The Girl who won’t leave his mind

5:00 AM — TRAINING

Before the sun touched the sky, before birds even thought of waking up, Lorenzo Moretti was already outside.

The Moretti Kingdom was still black with night, torches flickering against the castle walls.

Everyone else slept.

But Lorenzo…

He ran.

Twenty laps around the kingdom walls.

Not because he needed to — his wolf was always awake, always alert, always strong —

but because if he didn’t run, the beast inside him paced violently.

His strides were long, powerful, cutting through mist.

Breath even.

Eyes glowing faintly purple-red in the dark.

Every guard on duty bowed when he passed.

The prince.

The future ruler.

The strongest wolf in existence.

Stronger even than Alaric Moretti, his father — the Alpha of every supernatural creature.

But Lorenzo didn’t care about titles.

He cared about control.

And right now, he was failing at that…

Because thoughts of Aria kept slipping into his mind.

Her voice.

Her tiny hands.

Her backless kurti.

Her shy smile.

He growled once, shaking it off, and joined the warriors who were waiting for morning sparring.

They bowed again.

He hated that.

“Ready?” one of them asked nervously.

Lorenzo didn’t answer.

He didn’t need to.

He stepped forward — and the sparring began.

Five warriors at once.

Huge. Strong. Trained.

He defeated them in seconds.

Another round.

Same result.

Not a single drop of sweat.

Just a cold, perfect weapon.

7:00 AM — BREAKFAST WITH PIHU

Inside the palace, warm sunlight finally broke through curtains.

Pihu Moretti sat at the long dining table, sipping her tea peacefully. Her soft brown eyes lit up when she saw her eldest son walking in.

“There you are, my baby.”

Lorenzo’s cold expression… melted.

Only for her.

He walked straight to her, bowed his head slightly, and let her kiss his forehead.

Pihu cupped his cheeks. “You trained again at dawn?”

He nodded.

She sighed dramatically. “You’ll exhaust yourself before classes even start.”

But she smiled anyway — that soft, warm smile that only a mother could give.

“Come here. Your hair…”

Lorenzo sat beside her silently.

Pihu moved behind him, fingers slipping through his thick, messy dark hair.

She carefully pushed strands away from his forehead, smoothing them with gentle strokes.

“Stay still,” she whispered.

He always froze when she did this.

Always let her.

Always leaned into her touch like he was still a child.

She fixed his collar next.

Wiped a smudge of dirt from his jaw with her thumb.

“You look handsome,” she said proudly.

Lorenzo’s lips twitched — the closest thing to a smile.

GETTING READY FOR COLLEGE

He showered, wore a black T-shirt that stretched over his muscles, a jacket, dark jeans, and boots.

Simple.

Deadly.

When he stepped out of the palace, the guards straightened instantly.

The Moretti Prince was ready.

But his mind wasn’t on training anymore.

It was on a tiny girl who swung her legs and wore dangerously loose backless kurtis.

THE CROWD… AND HER HAND

College hallways always flooded with students during morning rush.

Lorenzo walked through, towering above all of them, and the crowd parted automatically.

Then it happened.

A small hand reached out.

Soft. Warm.

And wrapped around his.

Aria.

She didn’t even look up.

She was too busy trying not to fall while being pushed by the crowd.

She held onto Lorenzo’s huge hand like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Lorenzo…

Stopped walking.

Everything inside him froze.

His wolf went silent.

Breathing heavy.

Heart pounding way too fast.

Her hand was tiny in his.

Soft against his rough palm.

When she finally looked up—

“Oh—Lorenzo! I—I didn’t know it was you! I just grabbed—because the crowd—and—”

She tried to pull her hand away.

He didn’t let go.

For one long second, he held it tighter.

Then he released slowly, eyes dark.

Everyone in the hallway had seen.

Aria holding Lorenzo Moretti’s hand.

And him letting her.

People whispered.

But then came her kurti.

Today’s was backless too — but worse.

More revealing.

The strap thinner.

The cut deeper.

Lorenzo’s jaw clenched so hard he nearly cracked a tooth.

His voice came out sharp.

“Aria. Come with me.”

She blinked. “Why—?”

He didn’t let her finish.

He grabbed her wrist gently but firmly and guided—no, dragged—her to a quieter hallway.

Her heart raced.

His wolf snarled.

“Don’t,” he said, eyes burning into hers, “don’t ever wear something that can fall open again.”

Aria looked down, flustered. “I… always wear kurtis like this…”

Lorenzo’s breathing got heavier.

He wasn’t angry at her.

He was angry at every guy who stared at her.

“Just—stop,” he muttered, stepping closer.

“For today. For now. Until I can—”

He stopped himself.

“Until you can what?” Aria whispered.

He said nothing.

Because the truth was terrifying even to him:

Until I can deal with what I’m feeling.

THAT NIGHT — THE PALACE

Lorenzo went home late, trying to bury his thoughts in training again.

Didn’t work.

In the palace hall, Pihu, Alaric, Luca, and Aurelio were sitting together.

Aurelio was the first to notice.

“Bro? Why do you look like you lost a fight to your own thoughts?”

Luca raised a brow.

Alaric’s lips twitched, unimpressed.

Pihu studied Lorenzo carefully.

“You didn’t eat,” she said softly.

“You didn’t speak.

And your eyes… they’re unfocused.”

Lorenzo said nothing.

He walked past them.

Straight to his room.

But he didn’t sleep.

He couldn’t.

His wolf kept whispering the same name all night.

Aria.

Aria.

Aria.

And for the first time in his life, the strongest wolf in the kingdom…

Felt weak.

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