MOONLIGHT: ORIGINAL EDITION

Luca returned to the room and saw that Rosa was resting still. He decides to catch up on some paperwork. Forty-five minutes later, he receives a nudge in the link and answers it. “Yes, this is Luca”, he said to the person trying to link with him. “Alpha, it’s Stefano; l just wanted to let you know that Elder Gabriel has arrived and is with me. Will l bring him over?” Luca replies to his Beta, “Yes, please, Stefano, and thanks,” he says to his Beta, who replies, “No worries, Alpha” They break off the link as Luca returns to finish as much of the paperwork as he can. A few minutes later, a knock was at the room’s door. Luca got up to open it and stood a grinning Gabriel and an equally confused Stefano. Luca let them in and then shook Gabriel’s hand before the grinning Elder hugged him while a still confused Stefano looked on until Luca asked him to stay, to which his reply was, of course.

Gabriel then asks him, “How is she,” he inquired. Luca replies, “She is resting at the moment,” as Stefano asks him, “What’s going on?” Gabriel asks Luca, “You haven’t told anyone yet?” Luca replies, “No, not yet, but l was going to hold a pack meeting and make the announcement after lunch, ” he informed the Elder. Gabriel then says to him,” Not even your Beta?” Luca replies, “No, not even Stefano”, who is dying to know what is happening. Gabriel replies to him, “Tell him and put him out of his misery, Luca, please” he begs the Alpha, who replies, “Okay” As he turns to face Stefano, who was waiting to hear the news, “Rosa and her wolf Mia woke up this morning,” he finally informs his Beta who then looks at his Alpha and the Elder, “But she is sleeping,” the confused Beta says.

Luca replies, “That is because we have been talking and getting to know each other better. That is why the ‘Do not disturb’ sign is on the door,” he tells him. Stefano replied with a smile as he said, “I am so happy for you, my friend,” he shook Luca’s hand before giving him a hug, “How?” he asked. Luca replies, “I got the same feeling that l had the night before she was attacked that something was going to happen and soon” he paused for a moment, then continued, “I came out of the bathroom because l was dressed because l woke up earlier than normal because of what l was feeling then l looked over towards Rosa and saw that she and her wolf were awake” he informs Stefano who asks him “Who else knows?” Luca replies, “The three of us, Arianna and Cristian, are the only ones until l announce lunch,” he told him. Stefano replies, “Okay, but you could have told me,” he said to him. Luca answered, “Sorry l didn’t get the chance to between Rosa, Mia waking up, and the doctors checking her over l didn’t get a chance to then l needed Gabriel to know about the new development l am so sorry Stefano,” he said to his Beta who replies “That’s okay l understand” then asks Gabriel “Do you think this is the Moon Goddess at work again?” The Elder said to the Beta, “Yes, it was, we all do, and as l have said before, she is one mysterious woman,” he replied. “I agree with you, too,” said a sleepy voice from the bed. They all looked up at Rosa and saw her awake from her nap. Luca went to her side, sat in the chair beside her bed and introduced the Elder and his Beta or Second-in-command to her while holding her hand in his. They were happy to meet her, and Rosa finally returned the greeting. The four of them talked about everything and anything until Stefano informed Luca that it was time for lunch and to announce the meeting. Luckily, the staff at the hospital made lunch for them, and twenty minutes later, it arrived. Luca asked Stefano to escort Gabriel to the pack house dining room for lunch. Stefano replies, “Of course, we will see you both later,” he tells the Alpha, who nods in acknowledgement as he and Gabriel leave the room so Luca and Rosa can eat their food. As soon as they go, Luca then links the pack, letting them know there will be a pack meeting straight after lunch as Rosa starts eating hers, and it’s mandatory. The entire pack replies, “Yes, Alpha!” Luca then starts on his lunch.

One hour later, when Luca and Rosa had finished their lunch, he linked Arianna, who came in the next few minutes and asked, “What is wrong?” he replied, “Nothing. l was wondering if l could take Rosa with me. Is she up to the meeting?” Arianna looks at Rosa, who looks back at the doctor with pleading eyes and says to her, “Please, l will be careful,” she begs the doctor, who then replies, “Yes, you may go, and you are going to be very careful because l am going to make sure of that because l will be going to the meeting myself. The only way you are going will be in a wheelchair, am l understood?” she said as Rosa replied, “Yes, l understand, Arianna. Can we go now?” Luca says to them both, “Someone is eager to get out,” he says in amusement, seeing the excitement in her eyes. Rosa then replies, “Yes, l am. You would be too if you were unconscious for three weeks,” she huffed, wanting to get out of bed. Luca and the doctor laughed at Rosa’s antics and helped assist her into the wheelchair and off to the hall.

Luca’s announcement echoed through the hall, capturing the attention of the assembled pack members. The air was excited as they settled into their seats, eyes fixed on their Alpha. Luca’s gaze swept over the familiar faces, noting the mix of curiosity and excitement. He had their undivided attention and intended to make the most of it.

“Good afternoon, everyone,” Luca began, his voice steady and commanding. I’ve called you all here because I have a new development regarding your Luna.” The room hummed with anticipation. What could it be? Luca’s eyes flickered toward the back doors, where Arianna stood, her presence a reassuring anchor.

“But first,” Luca continued, “please welcome back Elder Gabriel Lombardi to the Ferrera Wolf Pack.” Applause erupted as the seasoned Elder stepped forward, acknowledging the warm reception. Luca allowed the moment to linger before addressing the burning question that hung in the air.

“Alpha,” a pack member called out, their voice edged with concern. Is Luna alright?” Luca’s gaze shifted to the side, where Arianna stood beside the wheelchair. Without missing a beat, he gestured toward her. “Why don’t you ask her that for yourselves?” he replied, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

Arianna stepped forward, pushing the wheelchair into view. Rosa, their Luna, emerged her expression a mix of vulnerability and determination. The pack gasped, their shock quickly giving way to joy. Clapping and cheers erupted as Rosa’s presence filled the room. Luca watched, pride swelling within him. She was their strength, their heart.

Once the excitement settled, Luca explained what had transpired—the miraculous return of their Luna, her recovery, and the need for patience. Rosa would remain in the hospital for a few more days before leaving. The pack listened attentively, their commitment unwavering.

“If you’d like to meet her,” Luca said, “come to the hospital. A few minutes at a time, starting the day after tomorrow.” The pack chorused, “Yes, Alpha,” their loyalty resolute. With a nod, Luca dismissed them, and they dispersed, eager to share the news with others.

Luca and Arianna guided Rosa to her hospital bed, ensuring her comfort. The doctor checked her over, confirming her well-being. As Arianna left to attend to her other patients, Luca remained by Rosa’s side. Their pack was whole again, and hope bloomed anew.

Once Luca and Rosa were alone, he asked her, "Is there anything or something that you would like to know more about now or perhaps tomorrow?" Rosa thought, then asked him, "Is now, okay?" she answered. Luca replies to her, "Okay, what would you like to know more about?" Rosa responded, "Yes, I would like to know more about the mating process, please," she told him. Luca then replied, "Um, okay, let's see. The first step is the mating bond once werewolves recognise their mates. It also lets them get to know one another, which we have already done but will continue to do more before the next step, which is marking each other by biting where the neck and shoulder meet. That signals to other werewolves that we are mates, and the ultimate step is where we mate for the first time in private," he explained to her.

Rosa looks at him confused and asks him, “What do you mean mate as in having sex?” Luca blushes as he nods his head in agreement and says to her, “Only when you and Mia are both ready and not before you are more comfortable about everything else, we will take it step by step and at a pace that you and Mia feel comfortable with okay does that sound like a plan to you?” Rosa looked at Luca and nodded her head in agreement as she yawned. Luca then tells her to get some rest while he finishes some paperwork. Rosa agrees and closes her eyes; she rests comfortably as Luca starts on the stack of paperwork sitting on the table.

Three hours later, Luca was finally finished with the paperwork. He looks at Rosa and sees that she is still resting. He looks at his watch and sees it is time for this afternoon’s training session, so he decides to wait until Rosa wakes up. A few minutes later, he hears the bed move. Rosa woke up, saw that Luca had finished his work, and asked, “Is everything okay?” Luca replies, “Yes, everything is good, but it’s time for the afternoon’s training session,” he explains to her. Rosa looked at him and then said, “Training session like working out type stuff,” she inquired as Luca nodded his head in agreement and then told her, “I usually join in, but now that you awake, l am unable to unless you would like to come and watch?” Rosa’s face lit up at the idea of watching them training, “Could l?” she asked. Luca answers, “I don’t see why not. Then you will know what to expect when it’s time for you and Mia to start training”, he explained. Rosa asks, “Will it be okay with the doctors?” Luca replies, “Yes, it will be okay. You will be in the wheelchair if you want to get out and about. l just need to let Arianna or Cristian know that l am taking you outside for a while to get some fresh air,” he said. Rosa replies, “Okay.” Luca links with Arianna and tells her he is taking Rosa to watch the afternoon training session. She replies, “Okay, but don’t go overboard,” when Luca replies, “We won’t,” as he helps Rosa once more into the wheelchair and puts a blanket over her knees to keep her warm, then makes sure that they have water and snacks for each of them and then they both head out and towards the training grounds.

Twenty minutes later, they both entered the training grounds and the pack members who were already there and training stopped what they were doing when they all saw their Alpha and Luna enter the grounds together. They all cheered when they saw them. Luca and Rosa were smiling when they heard the reaction of the pack members. He wheeled the chair under a shady tree to keep her out of the sun’s heat and ensured that she was comfortable and had everything she needed. Rosa nodded as Luca kissed her on the cheek and joined in with the training after introducing her to Giovanni, Lorenzo, Tommaso, and the twins Riccardo and Dominic, who returned her greeting. As Rosa was watching them train, she thought that if there were any exes she could start doing while on the sidelines, she would have to ask Luca who would be the best to help her.

An hour had passed by when Luca came over to check on her. After taking a few gulps of water from the bottle, Rosa asked, “Luca, who could help me do some light exercises while you are training with everyone?” Luca looks at her and replies, “Are you sure?” he inquires. Rosa thought briefly, then said, “Yeah, l am sure.” Luca replies, “Alright, the person who is best to help you until you are better would probably be,” he looks around for the person they need to speak to and finds them. “Giovanni,” he informs her as he waves Giovanni over, who comes over straight away and asks them both, “Yes, Alpha, Luna, what can l help with?” Luca replied on Rosa’s behalf and said, “Rosa would like to know what kind of exercises she could be doing while we are training,” he asked him. Giovanni replies, “Yes, there are a few strengthening exercises Luna can do to strengthen her body. I can make up a list and their instructions and bring them over after dinner if that’s okay with the both of you?” Luca and Rosa especially thanked him before he left to continue overseeing the rest of the training, but not before he said, “No worries, Alpha, Luna.” Luca returned to training after talking to Rosa for a few more minutes.

While she watched them train, she thought again; l cannot wait until I can move like that, she mused. Rosa then looked up and saw that training was over, and Luca was heading towards her while drinking his bottle of water. When he reached her, he asked her, “Would you like to have dinner at the hospital in your room or the dining room with the others if you are feeling okay?” Rosa looked at him while thinking about what she wanted to do. Having decided, she tells him, “The dining room, please; l am feel good?” Luca replies, “Alright, l can shower and change in my room, but l think that you might need to borrow some clothes from one of the women since yours are back at the hospital,” he informs her. Rosa agreed with Luca. They kept talking as Luca pushed her chair towards the pack house and arrived twenty minutes later.