Chapter Two: The Wolf You Tried to Tame
The rain was coming down harder now.
It drowned out the sirens, the screams, the noise of Silvano's men retreating into the alley like wisps of smoke. But Luna didn't really hear any of that. Her pulse was roaring, drowning out everything else. Her skin felt alive, buzzing as if she'd been struck by lightning.
Dominic DeLuca was still pressed up against her.
And she really hated how warm he felt.
She pushed him away. "Don't touch me."
He didn't even flinch. Just took a step back, calm and infuriatingly collected, as if he hadn't just saved her life. As though the chaos around them didn't faze him at all.
"As charming as ever," he muttered.
Luna shot him a fierce glare, her heart racing. "You brought them here."
He glanced over toward the alley. "No. They were already here. You just didn't notice."
"I notice everything," she snapped back.
He let out a low, dry laugh. "Clearly not."
She wanted to punch him. Maybe kiss him. But definitely punch him harder.
Before she could decide, a black SUV came screeching to a halt at the end of the street, its headlights cutting through the mist. The doors swung open. Elena stepped out, followed closely by two witches in long coats, silver glyphs faintly glowing at their throats.
Luna's body tensed up.
Dominic stiffened too, narrowing his eyes. "Backup?"
"I don't need backup," Luna replied defiantly.
"No," Elena said, striding forward. "But you need to leave. Right now."
The witches formed a protective circle around them, muttering under their breath. An invisible barrier shimmered in the air, creating a bubble of resistance.
"Elena—"
"He saw you, Luna," the witch said sharply. "Silvano saw you, and now he knows. You're not safe here anymore."
"I've never been safe," she shot back.
"But you're exposed."
Dominic stepped in between them. "He was looking for her?"
Elena ignored him, her gaze fixed on Luna. "And what business is that of yours, DeLuca?"
"She killed one of mine tonight."
"She was defending herself."
"She's reckless."
"She's the prophecy," Elena snapped, finally meeting his gaze. "She's more important than your personal vendetta."
Dominic's jaw tightened. He looked at Luna, not as a threat or rival, but something far more dangerous. Something rare.
A storm he couldn't predict.
"Then come with me," he said.
Luna blinked in surprise. "What?"
"You're not safe here. My family estate is protected. I've got resources your little coven can't match. If Silvano's after you, I'm the only one who can keep him away."
Elena scoffed. "You really think we'd send her to your den?"
"I think your wards won't last the week," Dominic replied flatly. "And I think you know I'm right."
The rain pounded down even harder. Thunder rumbled in the distance. Luna looked between them, seeing Elena, sharp with both fear and pride, and Dominic, calm like a knife before it finds its mark.
She didn't trust either of them. But one thing was clear.
Silvano wouldn't stop until she was either dead or his.
"Fine," Luna said finally. "I'll go."
The DeLuca estate loomed at the edge of the city, like a cathedral built for wolves.
Stone arches, iron gates, and surveillance cameras watching like unblinking eyes. The place smelled of leather, cigar smoke, and danger. Luna despised how perfectly she fit into it.
Dominic didn't say a word as they walked down the long hallway of the main house. The lights were dim. Paintings of stern ancestors lined the walls, their eyes glinting with hidden fangs.
Finally, he opened a door and gestured for her to step inside.
It was a guest room. Spacious, warm, and way too pristine.
"I don't need your hospitality," she muttered.
"You'll take it anyway."
She turned to face him, crossing her arms. "Why are you helping me?"
His expression didn't change, but something in his jaw tightened.
"Because if Silvano wants you," he said slowly, "then you matter. And I don't like it when things that matter get taken from me."
"You don't own me."
"No, but I will protect you."
She let out a laugh. "Protect me? You think I'm some helpless little damsel?"
"I think," Dominic said, stepping closer, "you've been running for so long that you don't even know what it feels like to be safe."
She didn't back away as he approached. Couldn't. The heat radiating from him felt like fire, and her blood was betraying her, thick and hot and restless beneath her skin.
"You know nothing about me," she whispered.
"I know you dream in screams."
Her breath caught in her throat.
"I know you clench your fists even while you sleep."
Her fingers curled tightly.
"And I know," he said, his voice dropping low, "that you hate depending on anyone. But right now… you need me."
Her heart raced.
He was too close for comfort.
"I should stab you," she whispered.
His smile was lazy, a little wicked. "You wouldn't be the first to try."
She reached for her blade, but he caught her wrist, quick and firm, his grip strong enough to hold her firm but gentle enough not to hurt.
For a moment, they both held their breath.
Then, his gaze flicked to her lips.
And she felt it.
That shift. That pull.
The electric need to either ruin him or let him ruin her.
She yanked her hand back and stepped away.
"I'm here because Silvano wants me dead. Not because I trust you."
"Fair enough," he replied. "But I'd lock your door tonight."
She narrowed her eyes. "Why?"
"Because you smell like power," he said. "And there are wolves in this house who haven't eaten in a long, long time."
Sleep wouldn't come.
The room felt too clean. Too silent. And the weight of Dominic's presence pressed through the walls like heat through skin.
Luna lay on her back, staring at the ceiling, fingers curled around the hilt of the dagger she kept under her pillow.
Thoughts of her parents flooded her mind.
Her father's scream. Her mother's blood. The flames. The loss. And that mark on Dominic's chest, the sigil of the moonbound.
She didn't know what it meant. Not yet.
But it scared her.
Because the closer she got to him, the more the fire inside her began to flicker and change.
Not in anger.
Not in revenge.
Something warmer.
And she hated it.
Outside, wolves howled.
Somewhere down the hall, a door creaked open.
Footsteps.
She shot upright, blade drawn.
The door to her room cracked open, just a sliver.
She threw the knife.
A hand caught it mid-air.
Dominic stepped into the light, holding the dagger between two fingers.
"You're quite the light sleeper," he remarked.
"You're an arrogant jerk."
He walked in slowly, keeping his gaze fixed on hers as he placed the knife gently on the nightstand.
"There's something you need to know," he said.
"If you're here to seduce me, let's skip the theatrics."
"Luna."
She hated how her name sounded coming from his lips. Like a temptation just waiting to unfold.
"Silvano doesn't just want you because of your lineage."
"Then why?"
Dominic's eyes darkened.
"There's a prophecy, one your family was tied to. One you've been kept in the dark about."
She stared at him, bewildered.
"What prophecy?"
He stepped closer.
"The blood of the last Moretti and the last DeLuca—when combined—can either lift the curse of the moon… or devastate the entire supernatural bloodline."
Her heart sank.
"And which one are we?" she asked, voice trembling.
His voice dropped.
"We don't know."