Fated reborn - Chapter 246: Chapter 246
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Luciano's Pov.
We turned back the way we came, the garden stretching out behind us, and I let out a slow breath, running a hand over my neck. I wasn’t ready to talk yet—not really—so I just shoved my hands back into my pockets and glanced at Lunawyn. She looked at me too, for just a second, and then looked away, her lips twitching like she was fighting a smile.
“Jeez, we’ve come a long way,” I muttered, mostly to fill the quiet, my eyes flicking to the path winding behind us.
“Yeah, I’m sure the talking didn’t let us notice,” she said, her tone dry but light, and I snorted, shaking my head. At least she was talking now. That was better than the silence.
“Okay, let’s start going,” I said, trying not to sound as awkward as I felt. She nodded, and we fell into step, the path narrowing a bit as we moved past the fountain.
The walk back was quiet, but not the heavy kind of quiet from before. It felt… easier, I guess. The sun was dipping lower, stretching shadows long over the garden paths, and the air was cooler, enough to make the warmth from before feel like a memory. I snuck a glance at her—couldn’t really help it—and the way the light caught in her hair made my breath hitch a bit. I looked away fast, staring at the ground like it was the most interesting thing I’d ever seen.
We reached the garden gate after a few minutes, the iron dark and a bit rusty at the edges, vines curling around it like they were trying to pull it back into the greenery. I stepped forward, pulling it open and stepping aside for her to pass through first. She murmured a soft thanks, her eyes flicking to mine for a heartbeat before she moved past me.
I followed her out, letting the gate swing shut behind us with a quiet click. The pack house wasn’t far, the path stretching out straight and familiar, and I breathed in slow, trying to settle the mess of nerves twisting in my stomach.
The guards at the door straightened when they saw us, hands going to their chests in a quick salute.
“How was your day, Alpha Luciano?” they said in unison, voices firm.
“It was fine,” I replied, keeping my tone steady even though my mind was still back in the garden, back at that damn fountain with her hand in mine. We passed them and stepped into the pack house, the air cooler inside, shadows pooling in the corners as the sun dipped lower.
Lunawyn’s room was down the hall, not too far from mine, and we walked in silence again, the soft thud of our footsteps the only sound. When we reached her door, she paused, her fingers curling a bit around the handle. Then she turned to look at me, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“See you later,” she said, voice soft.
Her expression—something about it—made my chest feel tight, made my throat close up for a second. I cleared it quickly, shoving a hand through my hair and nodding a bit too fast.
“Yeah, see you later,” I managed, trying not to sound like an idiot.
She waved a little, fingers curling in a way that was almost shy, and then slipped into her room, the door clicking shut behind her. I stared at it for a second longer than I should’ve, my pulse still too fast, and then turned away, dragging a hand down my face.
The hallway was empty, the shadows long and quiet, and I moved toward the stairs, each step feeling heavier than it should’ve. When I reached my room, I shoved the door open with a bit more force than necessary, stepping inside and kicking it shut behind me.
I looked at the bathroom door, thinking about taking a shower, but stopped short. Her scent was still clinging to my clothes—soft and warm, a bit like flowers and sunlight—and I couldn’t bring myself to wash it away yet. I blew out a breath, raking a hand through my hair, and flopped onto the bed instead, letting my eyes drift closed for a second.
My stomach growled, low and impatient, and I groaned, pressing a hand to it. I hadn’t eaten since morning—hadn’t really thought about it until now, too busy worrying about not making a complete fool of myself in front of her.
As if on cue, a knock sounded at the door, quick and light. I dragged myself up, running a hand over my face before pulling the door open. A maid stood there, tray in her hands, head dipping respectfully.
“Good day, Alpha Luciano. This is your dinner, sir,” she said, holding it out.
I glanced at the tray—soup, some bread, something that looked like roast meat—but my stomach twisted at the sight.
“I think I’ll take fruits instead,” I said, scratching the back of my neck.
She nodded quickly, not missing a beat. “Okay, sir. I’ll get it now,” she said and hurried off, footsteps light and quick down the hall.
I pushed the door shut, sighing as I dragged a hand through my hair and pulled off my shirt, tossing it toward the wardrobe without much thought. The bed creaked a bit as I sat back down, one hand braced on my knee, and my mind drifted back to the garden—to the way her hand felt under mine, warm and soft and a little unsure.
I blew out a breath, scrubbing a hand over my face.
“Get it together,” I muttered, shaking my head.
Another knock—quicker this time—and I frowned a bit, glancing at the door.
“Hm, that was fast,” I mumbled, pushing up to open it.
But it wasn’t the maid this time. Victor leaned in the doorway, arms crossed, one brow arched.
“You’re back,” I said, stepping aside to let him in.
“Yeah,” he grunted, pushing off the doorframe and dropping into the chair by the window, legs stretching out. “How’d it go?” I asked, leaning against the wall, arms crossing over my chest.
“Nothing much, just some misunderstanding,” he muttered, rubbing a hand over his face. “I’m exhausted.”
Another knock came, and Victor sighed, dragging himself up to open it. He came back with a bowl of fruit, handing it over without a word before collapsing back into the chair.
I took it with a quiet thanks, plucking a grape off the top and popping it into my mouth.
“So what was the misunderstanding?” I asked, chewing slowly.
He huffed, eyes sliding shut for a second.
“Just rogues being idiots,” he muttered. “They crossed the border again. Had to remind them why that’s a bad idea.”
I snorted, shaking my head. “Bet they loved that.”
“Oh, they did,” he deadpanned, and I couldn’t help the small smirk that tugged at my mouth.
For a while, we just talked—about the rogues, about patrols, about everything and nothing all at once. And for a bit, it was enough to drown out the way my mind kept drifting back to the garden, to Lunawyn’s hand in mine, to the way her smile made something in my chest ache and settle all at once.
We turned back the way we came, the garden stretching out behind us, and I let out a slow breath, running a hand over my neck. I wasn’t ready to talk yet—not really—so I just shoved my hands back into my pockets and glanced at Lunawyn. She looked at me too, for just a second, and then looked away, her lips twitching like she was fighting a smile.
“Jeez, we’ve come a long way,” I muttered, mostly to fill the quiet, my eyes flicking to the path winding behind us.
“Yeah, I’m sure the talking didn’t let us notice,” she said, her tone dry but light, and I snorted, shaking my head. At least she was talking now. That was better than the silence.
“Okay, let’s start going,” I said, trying not to sound as awkward as I felt. She nodded, and we fell into step, the path narrowing a bit as we moved past the fountain.
The walk back was quiet, but not the heavy kind of quiet from before. It felt… easier, I guess. The sun was dipping lower, stretching shadows long over the garden paths, and the air was cooler, enough to make the warmth from before feel like a memory. I snuck a glance at her—couldn’t really help it—and the way the light caught in her hair made my breath hitch a bit. I looked away fast, staring at the ground like it was the most interesting thing I’d ever seen.
We reached the garden gate after a few minutes, the iron dark and a bit rusty at the edges, vines curling around it like they were trying to pull it back into the greenery. I stepped forward, pulling it open and stepping aside for her to pass through first. She murmured a soft thanks, her eyes flicking to mine for a heartbeat before she moved past me.
I followed her out, letting the gate swing shut behind us with a quiet click. The pack house wasn’t far, the path stretching out straight and familiar, and I breathed in slow, trying to settle the mess of nerves twisting in my stomach.
The guards at the door straightened when they saw us, hands going to their chests in a quick salute.
“How was your day, Alpha Luciano?” they said in unison, voices firm.
“It was fine,” I replied, keeping my tone steady even though my mind was still back in the garden, back at that damn fountain with her hand in mine. We passed them and stepped into the pack house, the air cooler inside, shadows pooling in the corners as the sun dipped lower.
Lunawyn’s room was down the hall, not too far from mine, and we walked in silence again, the soft thud of our footsteps the only sound. When we reached her door, she paused, her fingers curling a bit around the handle. Then she turned to look at me, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“See you later,” she said, voice soft.
Her expression—something about it—made my chest feel tight, made my throat close up for a second. I cleared it quickly, shoving a hand through my hair and nodding a bit too fast.
“Yeah, see you later,” I managed, trying not to sound like an idiot.
She waved a little, fingers curling in a way that was almost shy, and then slipped into her room, the door clicking shut behind her. I stared at it for a second longer than I should’ve, my pulse still too fast, and then turned away, dragging a hand down my face.
The hallway was empty, the shadows long and quiet, and I moved toward the stairs, each step feeling heavier than it should’ve. When I reached my room, I shoved the door open with a bit more force than necessary, stepping inside and kicking it shut behind me.
I looked at the bathroom door, thinking about taking a shower, but stopped short. Her scent was still clinging to my clothes—soft and warm, a bit like flowers and sunlight—and I couldn’t bring myself to wash it away yet. I blew out a breath, raking a hand through my hair, and flopped onto the bed instead, letting my eyes drift closed for a second.
My stomach growled, low and impatient, and I groaned, pressing a hand to it. I hadn’t eaten since morning—hadn’t really thought about it until now, too busy worrying about not making a complete fool of myself in front of her.
As if on cue, a knock sounded at the door, quick and light. I dragged myself up, running a hand over my face before pulling the door open. A maid stood there, tray in her hands, head dipping respectfully.
“Good day, Alpha Luciano. This is your dinner, sir,” she said, holding it out.
I glanced at the tray—soup, some bread, something that looked like roast meat—but my stomach twisted at the sight.
“I think I’ll take fruits instead,” I said, scratching the back of my neck.
She nodded quickly, not missing a beat. “Okay, sir. I’ll get it now,” she said and hurried off, footsteps light and quick down the hall.
I pushed the door shut, sighing as I dragged a hand through my hair and pulled off my shirt, tossing it toward the wardrobe without much thought. The bed creaked a bit as I sat back down, one hand braced on my knee, and my mind drifted back to the garden—to the way her hand felt under mine, warm and soft and a little unsure.
I blew out a breath, scrubbing a hand over my face.
“Get it together,” I muttered, shaking my head.
Another knock—quicker this time—and I frowned a bit, glancing at the door.
“Hm, that was fast,” I mumbled, pushing up to open it.
But it wasn’t the maid this time. Victor leaned in the doorway, arms crossed, one brow arched.
“You’re back,” I said, stepping aside to let him in.
“Yeah,” he grunted, pushing off the doorframe and dropping into the chair by the window, legs stretching out. “How’d it go?” I asked, leaning against the wall, arms crossing over my chest.
“Nothing much, just some misunderstanding,” he muttered, rubbing a hand over his face. “I’m exhausted.”
Another knock came, and Victor sighed, dragging himself up to open it. He came back with a bowl of fruit, handing it over without a word before collapsing back into the chair.
I took it with a quiet thanks, plucking a grape off the top and popping it into my mouth.
“So what was the misunderstanding?” I asked, chewing slowly.
He huffed, eyes sliding shut for a second.
“Just rogues being idiots,” he muttered. “They crossed the border again. Had to remind them why that’s a bad idea.”
I snorted, shaking my head. “Bet they loved that.”
“Oh, they did,” he deadpanned, and I couldn’t help the small smirk that tugged at my mouth.
For a while, we just talked—about the rogues, about patrols, about everything and nothing all at once. And for a bit, it was enough to drown out the way my mind kept drifting back to the garden, to Lunawyn’s hand in mine, to the way her smile made something in my chest ache and settle all at once.
End of Fated reborn Chapter 246. Continue reading Chapter 247 or return to Fated reborn book page.