Author's note: This is from Duke's point of view

- - -

I did my best to adjust my mood and talk calmly to Sergio. "Aldus said that in case my werewolf awakens, I might find myself in a situation where I need to instantly go through what a normal werewolf takes years because we should assume that my wolf will be at his full strength. Of course, he might be a pup or a cripple, but Aldus advised me to prepare myself for the possibility that he will be in his strongest, and anything else will be easier to manage. So… what should I prepare for?"

Sergio's eyes darted aimlessly while thinking how to respond. He opened his mouth, and then he closed it, without a word spoken.

To be honest, I was not sure why Aldus told me to talk to Sergio about werewolves. Considering what Serina said about Aldus, he is extremely knowledgeable and his refusal to talk while feigning ignorance, made me believe that there is something Aldus was not willing to say. And now it seemed that Sergio has difficulty talking about this also. What exactly is going on?

Eventually, Sergio spoke, "Uhm… I don't know what to say that you already don't know."

It didn't sound right. "Can you elaborate on that?"

"I don't remember, OK? It's four hundred years how I went through that, and it's vague. I can tell you some general things that you probably know, but if you want real advice on how adapting to your wolf goes, you should look for someone who went through it recently, like Ash. However, I will advise you to keep quiet about your identity. The boy saw you fight at Luca's birthday party, and they already have several theories, some of them quite close to being accurate."

I didn't think that's a problem. "I won't tell him who I am. As Serina's boyfriend, I found out about werewolves, and I want to hear Ash's perspective on what it means to be a werewolf. That should work, right?"

Sergio nodded in agreement. "That might work. I want to be present for that talk."

I would like it more if Sergio asked for permission instead of announcing it like he is the boss of everything.

I know that he is four-hundred years old and that for him I'm just a kid, but by any standards, I am a grownup, and I would like to be regarded as one.

Sergio calls me 'young Master', but he definitely doesn't treat me like that.

I wondered if he showed such attitude to my father as well. Probably not.

Well, it was not my job to teach him manners.

My future is with Serina, and I will see to gradually distance myself from Sergio so he can give that attitude to someone else.

"Let's have dinner at my place…", I suggested, and Sergio agreed.

I didn't feel like cooking, so I decided to order food. I knew that Sergio would complain about it, but I didn't care.

- - -

Author's note: This is from Sergio's point of view

- - -

The young master called me into his office, and he wanted to know more about my relationship with my wolf.

We already spoke about this, and he even saw me shapeshift into my wolf form. What else does he want? The only thing I didn't talk about is the wretched mate bond and I had no intention of talking about it, so I told him to find someone else. Ash, maybe.

Ever since that night in Paris that was my best and my worst, my life changed to the point of me not recognizing myself.

I tried to ignore the existence of the woman named Calista, but the scent of moonflower lingered in my system, not allowing me to forget about that fateful night which tortures me in my dreams and when I'm awake.

I knew that finding a mate is equal to a disaster, but I was not aware that it will turn me into a living corpse.

She left like I was only one night of fun, and I hate to admit that one night was not enough.

I tried to reach out to her, but unfortunately, the Moon Goddess cursed me by creating a bond between me and a woman who is Aldus's sister.

The security around Calista is impeccable and because Serina refused to give me her phone number (and I didn't want to say why I need it), I resorted to hacking. I don't know if my calls and messages ever reached Calista, but I knew that if I try to force my way toward her, I will probably be dead before I can get close enough for her to hear my voice.

Yes, humans can interact with her, but her security keeps all creatures at bay, unless she allows it, and as anyone can guess… I'm not allowed.

Sure, she doesn't know that she is my mate and that being apart is physically painful for me, but I hoped that she will remember I exist.

Dejected by my inability to get close to her, I decided to stay away.

'How can you stay away?', my wolf asked in disbelief.

'What else are you suggesting?', I responded, irritated that my wolf is encouraging me to get to her, yet he doesn't have a single good idea on how I can accomplish that. 'Calista doesn't want to see me, and she resumed her life like we never met.'

'Well… she said in front of that nightclub', my wolf cleared his throat and spoke in a girly voice, obviously imitating Calista, 'After tonight, if we see each other, pretend you have no idea who I am.'

'I didn't think she meant it literally. I hoped that after what we did in my hotel room, she will change her mind… and I didn't know it will be this hard…', I admitted.

The mate bond made every other girl appear ugly, and everything reminded me of Calista.

The pain due to separation was bearable as long as I kept busy, so I focused on work and spending time with Ash, hoping that his enthusiasm will rub off on me.

Sometimes, at night, I would wake up with an unbearable ache in my chest that made me puke my guts out more than once, and I wondered if that's the rumored side-effect when a mate is cheating.

Well, Calista doesn't know we are mates, and she considers our passionate night as a one-time thing, so whatever she is doing is not considered cheating. I only wish that the stupid mate bond knows that.

'We can't continue like this…', my wolf said.

Yeah, like I didn't know that. 'What do you suggest?'

'Find her. Talk to her.'

'And then what? Assuming that I can get close enough to hold a conversation, should I tell her that she is my mate, and she has a good laugh before calling her bodyguards to kick me out? Or should I reject her and hope that we survive the recoil of the bond snapping?'

My wolf didn't respond.

I was never a believer in the mate bond, and I looked down on it. But I kept to myself, focused on my garden and work as a shaman.

Why did the Moon Goddess punish me like this?

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