Chapter 10 – Time Alone

Selena

After the long drive around town, I felt no more better than before. If anything, my inner turmoil had only worsened the longer I was in Enzo's presence.

And I know I need some time alone.

"Babe, can we stop here for a minute?" I asked as we neared my mother's mansion - the headquarters of the Thorn Queens gang.

Enzo furrowed his brow but pulled up to the secure gate entrance. Two heavyset guards in crisp black suits immediately approached the car, their eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses.

"Everything alright, Mrs. Villanueva?" one of them asked gruffly as Enzo rolled down the window.

I forced a tight smile. "Yes, Gorge. I just need to go inside for a bit, if you don't mind."

The burly man's eyes flickered to Enzo for confirmation. My fiancé nodded curtly and motioned for the gate to be opened.

We drove through the tall, wrought-iron gates. Ahead stood the imposing three-story brick mansion where I grew up - a Georgian-style manor. Lush gardens surrounded the stately home. Guards patrolled along the perimeter walls.

Enzo pulled up to the circular driveway out front, putting the car in park before turning to me with barely concealed worry.

"Bella, are you sure you're fine?" He asked as he squeeze my hand gently. "I can have my driver bring the car around if you need to rest."

I squeezed back, mustering a more convincing smile for his sake. "I'm fine, Enzo, really. I just...I think I need a bit of personal time, you know? To clear my head."

The hurt flashed across his chiseled features before he could mask it. "You're shutting me out again, Selena."

Guilt lanced through me at his accusing words. We'd worked so hard to break down the walls between us, my former demons being the wedge that kept me emotionally distanced. And now some bizarre new inner conflict was driving me to pull away once more.

"I'm sorry," I said thickly, meaning it."I really don't mean to push you away," I said, my voice heavy with confusion. "I'm just... so lost right now, unsure of what's happening inside me. I think I need some space to clear my head before I say or do something I'll regret."

Enzo's expression showed he wanted to protest, but he seemed to reconsider with a resigned sigh. Leaning across the console, he cupped my face tenderly. Our lips met in a searing, passionate kiss, filled with longing and need. When we parted, his eyes searched mine, pleading yet understanding.

At first, I eagerly returned his passion, letting his familiar warmth and scent wash over me.

The harder Enzo held me, an irritating feeling resurfaced, making me reject his touch.

"Mate...mate...mate..." A plaintive cry echoed in my mind, like a siren's call.

I gasped and pulled away, trembling. Enzo stared at me, his eyes shining with hurt and confusion.

"I'm sorry," I whispered again, fighting back tears that threatened to spill over.

For a long moment, he simply stared, his jaw clenched tightly. Then, with an abrupt nod, Enzo opened the trunk and got out to retrieve my overnight bag....

I slid out of the car as he approached, shifting the strap of the duffle higher on my shoulder.

"One of my men will come collect you whenever you're ready," he said gruffly, avoiding eye contact.

"Thank you." My voice was barely audible over the sudden lump in my throat.

After another tense beat, Enzo finally looked up, his gaze softening as he drank in my features with an intensity that made me shiver.

"I love you, Selena," he said simply but with so much fierce conviction. "You know that, don't you? Whatever this is, we'll get through it together, like we always have."

I blinked back tears and managed a tremulous smile, hoping my eyes conveyed the same devotion beneath my tangled emotions.

"I know. I love you too, Enzo. So much." At least I thought that was still true.

With a final, searing look, he turned and climbed back into the sleek black sedan. I watched him peel away down the long driveway, my chest painfully constricted.

What was happening to me? To us?

I let a deep breath, and steady myself as I entered the house, as sweet memories surpassed.

Before I could raise my hand to the ornately carved knocker, the imposing double doors creaked open of their own accord. I froze on the threshold, my heart pounding.

Marco and another guard stood at attention in the marble foyer.

"Welcome home, Mrs. Villanueva," the burly second man greeted gruffly with a deferential nod.

I forced a polite smile, butterflies fluttering in my stomach at being back here after so long.

"Thank you, Luis. Is...is my mother available? I'd like to see her, if she has a moment."

"Of course, ma'am. Right this way."

The two men walked alongside me as I entered, leading me down the main hallway. Each furniture remember me of how I miss home.

Luiz open a door slowly. Despite the grand familiarity surrounding me, apprehension twisted my stomach into knots. This place held so many memories, but it no longer felt like the sanctuary I once knew.

"Mrs. Villanueva? Your daughter is here to see you."

There was a pause before a familiar, cultured voice answered. "Send her in."

With a respectful nod, Luis gestured me inside before shutting the door, leaving me alone. I suddenly felt eight years old again, about to receive a stern lecture.

The elegant office instantly felt familiar - floor-to-ceiling bookshelves along one wall, an imposing mahogany desk as the centerpiece, and two leather sofas forming an intimate sitting area by the fireplace. Just as I remembered from childhood, sketchbooks and design folios were strewn haphazardly across every flat surface, lending a livedin quality to the formal space. A pang of nostalgia tugged at my heart.

And seated behind that imposing desk was my mother herself - Lucia Villanueva, the infamous Thorn Queen.

Despite being in her late fifties, the ruthless leader of Los Angeles' most powerful gang retained a striking presence. Raven hair was swept into an impeccably styled updo, her olive complexion smooth and unblemished, betraying no hint of her age.

"Hello, Mother," I greeted carefully, reminding myself that I was a grown woman and feared crime boss in my own right, not a teenager come to beg for allowance.

"Selena." Her voice was as cool and elegant as I remembered. "It seems you wish to pay us an unexpected visit." Her expression was etched with worry as she studied me.

"What's happened we just make a call in the morning but you didn't mention anything about coming home." My mothers asked, her voice laced with concerned.

"I've been having...a difficult time as of late," I answered vaguely, moving to take a seat across from her desk. "I found myself simply needing to return home, if only for a brief respite."

I paused, bracing myself before breaking the big news. "Mom...Blaze is back."

Her eyes went wide with shock. "Blaze? The shadow alpha? What does that monster want now?"

I shook my head wearily. "I don't know the details yet. But I've been getting these...urges, feelings, ever since he resurfaced. Like my wolf is trying to awaken again."

Mother's expression hardened. "Does he know? About the kids?"

The thought of Blaze discovering my twins, the kids he denied years ago made my blood run cold. "No, no I don't think so. He's been off the radar for years."

She let out a harsh breath, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. "Good. We need to keep it that way at all costs." Her hazel eyes bored into me intently. "You know what kind of unspeakable agony would befall us all if that animal ever learned the truth."

A shudder ripped through me at the mere thought. Mother was right - Blaze could never find out I had his children, after the brutal way he had broken me all those years ago. His depraved lust for dominance would know no bounds.

"Don't worry, I would die before letting him near my babies," I stated with flat conviction, hardening my own resolve. "He's the last ghost from my past I ever wanted to see again."

Mother regarded me appraisingly for a long moment before giving a curt nod of approval. "Good. You were always such a strong spirit, even when that bastard tried to crush you down to nothing."

Her rare praise made me sit a little straighter, the wounded part of me still craving her acceptance after all this time. Mother had taken me in off the streets after I finally escaped Blaze, giving me shelter and purpose with the Thorn Queens when I had nothing left.

"If anyone can overcome this, it's you mija," she continued, surprising me further with the affectionate term she so rarely used. "You clawed your way back from the pits of hell that monster sent you to. This is just another test to prove how far you've risen above your demons."

Hearing the pride and faith in her words made me blink back sudden tears. For so many years, Mother had no other choice but to let me go, aligning myself with the Falcone family sacrificing myself for the Thorn Queens. She always believe in me, and had been my backbone, taken care of my kids that meant the world to me, bit the world can't know about them.

Both Enzo, my fiance and Blaze the twins Father.

Because I they ever find out....