Book 1 – The Lycan’s Curse Beast mode

Giuseppe knew he had to do it for the greater good. He wanted to distance himself from Aliyah and the others, believing that his presence had already brought them enough trouble. The pain he felt was unbearable, and he knew that to protect them, he had to make a choice he would later regret. He turned off his humanity and headed to Meteora City to drown his sorrows in reckless abandon.

Back at the manor, Alastair and the others returned to find Aliyah sobbing at the dining table. Rio rushed to her side, concern etched across her face.

“What happened?” Alastair asked, his voice filled with urgency.

“He left me,” Aliyah replied, wiping her tears away. Rio wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace.

“I need to talk to him,” Rio said firmly, brushing her fingers against Aliyah’s cheeks. The others looked at her in awe, surprised by her determination.

“Why? What happened?” Alastair pressed again. Aliyah took a shaky breath and recounted everything.

Meanwhile, Giuseppe found himself in a fight club, surrounded by the harsh lights and the roar of the crowd. He quickly sensed that none of the fighters were human; they were wolves and vampires, some restrained in chains, others locked away in large cages. A smirk crept across his face as he took a swig of whiskey. After finishing the drink, he stepped into the ring and brutally dispatched two fighters, leaving the crowd in stunned silence.

Suddenly, a stoic grumpy man look at the vampire they had previously abducted standing at the ring drinking whiskey, he stood up angrily, shattering a glass with his bare hand. Panic surged through the crowd as several men transformed into gigantic werewolves. Giuseppe, unfazed, danced away from their attacks, a playful smirk on his lips.

“Not fast enough,” he taunted. The man transformed into a Lycan, towering over the rest, but Giuseppe felt no fear. He drained the energy of a Lycan that lunged at him, attempting to behead it with his sharp claws, but his claws couldn’t penetrate their thick skin. He resorted to tapping their bodies repeatedly with his full speed until they slowly dropped to the ground, unconscious.

Finally, only their Alpha remained. The last Lycan charged at him, but Giuseppe grabbed its furry hands, trying to drain its energy. This Lycan was different-stronger than the others. With agile movements, Giuseppe evaded its strikes and continued to tap its body relentlessly. It took him five grueling minutes, but he finally knocked it down. The lycans shifted back to their human form unconcious. Giuseppe smirked and slipped away, snagging a whiskey from the bar on his way out. But a sudden thought stopped him. He sighed as he made his way back inside.

As he roamed the city, the thirst for blood gnawed at him. He couldn’t resist the urge any longer. He bit into the necks of random passersby, drinking deeply until they fell unconscious but not dead. He left a little of his own blood in their mouths, knowing they would wake up as newborn vampires once they regained consciousness. A satisfied smirk crossed his face as he considered the chaos he had sown. By the end of the night, he had drained nine people before returning home.

Once inside, he headed straight for the bathroom. . As the water cascaded over him, the image of Aliyah invaded his thoughts. He shook his head violently, trying to dispel the memories, and tossed his bloody suit into the trashcan, burying the remnants of his humanity along with it.

Rio marched purposefully to the Sarnataro residence, determination set in his jaw. Michele greeted him with surprise, his expression quickly shifting to curiosity.

“Hey, what’s up? Giuseppe’s upstairs. Do you need something?” Michele asked, glancing toward the staircase.

“Yeah, I need to talk to him,” Rio replied, his voice steady. He climbed the stairs, finding Giuseppe casually buttoning his suit, droplets of water still glistening in his hair. Giuseppe looked up and winked at Rio, a playful smirk dancing on his lips.

“What do you want from me?” he said cockily, a glint of mischief in his eyes. “She is all yours already.”

“Follow me,” Rio commanded, turning sharply and disappearing into the shadows of the woods.

Once they were alone, the atmosphere grew tense. “Why did you hurt her?!” Rio’s voice cracked with fury, his anger palpable.

Giuseppe rolled his eyes, unfazed. “Excuse me?! She hurt herself, not me.”

“You made her fall in love and gave her false hope,” Rio shot back bitterly, his eyes flashing dark red, a warning sign of his growing frustration.

“Then what am I supposed to do?” Giuseppe retorted, waving his hand dismissively. “I don’t like her, she’s all yours. Why should I stick around when everyone’s hating me-especially you? You all treat me like I’m some kind of disease!”

“Do you even love her?” Rio asked, lowering his voice, searching for sincerity in Giuseppe’s response.

“I don’t,” Giuseppe answered, his tone sharp. Rio’s brows furrowed, disbelief washing over his features.

“Do you want me to ask you the hard way?” Rio challenged, crossing his arms.

“Go on! Torture me, torment me, or kill me if that’s what you want!” Giuseppe yelled, frustration spilling over. “What did I do to deserve this? Why everyone is giving me pain? “

“Shut the fuck up!” Rio shot back, his voice echoing through the trees. “Just answer me!”

Giuseppe took a deep breath, his voice dropping to a whisper. “I can’t love her anymore.”

Rio’s eyes soften. “What kind of man that you are? She loves you,”

“I give up already,” they both said in unison, frustration etched across their faces.

“She is all yours already!” they echoed again, the weight of their words hanging heavily in the air.

“Fuck!” they both exclaimed simultaneously, the tension between them unresolved and charged, a battlefield of emotions lingering in the silence of the woods.

“Come on buddy, talk to her.” Rio said with a stern look. Giuseppe rolled his eyes and sighs.

As Rio and Giuseppe approached the edge of Blaze’s territory, a palpable tension hung in the air.

“Come inside,” Rio prompted, his tone firm but inviting.

Giuseppe shook his head, a hint of exasperation in his eyes. “You forgot that you put a goddamn barrier around this place. I can’t go any further without getting zapped.”

Rio sighed, crossing his arms. “We didn’t totally forbid you from entering the barrier. The only thing stopping you is your true desire for Aliyah. You need to be truthful to her. You have to decide now if you want to be with her for eternity or not.”

Giuseppe’s eyes widened, the weight of Rio’s words sinking in. “Things happen in an instant; who knows what will happen next?” A sudden realization struck him, and he took a step forward, crossing into the territory successfully. He glanced back at Rio, who stared at him, dumbfounded.

“I already decided not long ago that I can’t be with her forever. I can’t love her anymore. I was truthful about my decision, even if my heart contradicted me. But I made my choice without a doubt,” Giuseppe declared, his voice steady despite the turmoil inside.

When Giuseppe reached Aliyah’s room, he found her peacefully sleeping. He settled at the edge of the bed, his gaze lingering on her serene face. A bittersweet smile tugged at his lips; he knew he had made his final decision. Just as he turned to leave, he heard her soft voice call his name.

“Giuseppe,” Aliyah murmured, and he rushed back into the room instantly.

She wrapped her arms around him tightly, and he returned the embrace, feeling the warmth of her presence.

“I thought you weren’t going to come back,” she whispered, her voice laced with vulnerability.

“I came back as a friend, not as a lover,” Giuseppe said softly, his heart heavy with the truth he had to share.

“Best friend forever?” Aliyah asked, a playful chuckle escaping her lips.

Giuseppe laughed, the sound mingling with the bittersweet atmosphere. “Forever,” he replied, pinching her nose gently.

As he pulled away, a sense of relief washed over him. They had chosen friendship, a decision that would shape the course of their lives moving forward.