Talia, the truth.

**PAST**

"So, mind if I ask what a girl like you does in a place like this? A place like this, meaning the middle of the forest, God knows how far from your home. I know that you'll have many excuses, but I'd prefer to hear the truth. You know, simply because I'm saving your life here." Luciano chuckled, offering his hand to her.

Looking down at her, he couldn't get over the feeling that he had met those eyes before.

Deep, vibrant blue, looking back at him - eyes full of hope, yet for some reason, he caught so much sadness behind the wall she was trying to build.

Her eyes focused on his face as if looking for something, hypnotized by the little details she noticed. The corner of her lips twitched as if she tried her best to fight the smile that might bloom and brighten her face within a second.

Luciano couldn't understand what was going on in her mind - she was alone, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by werewolves and trusting one at that.

He had no intention to hurt her, but others might think and act differently. Perhaps it was his own paranoid nature, but he wasn't entirely happy after running into a human at this time.

It was the middle of the moon rituals - wolves rarely held those, sometime in the next ten years, there might be none to participate since the King was so highly against them.

Instead of going out at night, they went hunting around the early afternoon. Instead of tracing down their prey - they hunted down each other until one fell, like a game, except the rules weren't as playful and innocent.

The one that fell had to die by the claws of his captor.

This year, Luciano had won, and the annoying bratty Beta's youngest was the one to fall. He wasn't as young in general - two years older than Luciano, but that didn't change the fact that he was Coleman's youngest pup.

Thinking of the consequences Luciano would have to deal with later made him frustrated. He didn't want to go back, not just yet; perhaps after the body would be burned, he might return.

His problems, though, didn't change the fact that he found the human.

Talia better be happy that Luciano was the one to find her - others wouldn't be kind enough to offer help, quite the opposite.

Only the Moon Goddess herself knew what could happen to that poor girl.

"I do mind, but I guess I should explain myself since you're the one who's about to save me, right?" Talia placed her hand in his, reaching for support as the playful laugh left her barely parted lips.

Her eyes held another, new emotion - one Luciano had never seen before. He knew how happiness felt, he had seen it from afar and felt it once himself, but today was the first time when he saw the raw emotion in someone's eyes. His heart skipped a beat.

When their skin touched, and the melodic sound of her laughter reached Luciano, he froze.

A wave of pleasant shivers ran down his spine as he inhaled the scent she carried. No wonder he found her, no wonder something pulled him deeper into the woods - as if his sixth sense led him towards the woman who might be more than someone who desperately needed his help.

The mate bond didn't exist anymore, but some were lucky enough to find their soulmates in humans. At times, that seemed like the most ridiculous thing one could dream of, but here he was - oddly fascinated by her, his body reacting to the mere touch of their skin.

"I was taking a walk, but that wasn't the reason why I left my home. I got into a huge argument with my family and kind of thought of running away. When I was about a mile away from my home, I remembered that I didn't bring anything since I left in a hurry. I completely forgot about food, blankets, or water - you know, the essential things that could help me survive until I reached another town, which is pretty far from here.” Talia mumbled.

“So it was going back and getting grounded or taking a long walk to make them get a taste of their own medicine. From there, I decided to wander around a little and maybe got a bit distracted and ended up here - lost. Please, don't think that I'm some kind of a weirdo, because I'm not. I promise. The butterflies here are way too pretty to let them escape before I get to see all of those beautiful patterns. Then, I noticed a squirrel, and I've never seen one before and I ran after the little creature. It was so cute; the big, fluffy tail is magnificent." Talia blushed, averting her gaze.

The way she acted was rather childish and weird, as if she was a pup that had been held locked into four walls for the entire life. The only difference being that Talia wasn't a pup; she was a human - parents didn't tend to treat their kids as viciously as many wolves did treat their cubs.


"A taste of their own medicine? Can you explain?" Luciano cleared his throat, jumping right to the most essential part.

He didn't bother to question her about her odd obsession with the forest animals. He knew her name and the fact about the argument, but it wasn't his place to question her about the side topics. She would tell him, explain everything, if she wanted to.

"Well, yeah, I guess I could. You see, my mom got awfully frustrated and yelled that she would rather not have a daughter at all than have someone like me. So, that's the main reason." Again, the wolf had to face another emotion he hadn't known before - the pain and sorrow in her voice nearly broke Luciano.

He had no idea how to comfort her or what words to use - all to make her feel better. Was there anything he could say to make her feel better? Was this one of those times when a person had to go through something on their own, without involving people from the side?

Perhaps this was the next step in her life - Talia would learn the difference between love and toxicity. If Luciano was lucky enough, she would follow him back home.

The wolf made it his primary goal - walking her back home first, then getting to know her a little more.

"Why would a mother say such a thing to her child? That does sound way too over the line. Harsh, cruel even." Showing a little bit of sympathy and support would definitely win Talia over.

She would understand how much better her life could be next to a feared monster than people she called her family.

"My parents want me to marry. They found the perfect candidate, but I really don't like the guy. He's the son of our town's mayor, absolute snob - you know, the type of person who feels entitled to have anything and anyone for as long as it's interesting. We share nothing in common; I don't want to be tied down to someone like him. Maybe I was too harsh. I know that they want the best of me; it's just that I can't imagine myself actually getting married to him. Great, now, I'm sharing my family drama with a complete stranger. Sorry, I didn't mean to whine like that; it happened on an instinct." Talia let go of his hand and sat down.

She already felt bad for the argument back home, but throwing her problems on the man who saved her was way too much.

Her cheeks burned deep red, eyes watered. Maybe it was better if he left her alone, rot - for all she cared. Talia didn't want to go home now; anywhere would be better than that house.

Her mother would ground her for the whole eternity, and her father would act as if she didn't exist again. Being locked away, ignored, and treated as nobody felt way worse than sleeping in the forest. If an animal was to eat her - then so it be.

"Marry off, huh?" A deep, threatening growl formed in Luciano's chest.

That was all proof he needed to understand that a piece of his soul might be stuck with the human girl. His wolf grew restless, refusing to acknowledge a word she had said - it didn't matter bad or good. The beast was more than ready to go off to war, just to keep the fragile human safe.

No matter how many bad things Luciano had done, no matter how many more he might do - he would never sell off someone he loved. Even his annoying step-sister.

"Yeah, don't mind that - it's just a drama. Anyways... What are you doing here? Covered in, well, you know.." Talia quickly changed the topic, focusing her attention on him.

She pointed at his blood-covered clothing, fighting the need to vomit. Last time she saw blood was the first and only time Talia had fainted. She and blood didn't go together at all.

"Oh, that's an interesting type of ritual thing me and my friends do; don't stress about that." Luciano approached her, assuring her that the blood was nothing to worry about.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and held her, helping her get back on her feet. Unlike other men Talia had met - this man helped her clean her clothes before taking her hand and leading her away from the trees.

"You guys aren't Satanists, are you?" As the question escaped her lips, Luciano started laughing like a maniac.

Talia didn't get her answer, but at least - she got the feeling that her assumption was wrong. At least he wasn't trying to sacrifice anyone, besides - who knew what the wolves did out in the wild, besides wolves themselves.

During the rest of their walk, Talia and Luciano had a small talk about things they enjoyed. It turned out that they had a lot in common; even their taste in music was similar.

Although Luciano was one of those wild creatures in books - Talia found herself fascinated by his nature. No human man ever paid so much attention to details or seemed interested in anything she had to say.

His laugh was genuine; the jokes she kept repeating over and over again didn't leave him silent.

The wolf made her feel free, like never before. As odd as it could be, Talia felt sad. She didn't want to leave his side, yet she knew that she couldn't stay around him. Luciano led a dangerous life. Besides - why would he be interested in a human?

"We're almost there. You're sure that you want to walk me home? I'm okay if you stop by the forest line, you know if you don't want to enter the human town and all that." Talia was the first one to speak up about the issue.

Her heart pounded against her ribcage. She hoped Luciano would stay with her till the end of their little journey.

"I'm good. I mind-linked some of the men I was with earlier and asked if they needed anything from the town. Well, they do, but it's quite a lot, so they're coming here, and I won't have a lonely walk back home. It won't be as good as to walk here, but it'll be better than nothing, right?" Luciano chuckled, tugging on her hand, encouraging her to follow him.

Talia kept pointing at the directions, freely leading him towards her house. The thought of him being dangerous didn't cross her mind even once.

Luciano gave off the feeling of safety; he wouldn't hurt her. If he ever wanted to, he had the perfect chance back in the forest. If he was after hunting down a human - he could do that without her help.

Nobody held wolves back from entering towns or territories; they were as free as someone could be - coming and leaving whenever they wanted to.

"This is me," Talia smiled, sneaking her hand out of his.

Her eyes fell on the building in front of her. The more she observed the house she grew up in, the more she wanted to stay away. She wanted to leave with Luciano; suddenly, nothing made sense if he didn't seem to be around.

"If you're not in a hurry, we could meet in about an hour. Town center? But only if you want to, I won't force anything onto you," Talia added, holding her fingers crossed behind her back.

It was a thing she had done since she was a child.

"Sure, I'd love to meet you there. Take your time; I'll stick around for a little more," Luciano threw an arm around her shoulders and pulled Talia closer.

He hugged her as if this would be the last chance he would ever have, let her go, and turned around to leave. He didn't look back; it wasn't in his nature.

Hearing how the house door closed, Luciano fastened his pace. Some men might reach the town center within a couple of minutes, and he promised to be there. Plus, Talia would meet him there after a while, so it was a win-win situation.

Meeting the other wolves, Luciano couldn't hide his excitement. Perhaps that was the biggest mistake he would ever make. Others weren't as happy as he was - mating a human was considered a crime since everyone hated half breeds.

If he was that excited about the woman, he must have thought of claiming her. Little did Luciano know that not everyone shared the happiness and bliss he felt.

As promised, within an hour, Talia arrived. But she wasn't alone.

Surrounded from all sides, she headed towards Luciano, people walking near held guns. She avoided meeting his gaze, hiccuping with each step she took. Did she cry? Who the hell hurt her?

The growl left his lips without him noticing it, shaking the windows of the surrounding buildings. The crowd of humans raised their weapons, holding the wolves at gunpoint.

"Are you the one running around my little girl?" A man in his early forties spoke up first. Luciano could only assume that the man was Talia's father.

"Trust me, you don't want to start a war with wolves. Even one wolf is more than a whole army of you, humans. And yes, I'm the one running around her, apparently. If that's what we call saving her life now. Besides, sir, I have many reasons to think that your daughter could be my mate. Well, at least part of the lost soul." Luciano didn't intend to sound threatening; there was no need for starting problems among humans.

The crowd gasped, many dropped their weapons, yet most still held theirs aimed at the wolves. Luciano barely noticed how Talia's father nodded his head. He had to learn what a true betrayal was in the worst way possible.

On the human's command - the wolves grabbed Luciano, holding him down. His own kind restrained him, turning him towards Talia.

"No!" Luciano snarled before Talia's father pointed the gun to her temple and pulled the trigger.

His eyes followed everything that was happening, a slow-motion tragedy he would have nightmares about years ahead. Her body collided with the pavement, blood oozing from the gun wound.

"If my child was supposed to live with a monster, I would rather have no child at all. Take your beast away and never come near this place ever again. We will be ready."