My mother.

“What are we going to do?” Vlad sighed, eyeing the three men in front of him.

Technically, two of them were the same rank as he, so the man didn't worry too much about their possible answers. However, if anything concerned him, it was Luciano's reaction.

Since Vincent managed to become their King, he would have enough power over everyone to keep them away from Seth.

But would he do it? Would the King rob a woman of her rights just to satisfy his needs and whims? King or not, the man still had to understand that everything wouldn't happen how he wanted it because he was a little higher than others.

Seth would always hold the last word - she would be the one who chooses, not someone for her.

“We will wait and respect her decision, no matter to whom it plays in favor. Going after her, especially now, when she's so confused, would be the worst thing any of us could do. Let's be honest - we fucked up, all of us. Big time,” Ryder nearly jumped on the sofa, placing his hands behind his neck and sighing in defeat.

All of them were almost as confused as Seth, mostly because of her shift, but if anyone was in a difficult situation - it was her. The men were in the wrong; they hurt her, not the other way around.

“I have some shit to do, enjoy yourselves, gentlemen.” Luciano excused himself and left the room.

All of them stood there in silence for nearly an hour, watching each other, trying to grasp on whatever had happened before their eyes.

Leaving the men behind, the King thought of what his next move might be. Of course, he could be the crazy hothead and run after her, the same as he always did, but there was one thought that wouldn't leave his mind.

Ryder was right - they wronged her in the most unimaginable ways; it was time for them to take a break and wait. Besides, he would have to step on the throne within a couple of hours - the Council announced the news shortly before Seth's arrival.

His life started changing, hopefully for the better.

As the large man walked through the halls, aimlessly killing some time, rethinking his actions, and trying to find answers to questions he didn't know how to ask - Luciano noticed a painting.

Walking closer, his eyes took in the details of a feminine face.

The woman smiled, she had a beautiful bouquet of white roses in her hand and some of the same flowers braided in her hair. For some reason, the painted eyes held so much depth and emotions it kept drawing the King closer. He knew the woman.

“Hey, do you have a minute?” A voice from the right startled Luciano.

Turning to the source of the sound, his eyes met Dominic's, curiously looking at him. The view had to be ridiculous - the great King, staring at the painting as if someone held him under hypnosis.

“Sure,” Luciano nodded his head and leaned against the wall, doing his best to miss the painting. He didn't want to ruin the artwork by putting weight or pressure on it. Especially this artwork.

“It's about Seth,” Dominic had to fight himself to appear calm and collected.

It had been a while since the last time he faced Luciano, especially this close. Their past connected them; there was no way of denying it or trying to escape the things that couldn't be changed or erased from their minds.

However, all those years, both Alpha men managed to keep their distance from each other, trying to get rid of the painful memories. Sometimes breakups hurt, but nothing hurt nearly as much as losing a best friend - one who had been there since the very beginning.

“Figured.” Luciano shrugged his shoulders, looking as bored as never.

That was part of his charm - he was strong and built like a damn bear, making women fall on their knees in front of him. Adding that little spice - the mysterious personality and looks that screamed nothing but ‘bored’ was like a cherry on top of the cake.

Women seemed to run after men who didn't show any interest to them, especially those feared by most men surrounding them.

Dominic still couldn't figure Luciano out - not that he ever could do that as a child, but he wouldn't give up. Looking for him was one of the biggest risks he could take, yet it felt like a risk worth taking.

“What do you think - will she ever choose? And if she will, which one would win her heart? I know it is a stupid question, but you seem to have had the most time one on one with her. I can't ask her best friend; that cat will bite my head off like a Mantis female during mating heat, so you are my last chance, I guess. I will understand if you will tell me kindly, or not so, to go and fuck myself, but I really don't have anyone else I could ask this to.”

Waiting for Luciano to speak up felt like real torture. Dominic could hear each sharp intake of breath and seemingly heavy sighs every time the King exhaled.

His chest moved up and down at a plodding pace, turning seconds into minutes, perhaps even hours. Of course, the whole scene was a built up scenario by Dominic's raging nerves and thoughts driven by fear.

Who would have thought that the men would ever meet again, let alone in such positions - one of them finally becoming the Alpha he was supposed to be, and the other taking over the throne.

Who would have thought that a woman might show both ex-friends their way to each other once again, reuniting them under ridiculous circumstances?

“Alright, first of all, Mantis females don't have heat like wolves, okay? The insects do have a mating season, but nothing as brutal or even heat-related. I am sure you could ask the puma; he is a fucking sweetheart, trust me. Besides, if you want to win her heart - you are going to need to put in some extra work for that best friend of hers. I have heard he is homosexual; maybe try and sacrifice some of your little friends to him, huh?” Luciano laughed out loud.

He had no intention to offend Seth's best friend; he never found it disturbing to see a man loving a man. His words were loud enough for Dominic to hear, yet barely audible, if not at all for others.

Everyone surrounding him already thought of Alpha Vincent as the world's biggest piece of shit - one or two more joining the club wouldn't make a big of a difference. His main goal was to get Dominic away from the hall before the Alpha noticed more than he was supposed to see.

Not that Luciano felt like talking to someone either - he had many things to prepare before the official coronation and even more to discuss with the Council. Then, there still was the Seth problem - he would deal with that as soon as he would be finished with the primary responsibilities.

As the future King, Luciano couldn't leave or act like an idiot whenever he wanted to - a great responsibility would lay on his shoulders.

He nearly lost himself in thoughts when Dominic's voice echoed against the hall walls, reminding Luciano that he had to stay alert at all times.

“Yeah, that won't happen. Are you planning to become close with her best friend? Perhaps a little too close? Intimate even? Come on, tell me, it's not like I have anyone to speak about your secrets.” The mockery in the Alpha's voice reached unbelievable heights.

Dominic had always been the type of man whose head was a little bit too high in the clouds - more or less. He had no filter most of the time, often getting himself in some disturbing shit or deep trouble.

Then again, his father had always been around to drag his son out of the trouble and pay off everyone who had the slightest knowledge about the male's actions. It was easy for them - a world built on money, with no morals or real consequences for their actions.

Perhaps that was the thing Luciano hated the most - how easy life went for his ex-friend. They haven't met for ages, but if Dominic turned out to be anything like his father, the King would rather keep on distancing himself from the narcissistic asshole 2.0.

“I might plan to be a friend of her friend if she ends up in my bed. You see, unlike certain people, I don't need to jump from bed to bed just to get something I want or need. I have always had to fight for things I love, desire, wish to achieve, or dream of. I had to work my ass off to get where I am today. And you know what? I'm fine with the fucking life - finally, I am fine as fuck. Hard work runs in the family, same as some, well, shit. You should know,” Luciano's face twisted in disgust, recalling the events that had happened more than two decades ago.

He promised to forgive, but he never gave a promise to forget. Like many other shifters, the King would force himself to think of certain parts of his past to keep the memories somewhat fresh and vivid.

Dominic didn't have to understand what Luciano felt, it wasn't something he could wish upon his greatest enemy, but the Alpha had to accept the simple fact - they were not friends. And would never be ever again.

“And now you're just a sarcastic asshole. Why we have to act like a fucking strangers, Luci?” Dominic whined in frustration.

Deep down, the hope never died - one day, they would face each other, talk everything out, and things would go back to normal. Luciano probably thought that Dominic betrayed him the summer he didn't come back again, but it wasn't his fault.

Back then, he was still a child - a child who needed parental approval to go anywhere or visit a friend. That same approval was denied each day when Dominic kept begging his parents over and over again. Even on the last day of the summer, the young Alpha wouldn't give up, trying to talk his parents into giving him just one day.

Then, the begging went down to one hour and even as little as five minutes. Dominic wanted to say his goodbyes before Luciano would break off their friendship as if it had never been there.

Not so surprisingly, Luciano cut off his friend after waiting one summer - Dominic was the first to break a promise, so the other boy didn't see any choice but to end the useless self-sabotage attempts.

Even thinking of an answer to the question seemed useless. Now, technically, when both were grown men, talking out their issues would be the right thing to do. But would Luciano make it so easy for Dominic?

First, he lost someone more important than anyone could ever be. Then, Luciano lost his best friend. Dominic wasn't as responsible for the matter as the rest of his family was - but he still had the same blood running through his veins.

Some things come genetically; nobody would know if the Alpha didn't take over the habits of his awful parents. Luciano closed his eyes, let out a deep breath, and shook his head, refusing to explain himself or answer the question.

“Why? We used to be friends. Shit happens, and it did back then, but that is precisely what life is about - the bullshit and obstacles we have to deal with. Why can't we pretend to be friends until this is over?” Dominic raised his voice in frustration, taking a few steps closer to the angered King.

Two hot-headed Alphas in the same room sounded like trouble, one of them getting crowned as the King sounded like a catastrophe. This was the exact reason why most of the time, the Council separated dominant Alphas from each other, mixing in less demanding individuals to avoid the battle for superiority.

“Because we can't,” Luciano growled out through gritted teeth, backlashes attacking his mind like a nuclear war.

There wasn't even one calm or pleasant thing he could think of - his mind was overtaken by the need for destruction and blood. The little voice urged Luciano to burn the whole place down, acting like the arson-addicted weirdo that his beast was deep down.

Whenever the anger took over Luciano's senses, the wolf in him urged the human side to enjoy a little more of their wild side - killing, hunting, and hurting others around them.

Even when Luciano tried to resist the urge, at times, it was too difficult or even impossible. He walked around with a lot of blood on his hands, but Luciano always chose his victims wisely for the worst or best part.

Society told him that there was no justifiable reason to kill, but the man found many - child abuse, rape, domestic abuse, and many others. In general, his need for victims was the only reason why Luciano joined the police forces to help around.

He would have easy access to records of the criminals - their whereabouts and details about the crime. Sadly, he wasn't home, nor were there any actual criminals around him now. Luciano had to get rid of the anger before he did something that the King could regret.

Dominic watched how Luciano's jaw clenched; he pulled his hands into tight fists, trying his best to calm down. He had to think fast - there had to be a way he could distract Luciano from blowing up and killing half of the people surrounding him.

Years or not, Dominic knew how violent and short-tempered the new King was.

Then, Dominic's eyes traveled to the painting Luciano kept staring at minutes ago. Dominic's lips parted, a loud gasp escaping his mouth: “Is that? No. It couldn't be. Wait, is that?”

“My mother.”