The chalet felt colder now, the fire doing little to dispel the chill that had settled in my bones. I moved to the window, watching the storm intensify. The wind howled like a tormented beast, tearing at the trees and whipping the snow into a frenzy. It was a fitting backdrop for the events that were about to unfold.I thought of Alessandro Rossi, the son of a powerful man, a man who had dared to defy the established order. He had chosen a different path, a path of peace and simplicity. But there was no room for such ideals in this world. Power demanded obedience, and those who refused to submit would be crushed.I had seen it countless times, the rise and fall of empires, the ebb and flow of power. The world was a chessboard, and we, the Shadow Wolves, were the players, manipulating events from the shadows, ensuring that the game continued according to our rules.Salvatore Rossi was a formidable opponent, a man of cunning and ruthlessness. But he was also blinded by love, a weakness that we could exploit. His desperation to save his son would be his undoing.I had no personal animosity towards Alessandro. He was simply a pawn in a larger game, a sacrifice that had to be made to maintain the balance of power. But I couldn't deny a certain… respect for his defiance, his willingness to abandon everything for a life of his own choosing.Perhaps, in another life, under different circumstances, we could have been allies. But fate had other plans. He was the son of Salvatore Rossi, and that was a burden he could not escape.I turned away from the window, my gaze hardening. Sentimentality had no place in our world. The mission had to be completed, and I would not allow anything to stand in my way.I walked to my desk, a massive oak structure that dominated the room. I opened a drawer and pulled out a small, silver-framed photograph. It was a picture of a young woman, her face radiant with joy. My daughter.She had been taken from me, years ago, a casualty of this very life. Her death had taught me a valuable lesson: that love was a weakness, a vulnerability that could be exploited. And that the only way to protect those you cared about was to eliminate all threats, to control the game from the shadows.I stared at the photograph for a long moment, my heart aching with a pain that never truly faded. Then, I closed the drawer, locking away the memories, burying the emotions. I had a job to do, and I would not allow myself to be distracted.The storm raged on, and the hunt for Alessandro Rossi continued. The Shepherd was waiting, and the flock was closing in. The end was near.
