"When love is real it finds a way." - Avatar Roku

My feet dragged on the floor as I approached the door. My spirits were low and my curiosity unfulfilled. I kept my head down as I walked to ensure no one would see my face. The smell of vanilla indicated I was here.

I sigh as my forehead falls against the door. Vincenzo had refused to take me to the west wing. He believed it was too dangerous and something he could not keep from his cousin, Zane. I would have snuck in there myself but I don't know how to get in. The place is shut like a vault at some important bank.

With a huff, I grasp the copper doorknob and twist it to the right. The giant wooden doors open and I'm met with two smiling faces.

"Surprise!"

My hands fly to my mouth as I look at both of them in awe.

"Callie! Lilia!" I yell before I attack them with a hug. I hold them both tightly and breathe in their scents. Tears spring in my eyes as the homesickness kicks in. Their smells remind me of my parents, my house, the lake, and most importantly pine.

To most people, pine probably smells the same everywhere in the world, but I swear there is something different about the pine from home. Unfortunately, the smell I associate with home is also the smell of him.

Zane always smelled like pine too. I always thought it was his biggest advantage when we were little. The boy smelled exactly like the environment that surrounded him making him impossible to track down. When I became his mate I realized that's not the case. Zane's smell was slightly different. It was fresher than the pine of Lake Tahoe.

"I missed you guys so much," I tell them.

"We missed you more Alessia," Callie says.

"No more sad talk! Tell us all of the details about your life in Italy," Lilia says with a hand under her chin and her eyes wide with curiosity.

"It's basically the same since the last time you visited. Tell me all about home! I've been missing it," I tell them. They both exchange a look and glance back at me.

"He's amazing Alessandra," Callie says with admiration shining in her eyes. They don't have to say his name, I know who they are talking about. Callie and Lilia give me brief updates about Zane ever since I told them we were mates.

That's right he's not the only one with informants.

"He's going to be a great alpha we can all feel it. Whenever he walks into a room our backs naturally straighten and our wolves bow their heads. It's something you've got to see. It's incredible!" Lilia continues.

Hearing this only confirms what I had already known. The marking ceremony is going to be unbearable for me.

Zane was a force when he wasn't intensely training to be alpha. I can't imagine what he must be like now. He used to command a room with his presence. Everyone would look to him for instruction, even humans. His dark eyes could control people and he wouldn't even have to utter a word.

He must be so different now.

"I know this is probably not what you wanted to hear but he also has many....lady friends."

"What about my sister? She's okay with that?"

"Not really but she can't do much about it," Lilia answered with a shrug. I wasn't upset about the news because I had already heard it through the grapevine. The only thing that puzzled me was my sister's reaction. Isabel was an all-in type of girl. If she had a problem with something, everyone would know. I guess I just couldn't imagine her being nonchalant about it.

Plus it's not like I had the right to be mad. Zane and I were only mates in name, nothing else. I haven't exactly been a saint either.

"Now, tell us everything that's been happening with you!" Callie shouted.

She was acting like I didn't FaceTime her and Lilia all the time. I filled them in about everything: my flings, my races, Vincenzo, and Salvaza.

"Does Salvaza look like Donata?" Callie asked.

"Yeah, it's pretty weird actually. The only difference is their eye color."

They both nodded and looked around my room. I try to see it through their eyes, the glass doors that led to a balcony, the connecting bathroom that was almost the size of my bedroom back home, and the chandelier hanging above my bed where we were laying.

"Wow, you really get the royal treatment around here," Lilia comments. I guess it was a bit extravagant but this place was so beautiful that I didn't even mind. It was as if I could feel the history in the walls. Most of the castle has been brought up to date but its origins remain. The thought brings me happiness. This place has been around for centuries and so many different people have been in it and the universe decided that I was going to be one of them too.

"It's probably because of Ricardo not to mention all the races I have won here," I tell them. They both share a look that is followed by a smirk.

"Really? Nothing to do with a certain future alpha?" Lilia asks with a smug smile. I only roll my eyes at their comment. That ship sailed a long time ago. Actually it never even sailed. It was anchored to a dock for eternity.

"He is marking my sister in two days and you are bringing that up?"

"I believe in love Alessandra, especially the mate bond. Selene wouldn't have bound your souls for eternity if you two weren't meant to be," Lilia says with a hopeful look in her eye. That's just who Lilia was. She was romantic and I hope that one day she will find her mate. Not the type of mate I got. I'm talking about the one that would love her at first sight because they were simply meant to be.

"Forget it! There is something that needs our attention immediately," I tell them. They both give me questioning looks but gesture for me to continue.

"I need to break into the west wing and I need your help."

I take a deep breath in to calm me down. I am currently pressed up against a wall as Lilia distracts the guard on duty. I could have taken him down myself but I just want some information, I'm not here to cause trouble.

Lilia frails her arms around as tears stream down her cheeks. Her usual fair complexion is flushed as she sobs at the guard. He looks perplexed, not knowing what to do with a crying woman. Lilia's rakes her hands through her blonde hair as she continues to convince the guard.

"Please, sir! You have to help me! She's going crazy!" Lilia yells.

"Signora, I am sorry but.."

"Please! She's tearing our room apart!"

"AHH!" Callie screamed from their room.

The guard furrowed his brows and went deep into thought. After a while, he nodded and gestured for Lilia to lead him to the crazy woman.

Perfect.

I rush over to the door where the guard was standing mere moments ago. Using a bobby pin, I start to fiddle around with the lock. The thing was ancient so I wasn't worried about opening it. I move the pin around in an up and down motion. I hear a click in the keyhole and a smile spreads across my face. That was actually a lot easier than I had anticipated.

They must have really relied on the guard to keep people out.

I twist the knob and push the giant doors open. I close them softly behind me once I am inside.

"Wow," I whisper to myself.

The place was beautiful. In front of me was a large hallway. There was a thick cloud of dust engulfing the entire wing, but even that did not distract from the beauty of the west wing. I take a step forward and head towards what seems to be a ballroom. It's small, probably designed only for people who were close to the Alpha or considered elite. The trim of the walls was gold and it wrapped around the whole room.

I did a twirl in the middle of the ballroom. I can only imagine how magical it must have been to dance around in a ball gown with your mate.

My vision flashes white as I am struck with a daydream. It's me and Zane dancing in the ballroom. I'm in a huge gown and it expands as he spins me around before dipping me. His hands wrap around my waist as he holds me to assure me that he will not let me fall.

I shake my head. Woah. This place is getting to me, I need to find some answers and get out of here. I leave the ballroom and head towards another hallway. This one is full of doors, all of them white. It's the door at the end of the hall that catches my attention though.

It's taller than the rest. It's white with gold words engraved on the top.

Fata viam invenient.

Fate will find a way.

I learned it from my nonna. She always said fate will find a way because she believed her and my nonno were separated for so long, but fate found a way to bring them together. It's odd that it is engraved in the door.

I shake my head so I can focus on the task ahead. I have to find some answers or else this was all be for nothing. I open the door and it struggles. With a little bit more force I push it open. I step into the dark room and my jaw drops.

It's beautiful. The room is bigger than the ballroom I was just in. This place was made for a king, I'm sure of it. It was probably the Alpha's room. He had amazing taste because I could imagine myself living in this room forever.

On the far right wall is a giant window. It overlooked the courtyard where my sister was going to be marked. The thought doesn't dull my mood because I'm still hung up on the beauty of this room. Its walls radiate power but most of all, love. Lots of love filled this room once upon a time.

Some sheets cover the furniture. I can tell, even with the sheets, that everything in this room was grand but there is something that sticks out.

Next to the glorious window I was peering out through awhile ago, is a giant painting. It's taller than me, but a sheet also covers it. I grasp the corner of the dusty sheet and tug. In one swift motion, the sheet falls to the ground. I take a step back so I can see the full painting.

My eyes start at the bottom where there seems to be a marble floor. As my gaze travels up I see two pairs of feet. One appears to be a man since he is wearing pants and the other's a woman. Her dress is gorgeous. A deep red ball gown that complements her tan complexion.

That's weird. She's wearing the dress I was wearing in my daydream.

As my eyes move higher I gasp in horror.

My eyes lock with Zane's. Zane with a beard who has his arms wrapped around the waist of a young Italian woman.

My eyes lock with hers. A chill passes through my body as I continue to stare at the familiar eyes. Eyes that are a deep brown. Eyes that I see every day in the mirror.

Eyes that are mine.

Signora: The Italian term for addressing a woman.