arm and pulled me into the dank space.

"You bit.ch. I'll make you pay for the damage you caused me today. You don't know who you're messing with," he whispered in my ear, a spiteful smile making him even more unattractive than he already was.

The silly man had threatened to harm me the way I hurt him by taking away his money. I looked into his eyes, and a cold smile formed on my face.

"I did what I had to and nothing more. And now, if you'll excuse me, I have things to do."

I pulled away from him, but he just attacked again.

"Where the fu.ck do you think you're going, you bi.tch?" He growled and stepped closer to me.

In all the time I'd been living in Milan, I never told a soul what I was. I sprayed myself to mask my werewolf scent daily and passed myself off as a normal human being. I caught a glint of metal as he pulled something from his pocket, a knife.

"What do you think you're doing, mister? Put that thing away before someone gets hurt," I tried to reason with him, but all I got was a vicious smile.

He waved it at my face angrily, spit flying as he screamed obscenities, and before I even noticed, my wolf, Leia, took charge. My dark blue eyes turned black, and my fangs elongated. His eyes widened, and his mouth gaped as I started shifting. He took two steps back and promptly fainted.

"Leia, what are you doing? I could have handled him without your interference, you know. There's no reason to jeopardise our secret by revealing our true identity to anyone."

"And what was I supposed to do? Sit around and watch you get hurt by that scumbag? Come on, Natalia, where's the fun in that? Besides, the moment he saw my fangs, he passed out. So, nothing much happened. Although I would love to rip his throat out, he didn't give me the pleasure," Leia purred, disappointed in my head and closed the link between us, leaving me to think of a way to justify what just happened.

When he returned to his senses, I stood over him in my human form and asked if he needed any help. He got up, looked at me, terrified, and ran from the alley like a madman. I smiled and continued to the office.

My colleagues all congratulated me as I got back. Fabrizio Luigi and Silvio Marone stood with the crowd, smiling.

"We are very proud of you, Natalia. Once again, you have secured a significant victory for our firm," Silvio said. Fabrizio added, "I think we should celebrate our success by having dinner at a great restaurant tonight. What do you say, guys?"

He winked at Silvio, who smiled and then turned to the rest of us.

"It's a date then. Dinner at Mateo's tonight for all of us." Mateo's was one of the most expensive restaurants in Milan.

"As for you, young lady, you can have the rest of the day off," Silvio told me, patting me on the shoulder in a fatherly way.

Soon, I was leaving the busy roads of Milan and heading towards Isola, where I'd been living with Lisa, my roommate, for the last three years. We rented a luxury three-bedroom apartment and enjoyed the benefits of our success. Lisa was also a very active corporate advocate at our Law Firm.

I parked in my usual spot and entered the apartment, heading straight for the kitchen to pour myself a glass of wine. With the drink safely in my hand, I headed to my bedroom. Kicking off my stilettos, I sank my bare feet into the thick carpet, and my tired toes enjoyed the soothing feeling. Humming my favourite song, I went to the bathroom and let my long dark hair fall to my waist. I filled the tub with warm water and my favourite vanilla and chocolate bath oils and undressed. Grabbing my glass, I got into the tub and lay down, enjoying the warmth and sweetness of the water and oils, contemplating my life after I moved to Italy.

When the water finally cooled, I got out of the tub and left the bathroom wrapped in a fluffy towel. My phone rang, and I smiled, looking at the caller ID. I sat on my bed and picked up the call.

"Ciao, zio," (hello uncle), I greeted Fabrizio, and he giggled at the other side of the line.

“Ciao cara mia,” (hello my dear). I am so proud of you, Natalia. You have proven to be worthy of my expectations and even more. And I am sure your father will also be proud when I tell him about your latest achievement. You have proven to be a hidden gem, figlia. (daughter)" My eyes filled with tears at the mention of my father, whom I had only seen through Messenger or Skype for the last ten years.

"Ah, before I forget, Paolo will drive you and Lisa to the restaurant so you can drink as much as you want without worrying about driving back. See you tonight, Natalia." With that, he hung up, not waiting for an answer. I smiled; he always found a way to run away when things got sentimental. He didn't want to see or hear me cry for whatever reason.

Fabricio Luigi was my father's best friend and roommate when they studied in the United States. He was the one who arranged for me to fly to Italy years ago and enrolled me in one of the best boarding schools there, where I learned to speak Italian fluently. He took my father's role and gave me everything I needed, including a fatherly hug in the most challenging times, like my graduation day when I had no family members close to me.

As an excellent straight-A student, I skipped ahead and entered a higher academic level, acquiring my advocate's degree two years earlier than expected.

I joined "Luigi e Marone" as a trainee at twenty, under the condition that no one would know of my relationship with Fabrizio. I asked him to treat me as he treated the rest of his trainees, without discrimination. For a whole year, he tormented me and my roommate, Lisa, with a heavy workload, appointing us as assistants to four of his top advocates-all of them working in different fields of law.

We were both fast learners, and by the end of that year, he assigned us cases based on the areas we'd trained in, giving us the chance to come forward and show our abilities. At the beginning of the following year, Lisa and I obtained the position of the corporate advocate in the law firm based on our excellent performance.

My thoughts were interrupted as Lisa entered my room. Lisa was an Italian 5ft 9 brunette with a perfect figure and long, dark curly hair. She was a classic beauty, but that didn't seem to matter to her. She was the type of woman that waited for Mr. Right; she, therefore, never paid any attention to her pursuers, and there were many.

"Hey, sweetie, you did it again. Congratulations, honey. That was a tough one, right?"

"Tell me about it," I replied and told Lisa what happened with the boy's uncle after the trial ended, skipping the fangs part.

"Holy, sh.it, Natalia, did you tell Fabricio and Silvio about him?" Her face paled, and she sat on the bed next to me.

"No, I don't think he will try to harm me again," I smiled at her, stood up and walked to my closet to get some clothes.

"How can you be so sure, Natalia?" Lisa sounded worried, and I looked at her and replied.

"I have a feeling that he learned his lesson today." The image of the guy running away, scared to death, made my smile bigger.

I changed the subject and started talking about our night out. We decided to get ready together, and eventually, we headed downstairs, where Fabrizio's driver, Paolo, had been waiting for us. He drove us to the center of Milan and dropped us at Mateo's restaurant.

Fabrizio and Silvio welcomed us and then led us to where the rest of our colleagues were seated. We enjoyed the dinner and had a pleasant time with our colleagues and bosses. Someone got the idea to have more drinks at one of Milan nightclubs since the following day was Saturday, and we had no work. So, we decided to move our fun elsewhere.

We all entered the club and tried to adjust to the loud music and the low lights; even Fabrizio and Silvio followed us, not wanting to miss the fun.

It didn't take long for my head to start feeling heavy, not from the drinks but from the headache the loud music caused me. I decided to excuse myself and go home. Fabrizio offered to give me a ride since Lisa wanted to stay a little longer and have fun with the rest of the guys.

We soon left the club and made our way back to Isola. Inside the car, Fabrizio looked at me and asked, "Cara mia, are you feeling okay? Did anything happen today at the trial that bothered you?"

I realised that Lisa had already told him what had happened.

"Don't worry, zio, nothing I can't handle. What worries me is that during the attack, my wolf took charge for the first time in ten years and that i***t saw me transform. The good thing is that he fainted afterwards, and I was back to normal by the time he revived."

My uncle looked at me worriedly and held my hand, not replying immediately. He was the only one who knew my true identity and helped me keep it secret for so many years.

"Do you think there is a chance that he will show up and threaten you again, Natalia?"

"No, Uncle, I don't think so. He was too frightened to do such a thing," I reassured Fabricio with a smile.

When the car stopped outside my apartment, I hugged and kissed him goodnight and left the car. I entered the building and took the elevator to my floor. The moment I entered my bedroom, I undressed and sank into my bed, drifting into a deep slumber within minutes.