Not all Lyccans were born honorable or courageous.
All his life, Rocco had known he was different from the other members of his race. In instances where Lyccans would rise to fight for what they believed in, Rocco would be the first to surrender and even kiss the feet of his enemies. While most Lyccans embraced the opportunity to avenge victims of injustice, Rocco only felt secret relief that he was alive.
Rocco might have a Lyccan's strength and power, making him inherently capable of killing a dozen men before they could even see him coming, but it was power he wouldn't ever be using.
He was weak where it counted, and this had never been more evident when he saw his own mother being murdered before his very eyes…and he had done nothing.
Remembering the way she had cried for his help made Rocco shudder even to this day, but he knew that if he had the chance to turn back time, nothing would have changed. He hated what those monsters had done to her, but he hated the thought of suffering a violent death even more.
When Rocco realized it was his turn to die, panic had led him to do the one thing that would guarantee his execution from the Lyccan Council.
He had shifted form in the presence of humans not bound to an oath of loyalty by blood.
They all fired their guns at him as soon as he shifted, and as the shots rang out and bullets pierced his body, Rocco had fainted, not from loss of blood but out of sheer fear of what the Lyccan Council would do once they found out about his foolishness.
When Rocco had woken up, he was on the floor, his wrists and legs manacled. But he hadn't been alone. A well—dressed couple stood in front of him, and they almost reminded him of vampires, with their murderously cold eyes.
They had offered him a choice then.
Be one of them or die.
Rocco had chosen to live.
And so he had lived, but now he was also a slave to the same humans who were behind his mother's assassination.
The door in front of him finally opened, and the memories of his past disappeared. Trying not to quake with fear, he entered and bowed at the presence of his employers.
Little smiles played on their faces, the couple finding the Lyccan's penchant to scrape and bow amusing.
The man spoke first. "Tell her what you've learned."
At the man's nod, Rocco said nervously, "I've reason to believe Kassia Summers will soon be announced as the future mate to Alessandro Moretti."
Rocco's other employer drew her breath sharply, hatred contorting her beautiful face into something unattractively evil. "How sure are you of this? Paparazzi follow the professor everywhere. Shouldn't they know about this if it's true?"
"N—not necessarily, madam." Rocco's answer came out a stammer. He hated having to contradict his employers, knowing their tempers were so rash they could turn on him at any moment. "Masking our identities is second nature———" Rocco stopped speaking as a sudden memory jarred him.
He saw his mother dying in these people's hands———
"Rocco?" The man's voice was tinged with irritation.
Rocco quickly shook the thought away.
It was his mother who had signed her own death warrant, not him. She had chosen to stay loyal to the Council despite the threat to her life. That was her fault, not his.
Repressing another shudder, Rocco hurriedly continued, "Most of my race avoid spending too much time with humans as a preemptive measure for avoiding detection. But the girl has Alessandro Moretti's scent all over her. That much time spent with each other can only mean one thing."
Silence, coldly contemplative, followed Rocco's words.
Mel said finally, "This can be the break we've been waiting for." Tall and distinguished—looking with flashes of silver threading his hair, he was bodyguard to one of the state's richest citizens, whose wife he fucked in secret.
"See for yourself." He handed his lover his phone. Its screen displayed a list of their most prominent targets and the bounty placed on their heads by a criminal organization so secret even Interpol hadn't ever heard of them.
The woman's eyes widened at the amount stated next to the photo of Alessandro Moretti. "A billion dollars?" she read incredulously.
"I've sent inquiries about this, and I have received confirmation that they're willing to advance us $100M on the spot if we commit to this." Mel paused. "But this won't work without your full cooperation."
Her lip curled. "You want me to play prodigal mother, is that it?"
His answering laughter was pleasant, but his words were not. "For one billion dollars, sweetheart, I'd make you fuck your own daughter if that's what it takes." Closing the distance between them, he cupped her chin and, pressing a bruising kiss on her mouth, he murmured, "What do you say, my beautiful whore?" He bit her lower lip, hard enough to make her bleed. She gasped, a mixture of pain and pleasure glittering in her eyes, and his lips formed a ruthless smile.
"Bastard," she spat in a low whisper, but the way her nipples pebbled against her dress belied her anger.
"You've done much worse than this as Dresden's wife," Mel pointed out. Turning to Rocco, he ordered the cowering Lyccan to continue with his surveillance. "I want to know all the places Kassia Summers goes to, the people she hangs out with. I want to know everything, and if there are times when you can be sure she'll be alone, tell me immediately."
When Rocco left, Mel raised a brow at his lover. "Have you made up your mind about how badly you want that billion—dollar bounty?"
Three Days Ago
18—year—old Kassia Summers was going crazy.
It was the only reason that could explain why, one second, the professor had been standing right in front of her, and then the next second he had disappeared and Kassia found herself alone in a park office with…a wolf.
And it wasn't just any kind of wolf.
Big was a gross understatement, and so was badass. Resting on its haunches, the black wolf in front of her was even taller than Kassia. Lethal power emanated from the creature, and it was so terrifying that if the wolf thought of baring its fangs, she had a feeling she'd faint on the spot.
Across the office, the wolf stared at her, unmoving, unblinking. A pool of Alessandro's clothes lay on the floor next to it, screaming a truth Kassia didn't think she could make herself believe.
Dry—mouthed, Kassia whispered, "A—Alessandro?"
The wolf nodded.
No. Way.
She swallowed. "Alessandro Moretti?"
The wolf's familiar green eyes gleamed with amusement, as if asking if she knew any other Alessandro who shapeshifted, and Kassia's cheeks flamed even as her head continued to spin with disbelief.
Alessandro Moretti had turned into a wolf.
The wolf staring at her now was Alessandro Moretti.
She pinched her arm, as hard as she could, just to make sure she wasn't dreaming. It hurt, but it didn't make the world around her waver.
This was real then.
She was in love with a professor who had turned out to be a werewolf.
Pain struck her head, as if the thought of the professor being a werewolf was too much for her brain. What if this was all an elaborate million—dollar prank, Kassia wondered wildly. Maybe, if she asked him to do it again, the professor would be forced to reveal the truth.
Yes, that was it. This was a prank. It had to be.
"Change back," she blurted out before she could think better of what she was asking.
The wolf inclined its head to the side, as if contemplating the validity of her request. A second later, the wolf disappeared, and a completely naked Alessandro Moretti stood before her.
Kassia jumped back in terror. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God." She knew she was freaking out, but she couldn't help it. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God." Had she really just seen that? No, she couldn't have. She was imagining things. Heartbreak had made her delirious. Or high. Whichever. This couldn't be———
When the professor took a step towards her, she screamed again. "Stop!'
The professor stilled.
"Change back."
The professor turned into a wolf.
Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!
"Change back to a human."
The naked professor returned.
She still couldn't believe it, and she found herself ordering him to shift forms again.
Wolf, man, wolf, man, wolf, man———
Alessandro had had enough after he changed for the tenth time. "Dammit, Kassia, stop making me shift like you're asking a dog to play dead."
A nervous, shrill giggle escaped her at the unexpected words, and as she watched the professor bend down to pick up his clothes from the floor, her heartbeat gradually decelerated, and she started breathing again.
When the professor was fully dressed, appearing as handsome and elegant as he had always been, she almost felt like pinching herself again. Had it really happened?
Alessandro saw Kassia start to open her mouth, and his eyes narrowed. Just one look at her expressive face told him exactly what she was planning to ask, and he said immediately, "No." He shook his head in exasperation. "I'm not a fucking Transformer."
She choked back a laugh. "N—no. You're definitely no Transformer. You're more like a Wolve———" She shut up when she saw the professor glaring at her.
"Try to say that one more time," he warned pleasantly, "and I'll bite a chunk out of you. Got it?"
She remembered his fangs and paled. "Yes, sir." She couldn't say it fast enough. She expected him to laugh or even just smile, but instead the professor remained silent, his gaze brooding but unreadable.
Never a patient man like his twin, Alessandro forced himself to stay still and wait. As the seconds passed, he watched Kassia's nervousness visibly turn into unease, with the way her brown eyes darkened and she started biting the tips of her hair again. He could read her every thought as various emotions flitted over her face, and he knew the exact moment when the truth hit her, and the need to ask became inevitable———
"Why did you let me see you shift, Professor?" Kassia's voice was tremulous and her body stiff, as if expecting to ward off words that might hurt her.
Holding her gaze captive, he answered simply, "Because you wanted proof that I think of you as a permanent part of my life."
