Chapter 14|A Part of The Past.

**THIRTY YEARS AGO.

Enzo De Luca stared longingly at his very much pregnant wife, Penelope or Penny as he referred to her affectionately circle her hands around the round breadth of her stomach. At seven months pregnant she looked ready to pop the child out, Penny glanced at her husband once before turning her head away. Enzo walked towards her and placed a chaste kiss to the top of her head before circling his arms around her round belly.

"I'm sorry." He apologized tilting her head up to meet his.

Penny averted her gaze from his. Enzo took her face in both his hands forcing her to meet his gaze before placing his lips on hers. She melted in his arms clawing at his shirt giving pleasure just as she was receiving. In no time she's forgotten the reason behind her anger and was succumbing to her husband's passion.

"I apologize for frightening you and it won't happen again at all, I promise you this." He whispered hotly by her ear.

"Your apology is accepted." She whispered back.

One month later at eight months, Penelope's labor began. It was heartbreaking to watch as she suffered from the pains of childbirth. Being human and birthing the child of a werewolf gave high possobilities that she was giving birth to a werewolf too especially given her husband's lineage and strength. At most times, werewolves were delivered at the sixth month but when she passed the sixth without a sign of labor the pack began making assumptions about the birth of a human until Old Beatrice told them Enzo too was delivered at eight months. True to her words Penelope delivered her son at her eight month.

Enzo who was clenching his fists hard worriedly stared at his wife fighting for her life and that of their child. He could've taken the pain away from her if he could. He did all he could to ease her pain until Old Beatrice told him to quit his insistent "chatter" when in actuality he was merely muttering words of encouragement and apologies to his sweating wife.

Penelope's face turned to him just as she released the breath that went with her child slipping out from her womb, she mouthed words only he heard before slipping out of consciousness.

The words were "Take care of my Alexander, take care of my son. Take care of your heir for us Enzo."

As her eyes fluttered close Enzo shook her frantically, desperation laced his tone and actions until the Alpha was forcefully taken out of the room by the command of his Father, Stephano De Luca who was watching from the sides as his son fought off the guards who came to do as they were bade to. Enzo warned them off and crouched over his wife whose limp hands lay lifeless over the bed. He placed his forehead atop her warm palm with tears in his eyes pleading at her to awake, promising her that they could raise their child together, assuring her that she was stronger than she gave herself credit for. When he realized the depth and truth of the situation his pleadings took a different turn.

He started from ordering her to get back to him, he shook her to respond to him. Old Beatrice spoke in the background but all his ears could hear were her final words, he gave no heed to the child, didn't bother to acknowledge its presence as desperation pushed him to take his wife into his arms. Her deadweight scared him, it drove him mad with rage and so Enzo raged at everyone that came near him until Old Beatrice confirmed that the Luna was dead.

Enzo refused to let her go. He went raving mad, snarling at whoever came close, fighting everyone off until his Father gave a sign to the guards to knock him off.

Half an hour later when he slid back to consciousness the first thing he did was to ask for her before looking around him and attempting to move to a sitting position. The pull of chains at his wrists stopped him in place, the events that transpired and led him to where he was replayed in his senses.

Continuously chanting her name he shut his eyes close when the sound of her voice in his head became too loud for him to bear. He savored the sound, he savored everything about it with his eyes shut closed. Once opened, his orbs had turned a feral shade of red and claws were beginning to replace his fingers before his wolf broke free of the chains holding him back. It howled loudly, pranced around the dark room before locating the door and throwing itself unto the doors breaking it off its hinges in one hit.

The Black Wolf fought everyone that went his way, snarling at passersby as it followed its mate's trail by her scent, the scent that was slowly smelling of something else other than life, of death.

Realization dawned completely on the wolf making it stop in its tracks, in its sight was its wife and Luna on the bed lying lifelessly and covered with a thin white sheet. The wolf nudged the sheet off her face as its tongue swept out to lick her face. It whimpered in pain, howled in agony. Pain was laced in its every sound and action as it accepted the loss of its mate and lover.

Enzo took off into a run until he was at the top of the highest hill in the middle of the woods, he released the loudest howl that alerted all the other wolves that a problem had arose.

After Penelope's burial Enzo broke down refusing to speak to or acknowlege anyone. For ten days he refused to interact with others, not his father, not Old Beatrice who was like a mother to him and not once did he look at his child nor ask about him. He mourned Penelope's death alone by her stone, he spent his nights there as a wolf and his days in human form. On the tenth day he dreamt of her reprimanding him for not heeding to her wish to care for their son. That day for the first time he left her side and sought after his child, the son that looked too much like his mother.

Enzo felt tears brimming at his eyes, he felt weak as a leader as he wept with his son in his arms. Deep down he didn't want to love the child that caused the death of his soulmate but he knew his will was no match for the pull he felt in his heart, it tugged hard at the strings of his heart when the child's right hand circled itself around his thumb.

He returned to her tombstone with Alexander and Old Beatrice in tow. That day he promised to fulfill her wish, that day he pleaded at her to await his arrival to the afterworld and that day he taught his heart to love his child just like he did its mother.

Stephano De Luca was present as his son went through the grief of losing a mate. He was proud of how Enzo took the loss, with the strongwill only the strongest men had, he was proud of how he didn't let grief stand in the way of his position as Alpha of his pack. He supported him in every way that mattered alongside Old Beatrice.

One year after Alexander's birth, Stephano realized the celibate life Enzo had built for himself, it hardened him, turned him into a man who made hard decisions based on logic without a care for people's feelings or thoughts. Although it made him stronger, build firmer connections with strong packs and organize his empire without a room for mistakes to be condoned it nonetheless begot him enemies and so he made a few foes because of his steadfastness and success in the werewolf world.

He instilled in his son the need to be the best from the time Alexander turned 1, at 2 years of age Alexander was already wiser than toddlers his age. At four years, Alexander was able to fight for himself despite him being a small child. It was then that Stephano approached Enzo with the topic of marriage to make an alliance with a strong pack of the Italian lineage. They needed the connection of the pack to be able to conquer their enemies before the enemies made the move of making alliance with the pack first.

After a firm refusal from Enzo, Stephano decided to pull the superiority card and commanded Enzo to agree to the arrangement, for him to get married to the Orchid Pack Alpha's daughter, Lucia Alvarez. It was no hidden fact that Enzo wasn't at all interested in the woman who was claimed to be a beauty, rather he was completely nonchalant to her presence even after marriage. On the day he relented from his hard resolve to not be with any other woman intimately apart from his Penelope he consummated his marriage with Lucia and she conceived on that very night. He relented because when he visited Penny's stone at dawn that very day the wind howled bitterly and cold bit at his skin, he had a daydream there and in it she was angry at him for disobeying his father. She commanded him to treat Lucia as a wife and not a stranger. Enzo was too weak not to heed to any of his Penny's wishes and so he did as she wished.