CHAPTER 122: CHAPTER 122 A CHANCE ENCOUNTER

Victoria

Nicos’s studio was located in a small whitewashed building with a bright blue door, tucked between a pottery shop and a taverna. The scent of oil paints and turpentine greeted me as I stepped inside, along with the artist’s friendly smile.

"Ah! My beautiful muse returns," Nicos said warmly, coming forward to clasp my hands. "You’re just in time—I’ve finished your portrait."

He led me to the back of the studio where a canvas stood covered with a cloth. With a flourish, he removed the covering, and I gasped.

The woman in the painting was me, yet somehow more. Sitting on the beach, her face turned slightly toward the sea, she emanated a quiet strength and wild grace that took my breath away. Nicos had captured something in my eyes—a hint of my fae heritage perhaps—that made them seem to glow with inner light.

"Nicos, it’s... I don’t know what to say." My fingers hovered over the canvas, not quite touching.

"You like it?" he asked, watching my reaction closely.

"It’s incredible. You’ve made me look..."

"As you truly are," he finished simply. "The light around you is different from other women. There’s something ancient in it."

I glanced at him sharply, wondering if he somehow knew about my mixed heritage. Many humans were sensitive to supernatural beings without fully understanding what they were sensing.

"I’d love to learn," I said impulsively. "To paint, I mean. Could you teach me the basics?"

Nicos’s face lit up. "It would be my pleasure! We can start now if you wish."

For the next hour, Nicos showed me how to hold a pencil for sketching, how to see shapes rather than objects, and how to measure proportions using my thumb. To both our surprise, I took to it naturally, producing a decent sketch of a simple vase with flowers that made Nicos raise his eyebrows.

"You have a gift," he said, examining my drawing. "Perhaps your mother was an artist?"

I shook my head."She is a botanist."

"Would you sit for me once more?" Nicos asked. "I’d like to capture something different this time—perhaps by that window, with the light filtering through the curtains."

I agreed, settling into the pose he suggested. As I sat still, watching him work, an idea began to form in my mind. Leo’s birthday was coming up in a few months. What if I could paint something for him? Something personal and intimate that came from my heart?

"Nicos," I said during a break, "I’d like to buy some supplies. Enough to start learning properly."

He beamed at me. "I’ll prepare a starter kit for you before you leave today."

When we finished the session, Nicos packaged the completed portrait carefully and helped me select quality beginner’s supplies—sketchbooks, pencils, a small set of oil paints, brushes, and a portable easel. I paid him generously for both the portrait and the supplies, already envisioning how I might capture Leo’s powerful profile or the intense look in his eyes when he watched me.

Back at the villa, I found Leo still deep in his work, door closed, the low murmur of his voice indicating he was on a call. Perfect. I slipped into one of the unused bedrooms and set up my new easel by the window where the light was good.

Opening my sketchbook, I began to draw from memory—Leo’s face as I’d seen it this morning, relaxed and unguarded in sleep. My pencil moved with surprising confidence across the paper, capturing the strong line of his jaw, the sensual curve of his lips, the slight furrow between his brows that never fully disappeared even in repose.

As the sketch took shape beneath my fingers, I felt a strange power in the act of creation. I was preserving moments of our life together, creating a visual diary of our love story. Each stroke of the pencil felt like weaving a spell, binding us closer together.

"This is just the beginning," I whispered to myself, already planning the next sketch—perhaps Leo lounging on the terrace, or swimming in the private pool, his powerful body cutting through the water.

I worked until the light began to fade, then carefully hid my supplies in the room’s closet. This would be my secret for now—a private project that would culminate in a gift that would show Leo how I saw him, how I loved him.

As I closed the door to my impromptu studio, I felt lighter somehow, the earlier doubts about Leo’s past with Samantha fading into perspective. What mattered wasn’t who he’d been with before, but that he’d chosen to share his future with me.

I closed my sketchbook just as I heard Leo’s footsteps approaching. When the door opened, he stood there, his powerful frame filling the doorway, his eyes immediately finding mine.

"There you are, little wolf," he said, his voice a deep rumble that still sent shivers down my spine even after all this time. "I’ve been looking for you."

I smiled, rising from my chair by the window. "Just enjoying the view. Done with your calls?"

Leo nodded, crossing the room to wrap his arms around me. His scent—pine, musk, and something uniquely him—enveloped me as he buried his face in my hair, inhaling deeply.

"What did you do today while I was working?" he asked, his thumb tracing lazy circles on my hip.

"I went into town," I admitted, leaning back to look up at him. "I picked up the portrait from Nicos—the one I sat for yesterday."

I expected at least mild surprise, but Leo merely nodded, his expression unchanged. A flicker of suspicion crossed my mind.

"You already knew, didn’t you?" I asked, narrowing my eyes slightly. "That I went to see Nicos?"

A small, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I may have had Tiny check in with the security detail I assigned to you."

"Security detail?" I pulled back slightly. "You’re having me followed?"

Leo’s expression turned serious. "Not followed, Victoria. Protected. You’re my Luna now, and there are those who would use you to get to me." His hand cupped my face, thumb brushing my cheekbone. "I need to know you’re safe, especially when we’re away from our territory."

I wanted to be annoyed at his overprotectiveness, but I understood the reality of our world. As Luna to one of the most powerful Alphas in the Western territories, I was both a target and a potential leverage point.

"Fine," I conceded. "But next time, just tell me."

"Where’s this portrait?" Leo asked, changing the subject smoothly. "I’d like to see it."

I retrieved the carefully wrapped canvas from where I’d left it propped against the wall and unwrapped it for him.

"It’s beautiful," he murmured, his voice dropping to that husky tone that made my wolf stir within me. "He captured your essence... though no painting could ever do you full justice."

"You like it?" I asked, pleased by his reaction.

"I like it too much," Leo growled softly, his fingers tracing the air just above the canvas. "The thought of some human male staring at you for hours, memorizing every line of your face, every curve..." His eyes flashed gold for a moment, Ronan rising close to the surface. "Even if it was purely for art’s sake, I can’t help but feel..."

"Jealous?" I supplied, a small thrill running through me at the possessiveness in his voice.

Leo set the painting down carefully before turning to me, his hands sliding around my waist. "Territorial," he corrected, pressing me back against the wall. "You’re mine, Victoria. My mate, my Luna."

His lips found mine in a kiss that started gentle but quickly turned hungry. I melted against him, my body responding instantly to his touch. This was what had drawn me to him from the beginning—this overwhelming chemistry, this feeling that we were made to fit together perfectly.

"I love how you worship me," I whispered against his lips when we finally broke apart, both breathless.

"Always," he promised, his forehead resting against mine. "You deserve nothing less."

Feeling bold and wanting to extend our time together, I said, "Let’s go to the beach tomorrow. Just us. We haven’t really explored much of the island yet."

Something flickered across Leo’s expression—regret, perhaps, or frustration. "I can’t tomorrow, little wolf. I’ll be tied up all day with these security concerns."

My face must have fallen because he quickly added, "It’s important pack business, Victoria. Something that can’t wait."

"Of course," I said, trying to hide my disappointment. This was our honeymoon, but I understood that being an Alpha meant responsibilities never truly ceased. "Is everything okay? Should I be worried?"

Leo brushed a strand of hair from my face, his expression softening. "Nothing for you to worry about. Just some territorial disputes that need my attention before they escalate."

I nodded, accepting his explanation even as a small part of me wondered if there was more he wasn’t telling me. "I’ll find something to do. Maybe I’ll practice my new sketching skills."

Leo’s eyebrows rose. "New skills?"

"Nicos gave me some basic lessons today," I explained. "I bought some supplies to practice with. I’ve always wanted to learn how to draw and paint."

"Another hidden talent of my Luna," Leo said, his smile genuine. "I look forward to seeing your work someday."

He kissed me again, this time slower, deeper, his hands roaming possessively over my body until I was clinging to him, all thoughts of art and beaches forgotten in the heat of our passion.