Luciano

My heart thumped deep as I walked across the garden, my eyes raced around my surroundings, recognizing the people—my people. The heavy clouds covered the sky, turning everything dark and dull. Everyone could be seen dressed in black, representing the color of death and grief.

A vibrant red casket was in front of me, a bunch of roses standing still over it and a ribbon that was tied around it. Beyond that, there were a few more wooden caskets of those who had died by the hands of Gretel. They were many fatalities but the one that affected me the most was Red's.

She wasn't supposed to die.

Not on that night.

Alpha's of different packs were called, they stood behind me in silent. I turned my head at Ben, who guarded the casket.

"Where is your mate?" I asked in the silence.

Ben narrowed his eyes. "She left when she heard Red died. I couldn't stop her." He murmured, hurt in his eyes.

My brows furrowed. Annabeth wouldn't leave just like that, not without attending her own sister's funeral, especially since she waited for so long to get close to her. Something ticked at the back of my head but I shook away that thought.

My Mother bought me Red's crown that was initially hers as she was the first Queen to our kind. Usually, they were Kings and my grandfather never dared to crown a woman as he had too many mistresses.

My Father stepped beside me, his rough hand resting over my shoulder and his gaze upon the casket.

"I'm sorry for the loss. She meant a lot to all of us."

The silence hung in the midair for another long moment. I took the crown off my Mother's hand and placed it over the casket before leaning in. My hands ran across the cloth and I pressed by head against the wood while closing my eyes and feeling everything, I was supposed to feel.

The reality struck me hard and my heart throbbed.

"We were supposed to be forever." I whispered to Red, knowing clearly she couldn't hear it.

My chest tightened. Her last screams pounded in my ears along with the pleads. She didn't want to die and I wasn't ready to lose her. We had just started our new lives with our daughter. She was so happy seeing her again and then suddenly, everything was gone. We had plans for our future, to settle somewhere else, end the chaos that had ruined our lives, begin a new one and start a family as we were supposed too.

It was two years ago when she came into my life, as my mate and it was today she left, leaving a wound over my heart that only belonged to her.

I concentrated on the good. She was happy in her last few days and that was all that mattered. Her greatest wish was fulfilled when she found her daughter and even with Gretel scheming, she didn't care much, she believed she had everything.

She died so I could live.

I owed my life to Red.

I kissed the casket and moved back. "Bury her." I said before walking back into the castle. Another second of silence was going to end me and I didn't have the strength to bear it, to realize that Red was gone.

Her scent floated in the air even after I was far away from her deceased body, it was all over the castle. I sat down over my throne, a glass of whiskey wrapped around my fingers as I waited for everyone's return.

My Father came into the throne room, he closed the door behind him and told the guards not to disturb us.

"It's over." I mumbled under my breath. "Everything is over."

"It's not over, Luciano. You still have your daughter and I can assume that Red would want you to take care of her as she did. It will hurt but you'll have to heal, one day or the other. Don't destroy your own life with your bare hands. You lived and that means something." He said, coming up from the steps.

I snapped hard and threw the glass on the ground. "It doesn't mean anything. There is no purpose of being here when the woman I loved the most is gone. What am I going to do? I lost her, Father. And I no longer have the will to live." The anger poured right out of me and even when I tried to control myself, I just couldn't. "I should've died as well—"

He grabbed my shoulders and pulled me up straight. "And leave your daughter to nothing? Red's sacrifice will mean nothing if you are going to act like this. This is not the end."

"It's my end!" I pulled the crown off my head and threw it down on the empty throne. "At least the end of my ruling." I stated before walking down.

"You're out of my mind!" My Father shouted behind me, his raging footsteps coming towards me.

"Maybe I am." I spun around and faced him. "What has this Kingdom ever given to me? Nothing. I lost my wife to this world and I was so close to losing my only child. This, the throne, the crown, the title, it doesn't mean anything to me. Maybe, just maybe, Red would've been alive if I weren't the King." I explained, my heart leaping at my throat.

There was so much hope. This all could've been different if I wasn't the King, rather no one. She would still be in my arms and we would have been happier.

"Luciano, you're not in your—"

I interrupted him before he said anything. "It's not just about me, Father. You can deny all you want too but you and I both know that this world separated you from my Mother. Accept it, this world has ruined us both and it will ruin anyone else that sits on that cursed throne."

"I understand what you're feeling. Red was important to all of us, she was almost like my own daughter that I didn't have. But, leaving the throne isn't the right thing and she would've never wanted you to do it." He grabbed my hand and stopped me from leaving.

I scoffed. "Trust me, she would've."

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