Five years passed like a dream.

The Tuscan sun warmed my skin as I stood on the balcony of my Florence studio, watching Hattie play in the garden below. At five years old, she was the spitting image of me—dark hair, determined chin—but her eyes held flecks of gold that reminded me painfully of Greyson.

"Mama! Look what I made!" she called up, holding a small clay figurine. Even from this distance, I could see it was a wolf.

I smiled, waving back. "Beautiful, sweetheart!"

Aria stirred contentedly within me. *She has his strength.*

"And your creativity," I whispered back.

The door behind me opened, and Lorenzo Salvatore stepped out, his tall frame casting a shadow across the terrace.

"The spring collection is a triumph," he said, his Italian accent warming the words. "The Lycan King himself requested your designs for his daughter's coming-of-age ceremony."

I turned, accepting the glass of wine he offered. "Thank you, Lorenzo. For everything."

He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "You saved yourself, Gianna. I merely provided the opportunity."

As Lorenzo returned inside, I gazed out at the city skyline. Five years ago, I'd arrived here broken and pregnant, fleeing a betrayal that still burned in my memory. Now, Gianna Rossi was one of Florence's most celebrated designers, creating clothes that blurred the lines between human and Lycan fashion.

---

Miles away, across an ocean, Greyson stood at the edge of the cliff where my car had plunged into the sea. His once-powerful frame had grown gaunt, his eyes hollow from sleepless nights.

"Still nothing?" Marcus Kane asked, approaching cautiously.

Greyson didn't turn. "She's not dead."

"Alpha," Marcus sighed, "it's been five years. The mate bond—"

"The mate bond is silent, not broken," Greyson snapped, his voice ragged. "There's a difference."

Behind them, Briana approached, her copper hair gleaming in the sunset. "Greyson," she called softly, "the council is waiting."

He didn't acknowledge her.

"The Elders want an answer about the Luna position," Marcus continued. "The pack needs stability."

Greyson finally turned, his eyes flashing with madness. "There will never be another Luna."

Briana's face contorted with rage and humiliation. Five years of waiting, of believing she would finally take my place, only to be denied again and again.

"You're a fool," she hissed. "She's dead!"

Something dangerous flashed in Greyson's eyes. "Careful, Briana. Remember your place."

---

My parents arrived in Florence three months after I did. I'd sent word through Alexa's secure channels, and they'd abandoned their retirement home near Silverclaw territory to join me.

"Gianna," my mother wept when she saw me, her arms wrapping around me protectively. "My baby girl."

My father stood back, his warrior's eyes scanning me for injuries before pulling me into a fierce hug. "You did what you had to do," he said gruffly. "We're proud of you."

When Hattie was born, they became her doting grandparents, teaching her Italian words and telling her stories of their travels—carefully edited versions that omitted the werewolf world she'd been born into.

"Nonno, tell me again about the stars," Hattie would beg my father, who would take her onto the balcony and point out constellations.

One evening, as we sat together in our villa's garden, my father received a message through old pack channels.

"Greyson offered us land and money," he said quietly. "Compensation for your... passing."

My mother's lip curled. "Blood money."

"We refused," my father continued. "Told him we wanted nothing from a coward who couldn't protect his mate."

I squeezed his hand. "Thank you."

They'd chosen me over pack loyalty, becoming Rogues to protect their granddaughter from a world that might have claimed her as a pawn.

---

The fashion show was my biggest yet. Models strutted down the runway in designs that merged human elegance with subtle Lycan influences—hidden pockets for claws, flexible fabrics for shifting, and colors that shifted in different lights.

From the front row, I watched my creations come to life, Hattie sitting beside me with wide eyes.

"Mama, you made those?" she whispered.

"Every stitch," I replied proudly.

Later that night, as I tucked her in, she traced the wolf pendant I always wore. "Why do you always keep this, Mama?"

I swallowed hard. "Because it reminds me of where I came from."

"And where is that?"

I hesitated, wondering how much to share. "Somewhere far away, across the ocean."

"Daddy's there?" she asked innocently.

The question caught me off guard. We'd never discussed her father, but children are perceptive.

"Yes," I admitted softly. "But he doesn't know about you."

Her small hand reached up to touch my cheek. "Someday, will we go back?"

Before I could answer, my phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number. With trembling fingers, I opened it.

"I know you're alive," it read. "And I'm coming for you."

Aria growled within me, recognizing the sender even before I did.

Greyson had found me.

The Silverclaw Pack House was in turmoil as I watched from afar through Alexa's secure video feed. Five years had passed since my "death," yet the pack still hadn't recovered from the scandal I'd left behind.

Briana stood in the center of the great hall, her copper hair gleaming under the chandelier light as she addressed the pack elders. Her hand rested protectively over her stomach—a gesture that made my own heart clench with remembered pain.

"I carry the Alpha's heir," she announced, her voice ringing with triumph. "A son who will strengthen the Silverclaw bloodline."

The elders murmured among themselves, their ancient eyes calculating. Marcus Kane stepped forward, his weathered face impassive.

"And the Alpha's response to this... news?"

Briana's smile faltered slightly. "He will acknowledge us both publicly. Today."

As if summoned by her words, Greyson appeared at the entrance to the hall. My breath caught at the sight of him—thinner than I remembered, dark circles shadowing his eyes, but still radiating that unmistakable Alpha presence.

"Alpha," Briana approached him with practiced grace, "I've shared our joyful news with the pack."

Something dangerous flashed in Greyson's eyes—something that made even the strongest warriors step back.

"You dare," he said, his voice deadly quiet.

Briana's smile froze. "Dare what? To carry your child?"

"To lie," he snarled, his Alpha tone vibrating through the room. "There is no child."

The pack gasped collectively as Briana's face drained of color.

"How dare you question me!" she hissed, her warrior training surfacing as her composure cracked.

"I question everything about you," Greyson replied coldly. "Including your sanity if you thought this deception would work."

With a swift motion, he grabbed her wrist, his Alpha aura crushing down on her until she gasped for breath.

"I will never mark another," he declared, his voice carrying to every corner of the hall. "Gianna was my Luna. My mate. My everything. And I will honor her memory until my last breath."

Briana's eyes widened with fury and humiliation as he released her, leaving her trembling before the entire pack.

---

"Gianna Rossi's spring collection has taken Milan by storm," Lorenzo announced as he entered my studio in Florence. "The Lycan King himself has requested a private showing."

I looked up from my sketches, smiling at my patron and protector. "Thank you, Lorenzo. But I couldn't have done it without your support."

He waved away my gratitude with a elegant gesture. "You saved yourself, Gianna. Your talent did the rest."

Through the open window, I could hear Hattie laughing as she played in the garden with her nonno—my father, who had become her fiercest protector.

"Mama! Look what I found!" she called, running toward the studio with something cupped in her hands.

I knelt to her level as she approached, my heart swelling with love at the sight of her—so like me, yet with glimpses of him in her golden-flecked eyes.

"A little wolf!" she exclaimed, opening her palms to reveal a small stone carving of a wolf pup.

"It's beautiful," I said softly, wondering if her subconscious was already reaching for the heritage I'd kept hidden from her.

---

Across the ocean, Greyson paced his office like a caged animal. The Silverclaw Pack was weakening under his erratic leadership, yet he refused all attempts at intervention.

"Alpha," Marcus Kane entered cautiously, "the European business partners are expecting you in Milan tomorrow."

"I'm not going to Milan," Greyson growled.

"The meeting has been scheduled for months," Marcus insisted. "The pack needs this alliance."

Something in Greyson's expression shifted—a flicker of resignation. "Fine."

---

The business meeting dragged endlessly as Greyson sat at the head of the conference table, barely listening to the proposals. His mind was elsewhere—as it always was these days.

"If I could have your attention," the Italian representative said with barely concealed irritation.

Greyson forced himself to focus, nodding curtly.

Afterward, as he stepped onto the balcony to clear his head, a scent caught his attention—faint but unmistakable.

His body went rigid as he inhaled deeply.

"It can't be," he whispered.

But his wolf knew better. Aria howled within him, recognizing what his human mind refused to believe.

Following the scent like a man possessed, Greyson tracked it through the winding streets of Milan until he reached a private villa overlooking the city.

There, on a sun-drenched balcony, stood a woman whose face had haunted his dreams for five years.

"Gianna," he breathed.

I froze at the sound of his voice, my heart stopping in my chest as I turned slowly to face the ghost I'd fled from all these years.

Behind me, Hattie looked up curiously from her drawings.

"Mama?" she asked. "Who is that man?"