Rome – Adunni's Flat, Early Morning
Adunni stared at her reflection in the mirror.
The sweat had dried. The glowing in her palms had faded. But the echo of the dream clung to her like a second skin. She didn't need science or logic to tell her what she'd seen was real.
The relic pulsed again — faintly, like a heartbeat trying to match hers.
Her phone buzzed.
LUCA DE LUCA_mssg: We need to talk. I'm sending a car.
Not "Would you like to meet." Not "Are you okay."
Just command.
She should have deleted the message.
Instead, she got dressed.
---
DeLuca Private Library, 11:00 a.m.
Luca stood before the fire, sleeves rolled up, the tension in his shoulders a physical thing.
"You opened it," he said as she stepped into the room.
Adunni crossed her arms. "It opened for me."
He turned, golden eyes sharper than last night. "That relic hasn't responded to anyone in generations."
She didn't flinch. "Maybe it was waiting for the right person."
His jaw tightened. "Or the wrong one."
Something in her chest flared—rage and confusion, fear and fire.
"Say what you mean, DeLuca."
He stalked closer, his presence overwhelming in the small room.
"I mean the last woman who awakened that relic started a war. Between bloodlines. Between wolves and humans."
Adunni held his gaze. "I'm not her."
"No," he said, voice rough. "You're something worse. Because you don't know WHAT YOU ARE."
For a moment, the room buzzed with unsaid things. The heat between them didn't fade—it sharpened.
Then he said quietly, "You saw your form, didn't you? In the dream."
Her breath caught. "How did you—"
"It's always the same. The Flame dreams of herself before she burns the world."
Adunni shook her head. "I'm not here to burn anything. Am here to work and once am done am leaving"
His voice dropped to a whisper. "Then don't let it consume you." And " You're not going anywhere" he added faintly, smirking.
"You wish" she said.
And for one moment—just one—his hand brushed hers.
Her skin tingled. The air thickened. Their eyes locked.
But before either could move closer, the door swung open.
Matteo. Shirtless. Smirking. "Interrupting?"
---
Training Hall – Lower Estate, Afternoon
Sabine ducked beneath Matteo's swing, driving her heel into his thigh.
He grunted, spun, grabbed her wrist. "You're holding back."
Sabine twisted, shoved him hard. "You're talking too much."
They circled each other, breath heavy, energy crackling.
"You know," Matteo said, "I think you like hitting me."
Sabine lunged. "It's the only time you shut up."
He caught her arm again — and this time didn't let go.
They were too close now. Breathing fast. Staring.
"I could kiss you right now," he said.
Sabine's eyes flared — and her voice was a dangerous whisper. "Do it, and I'll break your jaw."
He leaned just enough to make her heart skip. "Worth it."
She shoved him away, turned, but couldn't stop the curve of her lips.
---
Elsewhere: Eastern Europe – Nightfall
Deep in a stone fortress lit by crimson torches, a man watched grainy surveillance footage of the Roman ruins.
Alpha Darius Velkov.
His silver-streaked hair and pale eyes made him look ageless. Wolf and war incarnate.
Behind him, a young beta approached.
"She's awakened it," the beta whispered. "The Flame."
Darius turned, smiling like a predator who'd waited centuries.
"Then the game begins."
Rome – The Archives Vault, Late Evening
Adunni sat cross-legged on the stone floor of the DeLuca estate's ancient archive. Dozens of old tomes lay open around her — Latin, Yoruba, and something older, primal.
The relic sat beside her, cold again. Still. But her blood hummed with quiet heat.
A whisper broke the silence.
Not from the halls.
From the walls.
"Adunni Brooks…"
She froze.
The voice was velvet. Male. Ancient.
She stood slowly, scanning the room. "Who's there?"
"Do not fear me, Fireborn. You are not prey. You are potential."
Her hand hovered near the relic.
"They cage you in books and bloodlines. But I have seen what you will become."
"You are not a pawn in Luca's legacy."
"You are the reckoning."
A cold wind swept the room. Pages turned on their own. Candles blew out.
"When the moon turns red, come find me."
"Come find your real pack."
Then—silence.
Adunni's knees buckled as her heart slammed in her chest.
She didn't know who the voice belonged to.
But her wolf…
recognized it.
---
Tuscany Hills – Remote Road, Thunderstorm Nightfall
Sabine slammed the car door. Rain pelted the windshield.
"I told you to turn back," she snapped.
Matteo stepped out into the downpour, arms raised. "And miss this beautiful moment where we're stranded on a mountain in a lightning storm? Never."
The engine was dead. So was the radio. No signal. Just wind, trees, and the thrum of thunder behind the hills.
Sabine pulled her coat tighter. "There's a hunter's cabin nearby."
He raised a brow. "We're really going to share a single fireplace, one blanket, and your sunny personality?"
She started walking. "Shut up and move."
---
Hunter's Cabin – Later
The fire crackled in the hearth.
Sabine stood in front of it, drying her clothes a tank top and leggings, her hair damp around her face. She was stunning even when pissed — maybe especially then.
Matteo leaned against the wall, barefoot, shirtless, watching her.
"You know," he said, "you could admit this is romantic."
She looked at him, exasperated. "You're unbearable."
"Unbearably handsome?"
She tossed a sock at him. "Delusional."
He caught it with one hand, then sobered slightly.
"You're always running, Sabine. But I'm not chasing."
She hesitated.
"Then why are you here?"
"Because I like the way you look when you stop pretending you don't care."
The room fell quiet, except for the wind outside.
Then, slowly, she crossed to him. Face inches away.
"If you touch me," she whispered, "this doesn't go back to normal."
"I don't want normal," he murmured.
She kissed him. Rough. Controlled. Then broke it off, breathing hard.
"Don't get attached," she warned.
He grinned. "Already failed."
---
Back at the Estate – Same Night
Adunni stood at the window, watching the clouds roll in.
She didn't sleep.
Not after that voice.
Not after the relic twitched in her bag — like it was listening.
Luca was hiding things.
So was Darius.
And her wolf?
It was waking.