Burned by Rejection (Book 4 of Wolves of Milano )

14. A game of hide and seek

Allegra packs her things in the backpack and rides over to college on the city bus. It’s a different line and there are no people that might know her. She pulls the collar of her jacket up and pushes her hands in the pockets. She only has two classes today, after that she has to slip from the campus unnoticed. Grazia will meet her at the office and give her the keys. She hopes to see them back in Milano soon, but for that they have to find a solution to the problem. Her Uncle needs to die.

‘Where did that thought come from?’ Her wolf inquires.

‘It’s true. He needs to go. Someone has to take him out. Any other wolf would be a better Alpha.’ Allegra answers. 

‘Aunt Marra would be perfect. Not as cute as Elio, but she would make a great Alpha.’ The wolf smirks.

‘Good thinking. But Aunty can’t win a fair fight. She’s not a warrior.’ Allegra tells her. Marra could lead much better, but she has to get the position by election. For that, her Uncle needs to die. And not in a challenge fight. ‘Do you know where we could get the rule book?’

‘Alessio knows. He must, if he invoked the right to fight for his mate. That’s not something we learned in class.’ Her wolf answers.

She leaves through a different door, then she runs over to the library and merges in with the people there. She knows a back way out that leads to a bus stop. She can take that one to the city centre and go wait for Grazia at the agency. Hopefully, it’s audition day and the lobby will be packed full of people. She can’t scent any wolves around, so that means they have no idea where she is. Even if one is waiting by the main entrance to her college, she knows at least three other paths in or out.

The lobby of the agency is packed full of people. She blends in and waits for Grazia to text her. Staying at her apartment will be better than that hostel. Allegra could hide there better. Nobody would look for her in the rich part of town. And the wolves all know Grazia and Alessio are out of town. There is no reason for her to be there. She hopes that nobody else knows about that apartment above the garage.

But first, she needs to convince Susy to let her in the office. If all else fails, she can force the girl. Allegra is much stronger than she looks. 

“Susy? Let me in. I have an appointment with Grazia.” Allegra tells the girl.

“Grazia is not here.” Susy shakes her head.

“She is. She’s expecting me. You know she hates to wait.” Allegra says. She knows for sure that Grazia is here, because she texted her. “Please don’t make a scene. Just let me in.”

“Fine! Just get off of my back. You can see for yourself that she’s not there.” Susy grumbles. The door hits the wall with them both crashing into the office at the same time.

“Oh, but I am.” Grazia laughs. “Susy, let her go!”

“Dear God! When did you come?” Susy exclaims and closes the door fast.

“A few minutes ago.” She muses. “Because of Allega.”

“I’m so grateful you came.” Allegra hugs her and sighs deeply. “Can we talk?”

“Sure. Let’s go to my office.” She whispers softly, closing her office door behind them. Allegra is grateful for Grazia’s privacy rules. A closed door will give them that.

“Hi, Morrana.” Allegra smiles at the goddess that must have brought Grazia here. “How’s Marco?”

“He’s fine. Happy and spending time with his cousins.” Morrana smiles.

Allegra explains her situation and gets the keys from Grazia. She feels bad for the goddess Morrana. She blames herself for the mess, because she let Vito live. They would be better off without him for sure. Can she ask for more ideas? She tells them quickly about all the trouble Vito cooked up for all of them. She leaves out her personal mess with Elio. Nobody needs to know that, but her. 

“Get a hold of Elio.” Grazia tells her. “He was good to me and he helped Alessio win.”

“Do you really think I can trust him?” Allegra looks at her in surprise. Can she act good enough to fool her friend? She hopes that Morrana is not spying on her thoughts right now.

“Yes. He’ll help you.” Grazia nods and smiles.

Elio liked me even before? And my i***t brother knew that? Allegra feels so much rage right now, but all she can do is cry. Grazia is good at consoling her, she knows exactly what to say. But it’s not the same! The inner peace is not achieved. She needs Elio for that and she drove him away. Now Grazia tells her to get Elio. The irony of that is not lost on Allegra. She will call Alessio later. From the safety of her new apartment. She needs to shop for groceries and then she can go hide. What will she do tomorrow when she has to go to work is a problem she can solve when it comes to it.

Sneaking around town is fun, she thinks. She found a small grocery store right there in Grazia’s neighbourhood. She walked in and looked around. The store looks just like any other. The prices are the same as well. Allegra was worried it might be one of those hip new things that sells overpriced organic stuff. She selects a few things from the meat freezer and picks up the bread and jam she likes for breakfast. She has to mind her spending. Grazia said they could talk about the money some other time, but she is not comfortable taking the apartment for free. Even if they get married, Grazia is still her friend and Allegra is not exploiting her friends.

“Hey bro! Nice of you to pick up for once.” Allegra laughs when Alessio answers his phone. She missed him so damn much.

“Are you safe?” He asks her.

“Yeah. Grazia gave me the keys. It’s perfect to hide. No one will suspect me here.” She responds to him. “It’s good to hear your voice.”

“You’re off your meds. I can hear it. How bad is the anxiety?” Alessio inquires.

“Bad. I can hold it together. I promise I will take the meds if I have to.” Alegra says.

“Find Elio. He’ll help you. He owes me one.” Her brother tells her.

“Grazia told me that already.” Allegra scoffs. She can’t tell her brother that she broke his friend's heart. But what if Elio does? She never thought about it. Do they keep in touch? Do they talk? What do men talk about anyway?

-//-

-Crash! - A stack of clean plates hits the kitchen floor. 

-Boom! - the door slams shut on his last nerve.

-Bang! - A pan hits the door.

Elio is fuming with rage. It’s been two days and not one wolf has seen Allegra. Are they all trying to save her from him? Or are they hiding her from Vito? The next thought that comes through his mind is that they are all incompetent. She gave them the slip and vanished. He knows she is still in town. He can feel it, but the bond is broken, so he can’t use it to track her. Did she know it was going to affect him in this way? Did she do it on purpose just to give her a fair chance? Right now, his ability to find her rests solely on his tracking skills. It’s like looking for a human. He has to think of her habits, her daily routine. 

Will she show up for work? Can he wait there and ambush her? He must do something. He read her well the few times he was with her. How does she think? She plans everything. She is precise. She will go somewhere that nobody expects her to be. She told him that she doesn’t want to bring her college friends into this mess, but what about other friends she has? The wolves are not safe, because she doesn’t know who she can trust. She is not with Marra, he would have felt her there. That only leaves her boss and Grazia. 

Vesna is in Castelletto and that is too far away. He deducts that Allegra is not privy to the perks of her boss. He knows from Vittorio that the gods have alternative ways of travelling. She is somewhere with access to city transport. That leaves Grazia. Is it possible that Allegra is there? She could have gotten the keys. It’s a part of town no enforcer would ever search. They probably don’t know about it. Grazia doesn’t have a listed address. Elio only knows it, because he was there.

Maybe he should check it out? He marches out of the kitchen and barks to one of the guys milling around: “Clean up the kitchen. New plates are in the pantry.”

He doesn’t wait for an answer, he doesn’t care for it. It will be done. Riding his bike was a comfort to him in the past. Now, he can only think of the few rides she was with him. He misses her so badly. If he can’t find her, he will get Alessio involved. The guy can talk to her and convince her to give Elio another chance.

He drives around the upper-class neighbourhood. The houses are further apart, the gardens are manicured even in winter and the fences are high enough to give the residents some privacy. He stops at Grazia’s house and listens. There is not a whisper from inside, but someone was here recently. There are fresh tracks on the driveway. A van maybe? Cleaning service, he thinks. Grazia probably didn’t think about cancelling that. Her car is there in front of the house, but he knows she has a garage. The girl was changing bikes a few times. 

Elio rides around the property to the back side. The garage is a two-story building. The upper floor has windows at regular intervals, but all the blinds are down. Like someone doesn’t want to be seen. Is Allegra here and she made a mistake? The main house is all open, not even one blind is down and it’s empty. Why are the blinds down here? He parks his bike and looks for a door. There is no obvious staircase on the outside of the building, so it’s probably inside. The door is locked and the alarm is on. Can it be locked remotely? 

‘You missed the bell. It’s disguised, but it’s still the bell.’ His wolf interrupts his thoughts. He makes Elio look back at the door and the lines in the frame. The bell is inset and painted in the same colour as the doorframe. He takes a chance and rings the bell. 

The door swings open a few moments later and Allegra drags him inside. She doesn’t look happy. He can smell tears and blood. What happened to her? He is not here to lay it on her. He’s just happy he found her. So he does what his wolf demands, he embraces her tightly and lets her cry into his chest. She feels the pain of their damaged bond just as he does. He knows it’s going to take a lot of time for her to accept him, but they don’t have it. Time is a luxury she took away from them by rejecting him. Does she know what it means? Does she know what the consequences of her actions are?

“How did you find me? Who else knows where I am?” She whispers.

“It wasn’t easy, but I know how you think. You gave me enough clues when we talked.” He smiles into her hair. Her scent is calming his wolf. She gives him comfort. “I listen, you know?”

“It doesn’t change anything. We can’t be together.” Allegra shakes her head.

“I thought to convince you to reconsider.” Elio whispers. “Don’t you feel how calm our wolves are when we are together? You are good for me.”

“I can’t do this.” She tells him. “Everyone keeps telling me to get you for help, but they don’t know what I did. They don’t know I don’t deserve you.”

“It’s not about what you deserve.” He smiles at her. “I love you just the way you are.”

“That’s the bond talking. I’ll kill it for you.” Allegra says and he blanches. What is she talking about? There is no way to get rid of the bond. 

“Suicide is not an option. Think of your plans. You can’t be a designer if you’re dead.” Elio looks at her pointedly.

“I’m not the one to die. I can stand some pain. I bet you can too.” She smiles, but her smile is cold. It doesn’t reach her eyes. She is serious when she talks about pain and death.

“What are you planning?” He wonders. He won’t let her do it. He needs her. He loves her. He can’t live without her. Even without the bond, he would know she was the one.

“I will ask Vesna to break the bond for good. The gods can make it go away.” Allegra whispers. “I might lose my wolf in the process, but you will be free of me.”