CHAPTER 80
MATTEO
TEETH BEHIND THE SMILE
Alessandro de Luca’s territory pressed in on me the moment I crossed the final boundary line. My wolf felt it first, hackles lifting under my skin, a low warning rumble settling in my chest. This wasn’t just land. It was claimed. Saturated with dominance, layered with scent marks so old and deliberate they felt carved into the air itself. Alessandro didn’t just rule this place. He branded it. He chose the meeting spot carefully. Of course he did.
Not the main fortress. Not the public halls where packs gathered and postured. He brought me to a private estate tucked deeper into the territory, surrounded by dense forest and stone walls that hummed faintly with warding runes. Subtle. Expensive. Effective.
I was escorted inside without ceremony. Two
