The Wolf's Bride, page 1
The Wolf’s Bride
Silveri Sisters
Book 4
R. L. Medina
Copyright © 2023 by R. L. Medina, Moon Dragon Books
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
For Anthony. It will always be you.
Contents
List of Characters
1. The Stranger
2. The Return
3. A Chance of Fate
4. Goodbyes
5. An Adventure
6. A Surprise
7. Angelo’s Secret
8. The Truth
9. Another Surprise
10. Moonlight Inn
11. The Witch
12. Terra Dei Destini
13. The Festival of Lights
14. The Wolves Return
15. The Enchanted Forest
16. Serafina’s Quest
17. Angelo’s Quest
18. The Way Out
19. The Question
20. The Journey Home
21. The Welcome Home
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Also by R. L. Medina
About the Author
List of Characters
People (and animals) of Zamerra
* * *
Signora Gloria Silveri (Mama)
The matriarch of the Silveri family. She is a seer who arrived in Zamerra with her five daughters and no husband. Meddlesome at times, she will do anything for her girls.
* * *
Alessia Silveri
The oldest of the Silveri daughters. Unlike her sisters, she has no magic, but she is the only one who can hear the enchanted villa speak. She is married to Massimo Gallo, a half-fae count, making her the Contessa of Zamerra and surrounding region. Niccolò is their son.
* * *
Liliana Silveri
The second oldest of the Silveri daughters. Her magic skill is with brewing potions and performing spells. She is married to the warlock, Dante Lazzaro, and runs the Apothecary in town. They have one daughter, Isabella.
* * *
Pamina Silveri
The third oldest and middle child of the Silveri family. She has baking magic and also makes the best, magical caffé. She is married to the half-goblin, Lorenzo, and just gave birth to twins, Dario and Camilla.
* * *
Serafina Silveri (‘Fina’)
The fourth daughter in the Silveri family. She can talk to and command animals.
* * *
Fiorella Silveri (‘Ella’)
The youngest Silveri sister. She has plant and earth magic which she struggles to control at times.
* * *
Angelo Rossi
The third oldest Rossi brother. An extrovert, he is often the spokesman for his family and has a fondness for Serafina Silveri.
* * *
Count Massimo Gallo
The half-fae count who would rather sit in his favorite chair with a book than make public speeches. He fell in love with the oldest Silveri sister, Alessia.
* * *
Dante Lazzaro
Massimo’s best friend and skilled warlock. He helps his wife Liliana run the Apothecary.
* * *
Lorenzo Bartoli
Pamina’s half-goblin husband who helps her run the bakery.
* * *
Salvatore Rossi
The Silveri’s neighbor and friend. He is married to Adriano, a faun, and is the oldest of the Rossi brothers.
* * *
Adriano Rossi
Salvatore’s faun husband. An introvert, he prefers to stay home and throw dinner parties. Heir to an enormous fortune, he and his husband are able to enjoy their quiet life just outside of Zamerra.
* * *
Other characters:
Signora and Signor Rossi
Angelo’s parents. They run a goat and horse farm outside of Zamerra.
* * *
Raffaello Rossi
The second oldest Rossi brother. He is quiet and reserved, taking after his father. He will inherit the Rossi’s goat and horse farm.
* * *
Marco Rossi
The youngest of the Rossi family. He helps his brothers on their farm.
* * *
Padre Leonardo
Priest of Zamerra’s only church.
* * *
Ometta
Liliana’s owl familiar.
* * *
Bruno
The Silveri’s house elf.
* * *
Gio
The scrappy little dog that has become a part of the cat gang that lives in the Silveri’s yard.
* * *
Nonna Fabiola
The mysterious witch and owner of the Moonlight Inn.
* * *
Signor Vallejo
A visitor who passes through Zamerra, who turns out to be more than he appears.
Chapter 1
The Stranger
Serafina
The smell of fresh caffé and sugary fried bomboloni filled Serafina’s lungs as she stepped inside her sister’s bakery. A gust of cold air followed her and clung to her well-worn shawl. Stomping her boots on the little rug, she looked around the crowded parlor.
Not a table was empty. That was to be expected at lunch hour. Though bakery items were their specialty, Lorenzo and Pamina had recently added soup to their menu and the townsfolk were ravenous for it. That was also to be expected when it came to her sister’s magical cooking.
Voices drifted around Serafina as she made her way to the chimenea in the corner. She nodded in response to the friendly waves and ignored the scowls that followed her. People didn’t find her ‘as sweet as pie’ or ‘lovely in face and temperament’ like Pamina. She had a different reputation and description. ‘Witchy’ and ‘quarrelsome’ were the most common.
Warming her hands in front of the wood-burning chimenea, Serafina sighed. Were Mamma and Fiorella wondering why she hadn’t returned to their villa yet? She could neglect her duties for only so long. Her lip curled at the thought of the list of chores awaiting her. One would think with an enchanted home, there would be no house work. Sadly, that wasn’t the case.
“Fina! What are you doing here?” A familiar voice cut through the noise.
Serafina turned to find her oldest sister, Alessia, entering the bakery with her husband, Massimo, in tow.
Everyone fell silent. Some of the customers shot out of their chairs to bow and curtsy before Massimo and Alessia, their Count and Contessa. Poor Massimo reddened like a beet at the attention, from his cheeks to the pointed tips of his ears. After five years of reigning as count, you would think the half-fae would be accustomed to the fuss.
“Where is Nico? Did you leave him with—” Serafina stopped suddenly. A stranger stood beside her sister and Massimo. A middle-aged man with a wolfish smile and eyes nearly as dark as Serafina’s own. He removed his hat and inclined his head toward her politely.
“Nico is with Mamma and Fiorella. They were waiting for you to return so they could start clearing out the pantry,” Alessia said, following Serafina’s gaze. “Oh, forgive me. This is Signor Vallejo. He’s passing through Zamerra and was looking for the best place to have lunch. Signore, this is my younger sister Serafina Silveri.” Alessia made the introductions.
“Lovely to meet you, signorina. The Contessa has told me great things about your caffé.” The man replied, his voice deep and accented.
There was something off about him that Serafina couldn’t put her finger on. Something different apart from his speech and fancy traveling suit.
“Oh, no. My apologies. This bakery belongs to my other sister and her husband,” Alessia quickly explained, face reddening nearly as much as Massimo’s.
Signor Vallejo’s eyes darted to the counter where Lorenzo was busy taking orders. “Ah. I see. My apologies. Her husband… would that be the… goblin?”
The stranger’s nose crinkled slightly. A reaction that made Serafina bristle.
“Do you have a problem with goblins, Signore?” She asked hotly.
Alessia shot her a warning look. Serafina knew that look well. Unlike her older sisters, she wasn’t gifted with diplomacy nor decorum as Pamina called it. To put it bluntly, Serafina couldn’t keep her mouth shut.
Signor Vallejo met her glare, lip twitching up in amusement. “No. Not goblins particularly. It’s witches that usually give me trouble.”
Alessia stiffened, eyes meeting Serafina’s. She placed a hand on her bulging belly with a frown. Though she didn’t have magic she was just as much of a witch as Serafina, their mother and their three sisters.
“I trust you won’t find any trouble here in Zamerra. Will you, Signore?” Massimo spoke up, an edge in his tone that made it clear it wasn’t a question.
At this, Lorenzo glanced up from the counter, bushy brows furrowed. As a half-goblin, Serafina’s brother-in-law stood impossibly tall and broad chested. She smiled at the thought of him hoisting the arrogant stranger right off his feet and throwing him out the door. The day could use some excitement.
Everyone in the bakery turned to watch their exchange, their soup and pastries forgotten. In the back, someone coughed, the noise echoing loudly in the silence.
Gaze shifting uncomfortably, the man raised his arm in an appeasing gestur
“Well then, you’ve come to the right place. Please have a seat and I’ll be right with you,” Pamina’s bright voice cut in.
Serafina turned to see her sister emerge from the back room, a weary expression on her pretty face. Before she could make her way over to them, Lorenzo left the counter to stop her and whispered something. He was probably telling her she should go back and rest. As a new mother, Pamina was supposed to be taking some time off from the bakery and leave most of the work to Lorenzo.
“Seeing as there are no seats available and I’m just passing through, I believe I’ll take mine for the road,” Signor Vallejo said, flashing Pamina his wolfish smile.
“I believe that’s for the best,” Serafina agreed with a nod.
“Fina.” Alessia gave her a tight smile, a warning in her eyes.
Her sister motioned for the stranger to follow her through the crowd and toward the marble counter. “Where did you say you were heading, Signore?”
“Savoli.”
Serafina stopped suddenly, a familiar pinch in her chest.
Massimo, bringing up the rear, frowned. “Oh, isn’t that where…” he let his voice trail off at his wife’s warning look.
Alessia turned her attention to Serafina, face softening in sympathy. She looked as if she thought Serafina would faint at the news. Serafina scowled. If her sister thought she was still pining for that miserable dolt Angelo, she was wrong. Dead wrong.
“Yes. That’s where Angelo Rossi is. Or was. I haven’t heard from him in years so there’s no telling where he is now,” Serafina said with a shrug.
Alessia eyed her warily. “He’s still there, I believe. He writes to Salvatore sometimes.” She glanced at Signor Vallejo. “Oh, forgive us. Angelo is an old family friend. He left about five years ago to help his Uncle on his farm. The rest of his family still lives here.”
Serafina bit back a snort. Angelo was no friend of hers. As children, they’d been rivals, always playing pranks on each other and bickering. It was one of those pranks that had gotten Serafina permanently expelled from the schoolhouse and earned her and her family an unsavory reputation. The memory of a young Angelo screaming and running around the schoolyard as snakes slithered up his pants made her smile.
“Angelo Rossi, you say? Well, if I see him, I will tell him how you miss him. It turns out—"
“We don’t,” she replied shortly, his words snapping her back to the present.
The man’s eyebrow arched at her in surprise. Alessia frowned. Not in the mood for more of her sister’s scolding, Serafina pushed her way to the front and stepped up to the long counter.
“Any cannoli left?” she asked hopefully, eyeing the nearly empty display.
Lorenzo smiled and nodded before turning away to get them. It was no secret that Pamina’s enchanted cannoli were Serafina’s favorite. The ricotta filling was creamy and delicious and mixed with a relaxing spell that soothed hot tempers and anxiety.
“Pamina, how are the twins? Are they napping better? You should really sleep when they sleep. You—” Alessia was cut off by Massimo’s not so subtle head shake.
Pamina, who’d been pouring some caffé into a travel mug, gave Alessia a tight smile. “I’m fine. The twins are fine. Thank you.”
“You could always try one of Liliana’s sleeping tonics on them,” Serafina suggested.
Both Pamina and Alessia looked at her aghast. “Absolutely not!” “They’re too little for that,” they replied in unison.
Lorenzo chose that moment to return with a large box of what Serafina hoped was filled with a lot of cannoli. Taking it eagerly, she moved out of the way to let the others to make their own purchases.
With her three older sisters being wives and mothers now, the conversation almost always steered toward sleeping patterns and excrement. Neither of which Serafina had much interest nor input to contribute to.
Tuning out their exchange, Serafina opened the box and pulled out one of the large cannoli. She took a bite and let the magic overtake her senses. Pamina’s spell settled her emotions and loosened the tightness in her chest. Even the mention of Angelo couldn’t dampen her mood now, but it would only last so long.
Feeling better, Serafina watched as Signor Vallejo paid for his drink and loaf of bread. He tipped his hat and said goodbye before quickly making his way outside. There was still something strange about the man, but Serafina didn’t care enough to keep pondering it over. She’d most likely never see him again anyway.
“Are you staying for lunch?” Pamina asked, interrupting Serafina’s thoughts.
Serafina opened her mouth to answer, but realized she’d been addressing her question to Alessia and Massimo.
Before they could answer, a sharp cry came from the back room. Another one echoed it. Pamina wiped her hands on her apron and hurried away with a defeated look.
Alessia shook her head. “She looks exhausted. I should go and help her. I could—”
Massimo took her gently by the arm. “I don’t think she wants that, amore. Besides, she has a more than capable husband to help,” he added, nodding toward Lorenzo.
The half-goblin glanced at the door his wife had disappeared through and sighed. “I wish she would let me help more. She’s just been so determined to do it all herself and I think it’s starting to wear her down.”
Alessia frowned. “Well, she’s going to have to accept help at some point. No one can do it all by themselves.”
“Your mother did. I think that’s why Pamina’s pushing herself so hard. I don’t know what to do. I…” Lorenzo stopped himself and shook his head.
Alessia patted his hand. “I’ll talk to Mama. Pamina will listen to her. Speaking of Mama, we should get back to her.” She glanced at Massimo.
“You’re not staying for lunch?” Lorenzo asked.
Alessia flushed. “Oh no, thank you. We just came to see how you were both doing.”
Serafina snorted, drawing their attention. “Busybody.”
Alessia opened her mouth to object, but was cut off by Massimo. “Did you walk to town, Fina? We can take you back home,” he offered.
Serafina swallowed the last bite of cannoli and sighed. “I guess it is time to get back and get to work.”
He gave her a sympathetic smile. “Is Bruno giving you trouble again?”
She scoffed. “When is he not?”
Alessia gave Massimo a pointed look. “You can imagine how well he takes to having his pantry cleaned out.”
Amusement flashed on Massimo’s face. “Yes, I can. House elves don’t take kindly to having their treasure horde inspected or moved. I can talk to him, if you like.”
Serafina shrugged. “I doubt that will make a difference, but you’re welcome to try. My Elvish is good enough. He just doesn’t like to listen.”
“Similar to someone else we know,” Alessia said under her breath.
Serafina ignored her quip and closed up the box of remaining pastries. After saying goodbye to Lorenzo and promising to check on them later, the three left the bakery and walked over to the waiting wagon outside.
“Hello, Thea,” Serafina greeted Massimo and Alessia’s horse.
