Chapter 1 Chapter 1

Two weeks and a long, tiresome journey later, I arrived at my destination. I could have done it in less than a day if I'd travelled by plane but I couldn't afford to allow Leo to track me that easily. Instead, I had to take the boat option- of the slow, unregistered kind too.

Fortunately, Naples harbour was busy and chaotic meaning, after thanking the kind sailor for his generosity, I could easily slip off the boat and disappear into the city without being seen. The air was warm and arid and the streets aromatic with herbs, olives and tomatoes. It was exactly how I imagined Italy but even more fantastic. I was proud to say my ancestors were from this wonderful country.

I eventually reached the outskirts of the city and farmland and vineyards became far larger in number. With the help of a few locals, I managed to track down the address I had scrawled on the back of a crumpled grocery store receipt. It was a singular detached house, kind of solitary and not particularly boastful in size. Two stories, no car, quiet, peaceful and simple. Not what I had imagined at all.

I made my way up the steps to the front door and knocked. A voice called for me to enter but nobody came to let me in. Deciding that the occupant was expecting me to let myself in, I turned the nob of the unlocked door and cautiously opened it to reveal a room, which I assumed to be the kitchen and living room and a balcony at the opposite end of the door. On the balcony stood a man facing away from me and looking out at the countryside.

Dark hair, tall, mid-twenties. 

He was exactly what I was looking for.

"Long time no see, lil cuz," the man said slowly turning around to reveal his face.

He was Max, that's for sure, but he looked older, more mature, some may even go as far as amiable.

"You've changed," I said placing my satchel down on the wooden table and heading through the sheer, white curtain onto the balcony.

"It's been three years," Max said leaning on the balcony railings and gazing out over the wine and olive yards. 

"This is where you chose to spend your exile?" I asked standing next to him at a slight distance to satisfy my caution of him.

"I tried New York and Rio and Bangkok and Paris and London and even Bangalore but they weren't right and I couldn't make them my home. So I came back to our roots. Where it all began," he explained.

"Right," I said. "It's nice, I guess."

We stood for a few moments in silence. I felt the gentle breeze through my hair and breathed in a deep lungful of the fresh air.

"Still no mate?'" I asked.

"I haven't been looking," he replied. "There's no rush, no title that needs an heir anymore is there?"

I could tell in the tone and spite of his voice that he was still blaming me for that fact.

"Guess not," I said with a shrug. 

What did I care?

"So what have you been doing for three years. Giving birth to and bringing up the Alpha's kids?" Max asked.

"Amongst other stuff," I said after a short scoff.

"Such as?" 

"Since when did you care?" I snapped.

"Since you appeared in my house, completely alone, thousands of miles from home," he said turning to face me again.

"I learnt how to fight," I replied eventually.

"The Alpha would never have allowed that," Max stated shaking his head as he walked into the house. 

He lifted a jug of fresh water off the table and poured me a glass.

"Did I ever say he did?" I asked. "Maria, Elena and I began a secret she-wolf training camp because it felt wrong that the ones in the most danger weren't giving the opportunity to learn how to defend themselves from it. We got fed up with relying on men for protection so we started to teach ourselves."

"Show me what you've got then," Max said raising an eyebrow with an amused smile.

I returned a smile before taking a sip of my water and putting the glass back down. I began to stand up, but before I had the chance to finish Max was straddling me on the floor pinning my arms down.

"That's what I thought-"

Halfway through his sentence, I snapped into self-defence mode. Twisting my wrists and driving my hands down, I freed my hands from his grip before using my legs to throw him off balance and get myself out from underneath him and put myself on top. Max retaliated by using is sheer strength and weight to roll us back over. 

"Why did I fool for that? It's been so long since I last had to restrain someone that I forgot the oldest trick in the book," Max said when he was back in the dominant position. 

Time for plan B.

I used my legs to hook around his so that he lost his balance and fell onto me giving me the opportunity to shove him off before he could think to stop me. I then twisted his arms which were still tightly gripped to mine around his own body so that I was in a kneeling position and above him again.

"I'm impressed Ella, if only if you could do this three years ago," he said before untwisting his arms and getting to his feet pulling me with him and driving us into the wall. "You've got tactics and you're strong but not as strong as an ex Megestanis."

"Do not underestimate me," I hissed with a scowl before raising my knee to his manhood.

He blocked it the first time, but he wasn't expecting the second with the opposite leg. As he bent over in pain I reached down to my holster taking the Praesidium Deae Astra. When he looked back up, his face still in a grimace, I took the opportunity to knock him off his feet so that I was straddling him once again. Before he could retaliate I took his wrist and carved a tiny slit into his skin. In seconds his entire body had gone all floppy and unresponsive except for his eyes.

"I guess you could see that as payback for everything you did to me in the space of a couple of weeks. Now that I've let my anger out from you almost ruining my life, we can be friends," I said getting off him. "Well...in twelve hours when you are able to move again. Revenge stings like a bitch, doesn't it?"