Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Leila’s POV
Old memories stirred as I stared up at the observatory, a Diet Coke in one hand, and a bag of Popeyes Cajun Chips with ketchup in the other.
It was always a long walk to the rooftop—long and borderline suicidal.
The railings on the stairs were still shaky, threatening to give way with every step.
But I didn’t mind. This was probably the most adventurous thing I’d done in five years, and I was strapped into my most comfortable sneakers.
I took a breath and began the climb. By the time I reached the top, I was panting. Thank goodness for the chilled Coke in my hand.
The steel door groaned as I pushed it open and stepped onto the rooftop. The wind hit me instantly—sharp, cool, biting—but I welcomed the sting.
Everything looked mostly the same. The broken dome overhead, maybe more shattered than before. The rusted telescope that used to point to the stars now sat in pieces, its parts neatly arranged in the corner.
I walked to the edge. The railing groaned faintly under my weight as I leaned against it. From up here, the city looked far away. Even the noise dulled beneath the hum of the wind. High. Quiet. Hidden. A place above everything.
I sat at the edge of the rooftop, swinging my legs as I ate my chips and drank, letting the nostalgia wash over me.
I didn’t hear the footsteps at first. But when I felt the air shift, I knew I wasn’t alone anymore.
Nobody ever came up here. Then again, I hadn’t been here in five years, so maybe things had changed.
Either way, I needed to be sure I wasn’t about to be walked in on by someone with a mental issue. Or worse, a serial killer.
My gaze darted around, landing on a jagged piece of the rusted telescope. I grabbed it like a weapon and pressed myself behind the door, holding my breath.
Then I smelled it. Faint at first. But familiar.
My wolf stirred, snapping awake like she’d been doused in ice water. She pressed against my skin, restless, pacing. I tensed, my heart kicking hard against my chest. No. It couldn’t be—
The door opened and my breath caught when I saw who stepped through.
Luca.
Of course it was him.
Because the universe had a sick sense of humor.
Because just once, just once, I’d wanted a quiet moment to myself without him crashing into it like a storm I hadn’t prepared for.
My chest tightened. My wolf pushed against me again, whining, desperate, like she couldn’t understand why we were still standing there, frozen, instead of running to him.
He turned abruptly at the sense of someone nearby, and when his eyes landed on me, they widened slightly. “Leila! What are you—”
“Are you following me?” I asked, still holding up the jagged metal like I was ready to strike.
He blinked, eyes trailing the weapon in my hand, one brow lifting. “Why are you holding that?”
Only then did I realize how ridiculous I looked. I lowered the metal. “I thought you might be a serial killer.”
His other brow lifted. “A serial killer? In Manhattan?”
I scoffed. “Because you know everybody in Manhattan?”
I dusted my palms off and folded my arms across my chest. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“And what question is that?”
“Did you follow me here, Luca? Are you watching me?”
didn’t reply right away. Just tugged one side of his mouth into that lopsided smile of his while his gaze swept over me, quick, but maddening. And if I was being honest, kind of thrilling.
“You say that like you enjoy the idea of me watching you,” he said.
My brows shot up. I knew what he was implying, and I wouldn’t even blame him. I had the composure of a wolf shifter in heat whenever he was within ten feet of me.
“I didn’t say it like anything,” I snapped. “I said it like a question—which is all it was. So, get whatever disgusting notion that just crawled into your head, out.”
His grin widened. “I couldn’t even if I wanted to.”
He turned his back, and only then did I exhale a breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding.
“Relax, Leila. I didn’t even know you were in Manhattan. I usually come here once in a while to…clear my head.”
He still came here?
Luca trudged toward where I was sitting, and without so much as a word, dropped to sit and reached into the bag for a chip.
“Hey! Get away from my food!”
I moved back to my seat, beside him, snatching the bag away.
Luca chuckled. “Come on, Leila. I’ve always known you to love sharing.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve changed. Go get your own. Besides, you could buy the entire Popeyes franchise if you wanted.”
He laughed, light and easy. And somehow, I found myself laughing too.
The sound surprised me—us, even. I quickly caught myself, and stopped laughing. I couldn’t let my guard down around him.
I slid the bag back between us, almost without thinking, and after a quick, appreciative glance, Luca dipped his hand in for another chip.
We ate in a quiet kind of comfort, eyes on the city. But inside, there was nothing quiet about the way I felt.
His scent surrounded me, familiar and maddening. My wolf whimpered, restless, clinging to the nearness of our Mate. But I couldn’t afford to fall into that trap again. Not with everything he still didn’t and shouldn’t know. Not with his wedding weeks away. There was too much at stake this time.
“So, what are you doing in Manhattan?” Luca’s voice broke the silence as he reached for another chip.
“I came by my father’s house,” I said, keeping it simple at first. But something loosened in me, and before I could stop it, I was saying more than I planned to.
“My father’s realtor called to say the rent’s overdue.
Said I either come pack up or they’ll box everything and send it to lost and found. So…I came to clear out the house.”
“I was sorry to hear about your father,” he said quietly.
I turned to him with a small smile. “Thank you.”
I stared ahead at the sky. It wasn’t a starry night.
But my eyes counted and traced the stars as the wind stirred gently around us, tugging at a loose strand of hair across my cheek.
From up here, the city felt far away, everything felt distant.
There was something steadying about it, something that made it easier to breathe. Easier to talk.
“I wish I could keep the house,” I murmured, almost to myself.
My gaze drifted past the edge of the rooftop. “It’s old. Falling apart. No one’s lived in it for over a year. Keeping it would mean repairs, rent, and other costs I probably shouldn’t be worrying about right now.” I shook my head lightly. “It’s not practical.”
I gave a quiet chuckle, tucking the loose strand of hair behind my ear. “I don’t expect you to understand.”
Silence settled in.
Luca didn’t speak right away. When he finally did, his voice was quiet. “You’re wrong. I know what it’s like to want to hold on to something…even when you think you shouldn’t.”
I looked at him. I could sense it—the Fated Mate bond—like a thread stitching itself back together, tighter. Every time he was near, every moment we spent together, the bond grew stronger. And it terrified me.
His eyes were still fixed on the city below, but they’d dimmed, clouded with something I couldn’t quite name.
“I get it. Some things…they carry too much emotional weight to throw away. Even if we don’t need them anymore. Even if keeping them doesn’t make sense.”
He was quiet for a moment, his fingers brushing the edge of the chip bag, like he was considering whether to keep talking. After a moment, he continued.
“I still have this silver locket my mother gave me on my ninth birthday. I had my first shift that same day. I was terrified…in pain. It felt like every single bone in my body had shattered. But my father didn’t care.
He was only concerned about the kind of wolf I’d become.
That’s all he saw. Not the boy who was hurting.
Not the fact that it was my birthday.” He paused, his jaw tightening.
“That night, my mother came into my room and gave me the locket. She said she’d been saving it for my first shift, and since it came early, she gave it to me then.
Said it would help me feel less alone during the change.
Honestly…I think it was more psychological than anything.
It didn’t stop the pain. But every time I shifted, I held onto it.
And when I did, I always felt her with me. ”
He exhaled. “The locket doesn’t work anymore, the compass part broke a long time ago, but I’ve still kept it.”
“Why?” I asked softly.
Luca pursed his lips before turning to me.
“Honestly…I don’t know. After she left without a word, I was angry.
My father cleared out all her things, like she’d never existed.
Victor gave up everything she’d ever given him— toys, gifts, letters.
So did I. I let go of everything…except the locket.
And at the time, I thought keeping it was pointless.
But one day I thought I’d lost it, I went into full panic.
Turns out, Victor had hidden it just to mess with me.
I ransacked the whole house looking for it.
When I finally found it in his room, I broke his nose. ”
He chuckled quietly, then looked at me. “So no, Leila. I don’t think it’s ridiculous that you still want to keep the house. I understand. Completely.”
I smiled at him. It felt natural, this conversation. Effortless. Like the times we used to talk. Like when I could say whatever I was thinking and he wouldn’t judge me. It felt…safe.