Chapter 3
1192 Words
The next day, Nicoletta told her family she was staying the night at Bella’s.
It wasn’t unusual — ever since her mother had died, they often spent nights at each other’s places. No one suspected a thing.
It was late evening. Nicoletta adjusted the hem of the short, provocative dress she had bought for tonight.
Bella had curled her hair into loose waves and done her makeup to make her look older than she really was.
“Lucci…” — Bella hesitated, then reached for a small packet on the shelf. “I thought about this for a long time… and maybe you’ll think I’ve lost my mind, but… I want you to take it.”
“What is it?” Nicoletta asked.
“Clonidine. It’s old-fashioned, plant-based. Puts you to sleep for a short while — no side effects. Just… shuts him down. You’ll have about twenty minutes to leave quietly. He won’t remember a thing — not your face, not your voice, not even that it happened. You get what I mean.”
Nicoletta frowned.
“You think I can’t handle it?”
“I think you try too hard to control everything,” Bella said softly. “You’ll go there scared, high on adrenaline — don’t deny it. What if he tries to keep you? What if he’s not who you think he is? What if you change your mind?”
She squeezed the packet in her hand. “It’s your plan B. I just want you to have one.”
Nicoletta hugged her — silently grateful.
Bella was worried for her. And Nicoletta could feel that.
“How do I use it?” she asked after a moment.
“Dissolve it in his drink. It has no taste, no smell. Ten, fifteen minutes — and he’ll be out. He’ll just lie down and sleep. You’ll get dressed, leave… like you were never there.”
Nicoletta stared at the packet as if it were a weapon. Then she slowly took it.
“Thank you, Bella. You’re right. I don’t want him to remember me. I don’t want me to remember him. He’s just a door I’ll walk through.”
“Are you sure? Once you open that door — there’s no way back. It’ll close behind you forever.”
Nicoletta hugged her again.
“No, Bella. I won’t change my mind. I’m not Nicoletta Bellucci anymore. Not the one I used to be. I’m a wolf choosing her own death — so she can be reborn.”
Bella called a taxi, and Nicoletta left for the club she’d chosen.
Club L’Equilibrio.
A neutral ground — belonging to no pack, no name, no allegiance.
An average club, filled mostly with tourists chasing a taste of Rome’s night life.
Nicoletta was torn between fear and resolve. The atmosphere was strange, foreign.
For the first time in her life, she was truly alone — no pack, no rules.
She craved freedom, but her body betrayed her, tense and restrained.
Music split the air. Lights pulsed like a heartbeat. People laughed, danced, got lost in each other’s rhythm. There were no pack scents here, no watchful eyes. Only anonymity. Only night.
She sat alone at the bar for a long time — high stool, half-empty glass of something cold.
Watching. Waiting.
The guy by the wall in a leather jacket — too smug. The one on the dance floor — too drunk. The one near the DJ — too eager, too shallow. Not him. Not any of them. She ran a shaky hand along her neck, pushing her hair back. Her heart beat faster than after any training.
What are you doing, Letta? whispered her inner voice.
You want freedom… don’t you?
Her gaze swept the crowd again.
The air felt heavy — not from heat, but from pressure inside her chest. None of them felt right. They were all… wrong.
She took another sip, but the taste was empty.
I can’t do this…
A flare of panic burned inside her chest.
What if I’m wrong? What if this is stupid? What if I’ll hate myself after? My life will change forever. I’ll lose my pack. My family. Nicholas will turn away. I’ll be an outcast.
But if not now… it’ll be too late.
The Alpha will decide for me. Marcus will take me like a prize — a purebred wolf with no choice, no voice.
“Another drink?” — the bartender’s voice broke through her thoughts.
She nodded absently.
When he turned away, she caught her own reflection in the glass — pale face, blue eyes trembling with uncertainty.
“Are you a coward,” she whispered, “or a fighter?”
Somewhere in the crowd, a man laughed.
Tall. Confident. His face caught the neon light — a lazy, dangerous smile. He wasn’t like the others. Nicoletta froze.
Maybe… him?
But a sudden twist in her gut — not pain, something primal — warned her. Something wasn’t right. She turned away.
“I can’t,” she whispered to herself. “Damn it… I can’t.”
She wanted to get up, to leave.
But her legs wouldn’t move.
Her heartbeat drummed louder. Doubt gnawed at her resolve.
And then — chaos.
A crash. Shouts.
Someone hit the floor near her feet — gasping, bloodied, begging for mercy.
Nicoletta startled, but not from fear — from shock.
The young man on the floor was thin, trembling, eyes wide with panic.
“P-please… don’t…” he choked out.
Nicoletta froze. Something flickered in her chest — not fear, not pity… something else.
She stood slowly, stepping aside as if to give way to the predator.
Her gaze rose — and found him.
Tall. Broad. Storm-dark.
A man radiating danger — his movements sharp, his expression calm, lips curved in a faint, predatory smirk.
Dark hair tousled. Eyes — fire.
Their eyes met.
A pulse of electricity shot through her.
He felt it too — she saw the shift in his face, the instant recognition. Like a beast sensing another of its kind.
The world stopped.
Music, lights, noise — all faded.
Only the two of them remained.
His stare pierced through her, awakening something buried deep within.
This wasn’t logic.
It wasn’t choice.
It was blood.
Tonight would be her last night as the wolf of Romulus’ pack.
Or her first night as a free woman.
Nicoletta lifted her chin, a faint, defiant smile curving her lips. Freedom was closer than ever.
He looked at her — and smiled back, darkly, knowingly.
“Sorry about the scene,” he said quietly, voice low and steady. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”
She gave him a small, dismissive smirk, her posture proud and untouchable.
While the beaten man was dragged away, Nicoletta walked toward the restroom.
She moved through the crowd like a predator in her natural habitat — graceful, confident, untamed.
And she could feel his gaze following her — heavy, burning, claiming.
Deep down, she knew he wanted her as much as she wanted him.
Their silent pull throbbed in the air between them,
an invisible thread already binding them forever.
- Writer
