She'd walk again. Live again.
No thanks to the men who claimed to love her.
My phone buzzed—a text from Dante, one of the twins.
Pack Chat - NOCTURNA
Dante:Status update?
Me:Surgery successful. Still unconscious. Paperwork filed.
Damon:The cottage in Regensburg is ready if you need it for recovery.
Alexia:I'm flying out tonight. The lawyer says the claim is ironclad.
Dante:Good. Media blackout still holding?
Me:For now. But the others know by now.
Damon:They should confront us.Would love to meet these "Alphas" who couldn't be bothered.
The twins—Dante and Damon Corleone, and yes, they found the name amusing—were forty-two and shared everything.
Business ventures, cars, clothes, and frequently partners who could handle both of them. They were also two of the most dangerous men in Europe, though you'd never know it from their public personas as art dealers and philanthropists.
Funny how legitimate business was often the best cover for less legitimate enterprises.
Not that our pack was purely criminal.
We'd built an empire that straddled both worlds—venture capital and violence, boardrooms and back alleys, all carefully balanced to maintain the appearance of aggressive but legal business practices. The Noctuary Larissa Organization was our crown jewel, a massive conglomerate that touched everything from renewable energy to entertainment.
But underneath, in the shadows where money moved like water and loyalty was currency more valuable than gold, we were considered “lethal” in nature.
We were power without apology.
My phone buzzed again.
Alexia:Are you reading the books I gave you?
Me:They're unrealistic.
Alexia:Of course they're unrealistic. They're FANTASY. The point is to learn the emotional beats, not the mechanics.
Dante:What books?
Alexia:Billionaire romance novels. Our baby Alessandro needs to learn how to court properly.
Damon:
Dante:The same Alessandro who made three senators cry during that merger negotiation?
Me:I'm thirty-five, not a baby.
Alexia:You're seven years younger than us. You're absolutely the baby.
Damon:Baby who just claimed another pack's Omega without hesitation tho
Dante:Power move. Dad would be proud.