Heirs, 31

(POV: Luan Raphael)

"It's Lucia," I say firmly and search for his eyes, but he doesn't meet my gaze. He remains silent for long seconds while staring at some point behind me.

"She's a beautiful and very polite girl," he says, turning his attention back to the papers.

The silence that follows is awkward, suffocating even. I think he still hasn't fully accepted the omegas. I sigh and get up from the chair.

"Goodbye, Dad. Thanks for the conversation," I say as I stand.

"Goodbye, Luan," he says, and I think he's now secretly hoping that she isn't my mate.

I leave his office and return to the kitchen. Lucca is already sitting at the table with a sleepy expression. When he lays eyes on me, I can see the recognition in his gaze. He knows something is bothering me, but he doesn't comment, and I appreciate that.

"Are you okay, son?" my mother asks as she places another plate on the table.

"Yes, everything's fine," I say, sitting at the table and starting to serve myself.

"You can start eating; I'm going to have coffee with your father in the office," my mother says, moving away with a large tray in her hands.

"Bon appétit," Lucca says, jokingly. I look at him with a question mark.

"Who's the crazy one speaking French?!" I say, exasperated by the nonsense I have to endure.

"Buen provecho," Lena chimes in. "In Spanish," she explains.

"How many languages do you speak?" Lucca asks Lena.

"I speak a few," she says, shrugging. "Spanish, French, English, Italian, and Latin."

"And here I am, thinking I'm impressive because I speak Spanish, French, and English," Lucca says, clearly impressed.

"I only speak Spanish," I say, rolling my eyes. "And that's only because our mother forced me to learn."

"You need to be more intellectual, brother," Lucca says, and I show him the middle finger.

"Urbanum, Luan," Lena says, and I stare at her, not understanding. "Be polite," she explains in Latin.

"Don't annoy me either," I request, and both of them laugh.

"You've been quite on edge, Luan," Lucca says. "You need to relax more." I roll my eyes.

(POV: Scarllet)

Many moons have passed since my daughter left. I'm anxious, hoping she's following the plan and has never taken off the enchanted necklace. I exit the bathroom and put on my black jeans and a matching tank top. I slip on low-heeled boots and leave my hair down. I grab the keys from the bed and head out, locking both the entrance and exit doors. I make my way to the pickup truck, get in, and start the engine. I need to go to town; I want to buy new clothes. I have a feeling that my long-awaited revenge won't take much longer to happen.

I think back to the wolf children I took care of in Deniel's laboratory. I miss them; I miss him. They were everything I had. That bitch of a supreme took everything from me, but it won't stay like this. She hasn't seen the last of me; she'll suffer in the worst possible way, and her own daughter will help me annihilate her unnecessary existence. I smile wickedly.

Fifteen years ago, when I saw the only man I ever loved giving up everything for a project, my heart broke. It turned into pure stone when he returned to the castle and found nothing-absolutely nothing. Neither him nor the children nor the failed experiments, nothing. Just an abandoned castle. I spent days looking for Deniel and the children, but I never found a single clue. However, I did discover where the children had gone; he had turned them back into humans and returned them to their parents.

The longing I feel is immense. Being alone again nearly drove me insane. That's when I had the idea to steal from Lina just a small part of what she had stolen from me. But taking Renata wasn't enough; I need to see her suffer, and she will. She will experience such great pain that she'll wish for her own death.

After driving for hours to reach the nearest town, I park the pickup truck in front of a clothing store. Just as I'm about to enter, a man with black hair and blue eyes appears before me. Time seems to stand still, and I can't believe my eyes. After all these years, Deniel is right there, just a few meters away.

He's loading some boxes into his pickup truck, but he's already closing it. My heart races, and my legs start moving on their own. Just as I'm about to cross the street, Deniel gets into his truck and starts the engine, escaping before I can get closer.

"DENIEL!" I scream, but he doesn't hear me and leaves the parking lot.

I feel tears threatening to spill from my eyes, but I hold them back. He's alive! He disappeared without a word, and I was nothing to him, but it won't stay like this. I rush back to my pickup truck, and it roars onto the asphalt as I press the accelerator, determined to catch up with him. "You won't escape again, Deniel," I think to myself. Thanks to my vampiric vision, I don't lose sight of him and start following him. He has a lot of explaining to do!