MOONLIGHT: ORIGINAL EDITION

Luca gazed at the letter on his desk addressed to him and contemplated whether to open it. He speculated about the possible author of the message. "There's only one way to find out," he whispered to himself. With resolve, he slid the letter opener—among other items Stefano had brought—beneath the seal and unfolded the letter.

It read:

To The Alpha Ferrera of the Ferrera Wolf Pack,

By the time you receive this letter, it may have been seven or more years delayed. The name Romanetti may or may not sound familiar to you; allow me to explain. You undoubtedly have many questions that need answers.

I am Antonio Romanetti, married to Nicoletta Romano Romanetti. My parents are Mario and Marina Romanetti.

If you are reading this, Alpha Luca, it means that we have passed away and joined the Moon Goddess.

Due to family circumstances, we left the pack shortly after I found my mate Nicoletta. Not long after, Nicoletta became pregnant with our daughter, whom we learned during the pregnancy would be a girl. We named her Rosa Maria Romanetti—our only child and a purebred werewolf.

As Rosa grew up, we took every precaution for her safety because we departed from the pack. We changed her last name to her mother's maiden name, Romano, and gave her a scent-blocking pill daily until she turned eighteen. The pill form was more convenient for her to take, starting at thirteen. If she continues taking them beyond that age, it means an unfortunate event has occurred, preventing us from stopping the dosage.

We took these measures to protect our daughter from Rogues and used scent blockers for safety so that no one could discover our werewolf identity and lack of a pack affiliation.

There is one thing you should know about our daughter Rosa. Since she was young, Rosa has possessed a sixth sense. She can sense when something is amiss.

If you encounter our daughter, please take care of her. She means everything to us.

Yours most sincerely, Antonio Romanetti.

Luca was amazed as he read the letter that confirmed Dr. Greco-Mancini's hypothesis about the tablet being a scent blocker. He immediately contacted Arianna and Cristian to meet in Rosa's room. After they arrived and read the letter, Cristian expressed his surprise, while Arianna confirmed her theory. They agreed to start Antonio's plan the next day. Before leaving, Arianna assured Luca that they would return to check on Rosa's medical condition. Once the doctors were gone, Luca resumed his work and answered Stefano's question by saying, "Yes, now we understand why, and I was right about her being one of us, even if she is unaware." Stefano asked what the doctors would do, and Luca replied that they would follow Antonio's instructions from the letter, starting the next morning. When Stefano asked if he needed anything else that night, Luca said that he would pack a few weeks' worth of clothing and necessities since he would be working from there. Everyone knew how to reach him. Stefano offered to stay while Luca packed, but reminded him to inform Elder Gabriel Lombardi after dinner. Luca gratefully replied, "Okay, thanks, I will."

Luca quickly finishes eating, then heads back towards the packhouse, bringing his dirty dishes with him and putting them in the sink after ripping them under the hot water after entering the kitchen. He then heads up to his bedroom to pack his bags. Luca had just started to pack when there was a knock on his door. He tells them to enter and sees his brother coming through the door. Constantino tells him, "Hey brother, l thought that l would let you know I've closed the office for a few weeks. It's a bit slow at the moment, and l thought that you might need the extra help around here while you are with your mate," he said to his brother.

Luca replies to him, saying, "Okay, thanks for letting me know. I appreciate it. I'm packing a few weeks' worth of clothes and other stuff to return to the pack hospital. I'm working from there. If you need me for anything, link me," he informs his brother. "Here, you need to read this letter too," he said as he handed over the letter from Antonio Romanetti to him to read. "What's this?" Constantino asks him. Luca replies, "It's a letter addressed to me from none other than my mate's deceased father, and it explains everything about and what they did and why they did it," he informed Constantino.

He takes the letter from his brother and starts to read it, too. "This is unbelievable," he exclaimed after reading it. "So she is one of us?" he asked his brother, who replied, "Yes, she is," he said back. "So what's going to happen?" he inquired. Luca replies, "We decided to do what Antonio asked us to do in the letter. Arianna will start tomorrow morning," he informed Constantino of the update. "Okay, you need me to do anything for you?" he asks. Luca replies to him, saying, "Just keep an eye out, and I'm working from her room to be near her", he explains. "Alright, l will let you finish packing. Link me if you need me for anything," he said to him. Luca replies to him, saying, "I will." They both said See you later to each other, and Constantino left while Luca finished packing his bags.

Having a final look around to see if he has left anything and seeing nothing else he needs to take with him, he leaves. Coming down the stairs and into the lounge room to inform everyone of where he will be and to use the link for pack business only if they need him. Everyone said, "Yes, Alpha, we will be thinking of you and our Luna in our hearts and minds, and we pray for her to get better soon so that we can meet her," they said to him. Luca was proud of his pack members and thanked everyone for their good wishes for their Luna. They all replied, "You're welcome, Alpha." Luca then left the packhouse and headed towards the hospital and his mate. He arrives back and heads to his mate's room. Luca thanks Stefano for staying with her as Stefano stands up. As he starts to leave the room, he nods in acknowledgement. After Stefano had left, Luca decided to go and get changed for bed, leaving the lamp on for a little bit of light but just enough not to disturb his mate.

Arianna pops her head in the door after knocking to come and check up on Rosa and Luca. Seeing that he has changed for bed, she does a quick check-up on Rosa while Luca sits on his bed, waiting for her to finish the examination. Arianna completes her check-up, writes her notes on the chart, and tells Luca, "She's doing well under the circumstances." Luca thanked her and told her he would call Elder Gabriel Lombardi first thing in the morning to update him on the situation regarding his mate and what happened to her. Arianna tells him, "Let me know when or if he is arriving here if he does come here to come to the hospital, and I will come and explain the medical side of what we are doing. Wasn't there an envelope for him, too?" she inquired. Luca replies, "Okay, l will and yes, there was. It was either for my father or for Gabriel," he told her. They both say goodnight to each other as Arianna leaves the room. Before getting into his bed, Luca reaches out to the Moon Goddess and prays for his mate to get better soon. He hears the voice again as it says, "All will be well soon, Alpha Luca", it said. Luca lets out the breath he is holding and slips into bed next to his mates. Taking a quick look at her when he had settled down under the covers and laid his head on the pillow, he silently watched his mate as he slowly drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face, thinking to himself, "I finally have my mate with me." He finally falls asleep with his mate beside him.