CHAPTER SIXTEEN
1150 Words
ALESSIO’S POV
I didn’t mean to see her.
I’d gone to the East Wing because Lorenzo said the new border reports were left in the conference room. He was too busy babysitting the South patrol to fetch them himself, and I didn’t trust the junior scouts to not hand over half-completed trash.
So, I went.
And there she was.
Silver Night.
My… wife.
She was standing at the head of the long oak table, sleeves rolled up, barefoot, and surrounded by files, maps, and at least three very terrified-looking warriors.
Not once have my soldiers showed fear to anyone except me.
Now they looked like they were going to s**t their pants.
“I said if we redirect this trade route through Atria Hill instead of the western cliff pass, we’ll cut travel time by two days.” she was saying, voice clear and commanding.
“But that only works if the North patrols are rotated to cover the new trail. This means we need at least four more scouts trained by next week. There could be ambush by smugglers, you should always be prepared for any form of emergency.”
One of the warriors fumbled with a clipboard.
“L-Luna, the trainees aren’t prepared for mountain terrain—”
“Then prepare them.” She didn’t raise her voice. She didn’t have to.
“We’re out of time and out of options. I’m not asking. I’m telling you. Fix it.”
I ducked behind the open hallway arch before anyone could see me.
I don’t know why.
I just… did.
Not that I was afraid they would see me.
I just didn’t want that woman to see me.
My chest was suddenly tight in a way I didn’t expect.
Because that wasn’t the girl I’d imagined.
The one I’d convinced myself was soft and broken and only here out of desperation.
Just like Mariane.
She wasn’t Mariane at all.
This girl—this woman—was steel wrapped in skin.
And she wasn’t just surviving Cassano.
She was running it.
I didn’t see her eyes, only her side profile and her extremely white hair.
I didn't know someone's hair could be this white.
Even her brother's hair wasn't this bright white, had grey undertone, but not as white as hers.
“Should we continue with the supply audit tomorrow morning, Luna?” another voice asked.
Silver looked up from the map and nodded.
“Yes. And tell the kitchen staff to triple rations for the training squad. If we want warriors, we need to feed them like warriors.”
“Yes, Luna.”
The title didn’t sound strange coming from their mouths.
It sounded earned.
Something Mariane couldn't achieve in the three years she was Luna, Silver achieved it in less than five months.
She dismissed them all with a short nod, and the warriors left in a hurry, papers in hand and pride in their stride like they’d just been trained by a general, not a girl barely out of her teens.
Silver stayed behind.
I watched as she let out a breath the moment the door shut. Her posture slumped. Her hand moved to rub the side of her neck.
Not weakness.
Just… exhaustion.
She looked like she was used to this exhaustion.
I became angry on her behalf for her birth pack, how they abandoned her.
Was she really compromised as they claimed, or they just want to dump her after all the effort she had put into their pack as a child?
She crossed the room, grabbed an apple from a tray, and leaned against the window sill, biting into it as if she’d forgotten how to slow down.
And in that quiet moment, I saw her face clearly for the first time.
She wore thin glasses I didn’t expect. Her eyes were sharper and bluer than I’d imagined. Her mouth looked serious even when it wasn’t speaking.
And something about it…
Hit me.
It's harder than I wanted it to.
I turned and walked away before she could turn her head and see me.
Back down the corridor.
Back into my safe corner.
By the time I reached my own office, my jaw was tight, and my thoughts were louder than they had been in days.
She was supposed to be a symbol.
An alliance.
A paper Luna to fill a political void.
Instead… she was becoming the very spine of this damn place.
Lorenzo was right.
Again.
I hated it when that happened.
There was a soft knock on my door moments later.
I didn’t answer, but it opened anyway.
Speak of the devil.
Lorenzo strolled in like he owned the place.
“So. You saw her.”
I didn’t speak.
Of course, he would know that.
He was like the thorn in my flesh.
“I could feel the drama bleeding off you from two hallways away.” he said.
“Very intense. Very brooding. Classic Alessio.”
“I didn’t talk to her.”
“But you watched her,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.
I shot him a look.
“You’re annoying, you know that, right?”
“And you’re falling in slow motion.”
“I’m not.”
“Oh really? Then why is your fist clenched like your wolf’s trying to figure out what emotions are?”
I forced my hand to relax.
“She’s… effective, I'll give it to her. I have never seen my soldiers quiver for anyone, not even you. Yet they almost peed their breeches with her.”
“She’s fire,” Lorenzo corrected.
“And you’ve spent so long building walls that you didn’t expect someone to walk through the front door with a battle plan. I don't know what Night pack was thinking to let someone like her go. Well, their loss.”
I turned away.
“It doesn’t matter. She’s not here for affection.”
“No,” he said, suddenly serious.
“She’s here for something better. Purpose. Legacy. Which is more than I can say for you right now.”
That stung.
He shrugged.
“Look, man. You don’t have to fall in love with her. But maybe you could stop pretending she’s invisible.”
I stayed silent.
Because for the first time…
I wasn’t sure I could.
I nodded.
"Okay, move along."
"Urghh, such a drama prince. And people would think you're cold."
"I'm going for a run. You can stay here and swim if you want. Maybe build your nest."
"Very funny, Al." He said as I walked out the door.
immediately I got outside, I shifted to my wolf and began to run.
This was the first time in three years I decided to shift.
My wolf was bruised from the pain of the loss of his mate.
Now, all I could think about was how Silver Cassano was turning my perfectly aligned world upside down.
- Writer
