Plans for their home

Author's note: This is from Seraphina's point of view

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We reached the restaurant, and Duke was waiting at the entrance.

My breath hitched at the sight of the most handsome man on the planet. My Duke.

The custom-tailored suit was a giveaway of his enviable financial status, and it didn't hide his impressive physique.

Tall, broad shoulders, his torso forming a majestic V, and his legs are long and toned with just the right amount of muscles. The tightness of the shirt over the swell of his chest spoke volumes about the firm landscape under the thin fabric. Mouthwatering.

He stood on the street with his hands stuck in the pockets of his pants while gazing into the distance with his enchanting blue eyes. The slightly messy brown hair with streaks of auburn only enhanced the visual.

To say that he is the cause of many wet dreams is not an exaggeration.

Duke was completely unaware of all the enamored gazes he attracted. One woman nearly tripped on her feet while passing by him, and a throng of waitresses was bunched at the window of the restaurant and elbowing each other while their lecherous gazes traveled over every centimeter of MY Duke!

I will gauge their eyes out. How dare they?

As soon as Mitch opened the door for me, Duke picked up my scent, and his head whipped in my direction.

It took a split second for his endlessly blue eyes to meet mine, and Duke's lips broke into a smile that made my knees go weak. I love that smile. I love everything about Duke.

An unexpected breeze brought me Duke's scent of pine trees with a dash of the ocean. My favorite scent.

Duke approached me without breaking eye contact, and my heart skipped a beat. Damn, he is handsome! That's my Alpha.

Duke reached for my hand and our fingers interlaced naturally.

"Hey…", he called, the vibration of his deep voice sent a pulse of need down my stomach.

"Hey…", I responded and got on my toes to kiss him.

I had no intention of holding back and I didn't care that we were on the street. We are grownups and it's not a secret that we are dating, and those waitresses can drown in their jealousy because this hunk is MINE!

Duke's free hand snaked around my waist, pulling me closer and making me feel the bulge in his groin area that confirmed I'm not the only needy one among the two of us.

Duke gave me a few short kisses, and his furrowed brows told me that he wanted more. Much more.

"Six more days.", he murmured, his minty breath splashing against my lips.

"Five, if we fly to Japan.", I said, and Duke's eyebrows shoot up. I think he liked the idea. Every minute counts.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Orsini.", Zoe and Luca greeted in unison with knowing smiles. The sibling duo is used to us being lovey-dovey.

"Ash didn't come?", Zoe asked with disappointment in her voice.

Duke greeted the youngsters and responded to Zoe's question, "Ash said that he is running behind on some tasks and needs to catch up. His lunch plans are grabbing something from the deli and eating at his desk. I thought that he contacted you."

Zoe's smile didn't reach her eyes. "It's OK. I know that he is busy. Ash loves his work." She hooked her arm around Luca's and looked at me. "Can we go inside?"

"Go ahead, the reservation is in your name.", I responded.

"Shal we go inside also?", Duke asked.

I glanced around, but I didn't see one face I was looking for.

"What about Seb?", I responded with an answer.

"He told me that he is running about ten minutes late and that we can start without him."

Duke and I took our seats and ordered drinks and appetizers.

They didn't have private rooms, but half-walls and strategically placed tall plants provided a sense of privacy.

Duke and I held hands while discussing our future home which is being built.

Well, not exactly built because the mansion was there for centuries, but it's being fixed up to remove traces caused by decade-long deterioration caused by neglect, hooligans, and thieves.

That was Duke's childhood home and at the same time, the packhouse of the Bluemoon pack, the largest pack of werewolves in Europe.

Damiano Testa, Duke's father was the Supreme Alpha, the king of werewolves, and as such he had many adversaries. He was a powerful man, with a mighty army of werewolves, so no one dared to oppose him openly, but there were forces working in the shadows, plotting and scheming, and Duke is a victim of one of those schemes.

Someone poisoned Duke when he was a child, causing Duke's wolf to go into a deep sleep, and based on the rules of how creatures should be hidden, Duke grew up as young master Mateo, believing that his father is just a successful businessman.

The war for power turned violent, Duke's mother was killed, and when Duke was fourteen years old, his father sent him to London with the Shaman of the Bluemoon pack, aka Sergio. Duke got a passport with the name Drago Orsini with instructions on how he should conceal his true identity and never return to Italy.

That was more than eleven years ago, and since then, Duke found out the truth of his heritage and he started reclaiming what should be rightfully his by birth, starting with the assets that belonged to his father.

Other than the mansion, Duke purchased a massive land that was the core territory of the Bluemoon pack, and it came with a town. Unfortunately, the town is now deserted because the Bluemoon pack perished in the war for power, splitting into numerous smaller packs that are scraping to get by.

The society of werewolves is now a far cry from what it was when Damiano ruled them.

Some individuals labeled themselves as Alphas and they created the 'Main Route' which is something like a council of werewolves formed for the purpose of collaboration and maintaining order.

Duke has no intention of reclaiming the throne. For him, this is not about werewolves and the struggle for power among creatures. For Duke, this is about family as he is trying to collect the pieces that are left behind by his broken childhood, and I support him wholeheartedly.

Duke and I love talking about our future home, and I find it therapeutic. During these moments, we are just a couple who is planning our lives together, and it provides normalcy in our otherwise hectic lives that are filled with various creatures and shady characters who want our secrets (and probably our lives).

The construction is nearly completed, and we picked most of the furniture, but there is still a lot to do.

I need to start placing protective arrays, and Duke will set up a high-tech surveillance system. We don't trust outsiders with these.

Once the mansion and the security are in place, we can officially move in.

There is a separate building for staff that used to host Omegas of the Bluemoon pack, but since Duke and I don't plan to have our pack of werewolves, we will hire professional helpers.

From my existing staff, Maria, who works as my personal maid for the last three years, expressed her desire to follow me.

I told Zeiroi about the vast forest that is surrounding the mansion and the elf was happy when I told him that he can work as a gardener. I found him in a dungeon where he spent a decade using his ability to transfer magic, and that made him fear dark and enclosed spaces. Zeiroi loves the outdoors.

Mitch also said that he will be at our disposal, so with him, we have a driver, and that makes it three.

There is a helipad behind the mansion, and Duke wants to buy a helicopter and ask Mitch to give him flying lessons. Duke always liked to do things by himself, driving included.

I decided to keep the layout of the mansion how it was when Duke's parents lived there.

Duke and I will occupy the third floor that has the master suite, four additional bedrooms, two offices (one for Duke and one for me), a private library, and two massive flex areas that are yet to find their purpose.

Luca and Zoe will definitely move into the mansion, and we gave them each a suite in the East wing, on the second floor. Ash will also get a suite there, but he will split his time between London and our home.

There is a number of other bedrooms and suites on the second floor that will be left for our future guests.

The main floor is for common areas and entertainment, which include a music room, a sunroom, a dining room, a kitchen, a lounge, and a grand hall which is perfect for parties. There will also be a gym and an underground garage.

The basement level has additional rooms, a modernized lab, and underground passages connect to the dungeon and several other buildings that are nearby.

Will we ever use the dungeon? I have no idea, but it's definitely cool to have one.

There is a number of secret rooms and passages, and I plan to set up a portal that will connect to my lab in Genoa. I'm super excited about this and a bit nervous because this will be my first attempt to set up a portal.

Sergio will also be on the property, but he will have his own five-bedroom villa that is nicely nestled in the forest which provides privacy, not too far from our mansion. There, Sergio can focus on his garden and whatever else he wants.

Pio and his group of forty-one werewolves whom we found when we visited the property the first time are also there, but much further away, so it's not certain if we will see them at all. So far, they didn't cause any issues, and they actually captured several intruders which earned them a promise from Duke that construction workers will look at their cabins and help with any repairs that might be needed.

Other than plans for our new home, Duke and I had several discussions related to the now-abandoned town.

The passage of time left visible marks on buildings and streets that were not used in a decade, and I feel sorry to demolish it completely, yet without people, even if we invest in fixing it up, it will be no more than a tourist attraction. Some of the werewolves that are in Pio's group told us that they would be willing to move into town, but that is only a handful of people.

Duke and I agree how it's a pity to clean up the site and let the town be forgotten with time, but we also know that doing it halfway won't achieve anything while reviving the whole town only to have it empty will be a waste of money.

We decided to keep this decision for after we move into our new home.

"I apologize for being late…"

Sebastian joined us at the table, signifying that our 'normal period' was over, and we were back to business.

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Note from the author: Check the comments section for photos of characters!

You can find more photos on my discord: https://discord.gg/cFaejHB

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