C12 ALEXANDRU POV

Alexandru’s Point of View

On my way to the park, I try not to let my mind wander to the news. New York. Adaline is there. And even though she isn’t a werewolf, she’s half-witch. Camille is a witch, there’s no way Adaline doesn’t have a witch side.

Nature isn’t that cruel.

And that spell in the news? Only a witch could’ve cast something like that. I don’t know much about witchcraft, but that was a reckless spell. If it was Adaline, then there’s an uncontrolled witch at play, and she might be in danger, from whoever cast it… or from herself.

I park my car and rub my face, trying not to think about her. But I can’t help it. I just want her to be safe, even if she’s no longer mine.

I pull out the picnic basket, careful not to spill anything. I spot Hana leaning against a tree. She sees me and waves. I smile and walk faster toward her, only to falter mid-step. She’s blonde. Like a certain someone I don’t want to think about.

“Hi, Luc,” she grins, helping me lay the mat on the grass.

“Hi, Hana,” I reply, smiling despite myself. It feels familiar, like old friends reconnecting. I should’ve known it was too good to be true.

We sit, and I pull out the bread, pour cranberry juice into glasses, and hand one to her. We eat slowly.

“Tell me about you,” she says, and I sigh.

“I’m Luc. A businessman and a carpenter. Attended . .”

She cuts me off, licking her lips in a mildly disturbing way. “A carpenter, huh? Good with your hands, I see.”

I nod, side-eyeing her. The crazy is starting to peek through. “I attended the University of New Orleans. I’ve got a big family. Tell me about you.”

She smiles. “I’m Hana Nympha.”

I blink. “Nymph? Like the spirit of… sex or something?”

“Yes. Sex. I’m very flexible. I can be whatever you need, Sub or Dom.” She bites her lip.

I look at her, thoroughly disgusted.

“So, picnic’s off, huh?” I mutter, taking a bite of bread and groaning.

She stares at me with wide eyes and flared nostrils.

“I’m not interested,” I say when she doesn’t get the hint.

“You could put it in the backdoor,” she suggests.

“Fuck off.”

Her eyes widen, and then she does just that.

I frown, sipping from my glass as my mind drifts back to New York. Screw it. I call Blu and ask her to meet me at the park. Miraculously, she’s there in fifteen minutes.

“Lycan,” she says in greeting.

I roll my eyes as she sits beside me. “How are you, Blu?” I ask, pouring her a glass of wine and making her a sandwich.

“I’m good. Hot date?” She glances around.

“Let’s not go there,” I groan. “I need your help with something.” I tell her everything, about the news, my suspicions, all of it.

“This is magic,” she says, examining a photo of the petrified men. “Either your friend is practicing, or someone else is. But this? This is sloppy. Looks like an accident. Fueled by emotion, fear maybe. Like someone was being chased… or chasing something. I don’t think this was intentional.”

I nod. “That’s what I thought.”

“But this is powerful. For something like this to happen by accident? That’s ancient magic. Ancestral. We’re talking powerful witch or wizard here. So, either it’s your friend… or someone else entirely.”

“Do you think she could be hurt?”

“We can check. We have an image of where she might be. I just need something she owns, then I can track her—see where she is and how she’s doing,” Blu says. “But if it’s a conscious witch, she might sense we’re looking for her.”

“Don’t,” I say.

She nods, and I silently pray Adaline is safe.

__

“Mom, no.” I groan when I spot her sitting there like she’s waiting for someone.

I walk into the café, scanning the room, relieved that it’s crowded.

New Orleans has small-town energy. We all know each other. Especially within my pack. Most of the successful businesses here are run by us.

We keep hidden. We don’t harm the locals. That’s one way to draw attention. And when any of us goes rogue, hurting a human without cause, they’re punished. No exceptions.

As I approach Mom, I realize she’s not alone. I expect Camille, but instead, my little sister bounds into view.

“Alexandru!” she squeals, throwing herself into my arms.

Alina is twenty-five, not exactly “little” anymore—but she’ll always be little to me. She’s studying at the University of Louisiana. I rarely see her, since I’m based in Midtown. She’s either at school or home.

“Heard you got dumped,” she smirks, stepping back. I stare at her, her wild green eyes and even wilder red hair. You’d never guess we’re siblings.

I roll my eyes and wrap an arm around her shoulder as we walk to Mom.

“Adaline is a foolish girl,” she says. “I hope she’s haunted by the realization that she lost the best part of herself, You.”

“That’s not true,” I mutter, kissing Mom’s head, even though I’m still mad she set me up on those disastrous dates.

“Yes, it is not true,” Mom adds. “Aurora and Alexandru were at their best when they were together. Unstoppable.”

I groan and lean back, feigning indifference, even though I’m aching inside.

“Let’s change the subject,” I say.

“Heard your dates were disasters,” Alina grins.

“All thanks to Mom,” I say, throwing her a look.

“Come home,” she says, and I frown.

“Come home with us. To Uptown,” she clarifies.

I nod. It’s been a while. And right now, I need the comfort only home can offer.

“How’s school?” I ask Alina, ruffling her hair. She’s getting her master’s in biochemistry. “Found a cure for cancer yet?”

She laughs. “No, but we developed a drug that slows down the venom from a wolf bite.”

I snap my head toward her, nearly giving myself whiplash. “What? Why would you do that? We’re wolves.”

“Yes, but there are other wolves, more venomous. Take you, for instance. As a Lycan, your bite is lethal to other wolves. So there could be something out there, someone, with a bite just as lethal to you… and to us.”

My frown deepens.

“I’m trying to get ahead of it. Help us have the upper hand. Put the pack above all other supernatural beings.”

I stare at her, speechless. I knew she dabbled in science. But science and magic? I can’t tell if this is genius or madness.

“That’s insane, Alina. Please be careful,” I say, and she smiles.

“It’s unlikely there’s a new, more powerful creature out there,” I add.

She shakes her head. “We can never be too careful.”

“You should’ve been a witch, not a wolf,” I tease.

“I can be anything I want to be,” she says with a grin.

I glance at Mom, who’s oddly quiet. “Nothing to say?”

“Alina’s a grown woman. She can take care of herself. But if push comes to shove, she has a powerful brother who will burn the world for her. So… I don’t need to say anything.” She smiles.

She’s right. I will burn the world for my family, for my pack.

I order donuts, and we eat in silence.

But my thoughts drift again, to Adaline. Alone in New York. Unaware of the danger near her…

Or the danger that is her.