"Home is not a place, it's a person."

When I was a child, I always saw the way my dad balanced being a mate, a father, and an alpha. At the time, I did not realize how difficult the task was but I'm really feeling it right now.

Sitting around a table in the packhouse with my pack leaders is the last thing I want to do right now. I'd much rather be with Alessandra. I sit at the head of the table and the seat directly across from me remains empty, reserved for my luna. Ricardo sits to my right while Hiro sits on the left. They do not have mates yet but once they do, seats will be added to accommodate them. Valentina and Antonio Romano sit next to their son while Hiro's parents, the Tsukis, sit next to him. Towards the end of the table, my captains sit. Captains are responsible for leading the warriors. Katerina Bacardi leads the betas, Lance Freeman leads the gammas, and Francisco Ramirez leads the deltas.

Looking around I find myself full of pride. My pack is strong because we do not give positions to people depending on their birthright but rather their strength. The De Lucas have been the alpha family since the first De Luca alpha, Clarice. We've held strong since then but it's possible the next alpha might belong to another family. I earned my position and so did everyone seated around me.

"How are we going to deal with the Nightshades? They attacked our alphas!" Francisco remarks.

"Like we always deal with our problems, brute force," Katerina says, her fist slams on the table to emphasize her point. Katerina Bacardi is nearly 300 years old but she looks to be in her forties. She was one of my father's most trusted advisors and I'm thankful for her leadership skills every day.

"I thought we got rid of the Nightshades years ago," Sumire Tsuki says. She's not wrong, many packs came together to eradicate them but it seems like they are back.

"There must be another factor in play, why would they just show up? I think someone brought them here," I say.

"It's possible, Nightshades always yield to a master so that means someone wanted to attack us," Katerina adds.

"Why though? There has not been a war in ages between wolves," Ricardo says.

"It could be another supernatural race," Hiro says.

"The vampires stay in eastern Europe for the most part when they visit Earth and the witches are busy with their own shit," I say, aggravated. There's no way to know who is behind this but we need to know in order to take them down.

"It can't be the Midnight Pack either, it turns out their alpha had a son who ended up killing daddy dearest," Ricardo says, with a sick grin on his face. That man lives for drama.

"Good riddance if you ask me," I mutter, aware that they can hear me. That man was a twisted motherfucker who was stuck in the 1800s. Women had no place of leadership in his pack which has never made sense to me. If you have resources available you should use them, not hide them away and keep them weak. My she-wolves are some of my best warriors.

I can tell by the looks of their faces that they agree with my statement. I bring the conversation back to the matter at hand. Two hours fly by as new safety protocols are discussed.

Finally, I call the meeting to an end. The Romanos hang back and inquire about Alessandra. By the way they look at me, I can see that the level of trust is not where it should be. It's fair. I would not trust the man who committed to one sister, sent the other away, kept the other one as a stand-in luna so he could fuck around, and then sink his canines into the other sister.

Quite the confusing story to tell our kids.

Valentina looks at me like she might skin me alive and I fully believe in her capabilities. She would never say it to my face though. Valentina Romano was raised like a proper Italian lady, so all her insults are hidden.

"You look tired caro mio. I sure hope my daughter is looking better than you these days," she says with a sweet smile.

"Alessandra is doing great," I respond in a clipped tone. It was the truth, Alessandra has settled into my home and it seems like it's becoming hers every day. My couch is littered with decorative pillows, the comforter in my bedroom has been changed from black to royal blue, and I always find a sock or two of hers laying on the floor.

"Antonio and I already had nicknames for each other by the time we were mated," she says, her voice too innocent. I stare at her with a blank face, I just want to go home and here I am discussing nicknames.

"I like Alessandra's name the way it is," I tell her. Alessandra's name always flows off my Italian tongue so nicely so I don't see the point in shortening it to something.

"Sometimes I call her little wolf," I add to appease her and hopefully get out of this conversation. Technically it started as a way to make fun of her but now I say it with fondness.

"Her wolf isn't little," Valentina claims.

"Every wolf is small compared to me."

She hums in agreement.

"Let him go Ma," Ricardo says.

"You know Alessandra won't come around to our house because of Isabel! This is the only time I have to check in on her," she says with a pout.

"We have phones," Ricardo deadpans. She glares at him which shuts him up rather quickly.

"You can just come to our place," I grumble. Valentina looks at me with wide eyes like I just said something shocking.

I know I have a reputation of being, well, mean, but I'm not going to dictate Alessandra's life much less keep her from her family.

I should probably start smiling more.

"Really?"

"Really."

She beams at me and Antonio gives me a thankful look. Katerina comes over and starts talking to Valentina. Sensing a chance to escape, I make my way through the small crowd and speed my way home.

As I approach the house, I catch the scent of two other people. Lilia and Callie, looks like my mate has people over.

What's a wolf got to do for some alone time with their mate?

The door lets out a slow creak as I push it open. The TV plays some movie while the girls are all curled up on the couch together. Snacks litter the coffee table and the floor. They must really be knocked out to not hear me come in.

Alessandra is laying in a way that will have her neck sore the next morning. Her mouth is open and a small trickle of drool has gathered at the corner of her lips. I'm tempted to take a picture of her. She looks so carefree like the worries of the world can never reach her. I pray they never do.

I place my arm in the crook of her knees and my other one goes to her back. I carry her to our room, trying my best not to wake her. Once she's settled in bed, I grab a blanket from the closet and place it over Lilia and Callie.

I make my way over to the bedroom and realize that my house has never felt like home, but now that she's here everything feels right.