Chapter 4

In the once tranquil realm of our castle, my world fell apart the moment I stepped foot on its grounds.

I just escaped from Lycan Steven, and this is the first thing I have seen.

The majestic castle, a symbol of our family's legacy, was engulfed in ferocious flames, its once regal spires now wreathed in fire and smoke. The scene was chaotic, with villagers gathered around, their expressions a mix of pity and malice.

Confusion and despair gripped me. "W-What's happening?!" My voice tore through the air, a desperate plea for understanding. Only hours before, I had narrowly escaped of my mate, and now I was confronted with this inferno – my home burning in fire.

Exhaustion battled with urgency within me. My mother – she had to be inside!

"Mother!" I shouted, shoving past the onlookers, some of whom bore expressions of sorrow, while others smirked with cruel satisfaction.

"Sylvia?" I called, hope surging as a silhouette flickered past a window. My heart raced as I spotted the ladder nearby. Ignoring the warnings of the men who insisted it was too dangerous for me, I realized the tragedy was not just ours – the entire village was aflame, house after house consumed by the relentless fire.

"No! I must save her! My mother is in there!" I cried out, pushing the man away with a forceful shove to his chest.

He tried to reassure me, explaining that rescuers were already inside, attempting to bring her to safety. He urged me to wait. Tears streamed down my face as I stood there, a mix of hope and fear overwhelming me.

When at last she emerged from the doorway, coughing and gasping to clear her lungs of smoke, I rushed to her side.

"My daughter," she whispered, her hand gently caressing my hair. "Oh, my dear, you're safe. I was so worried about you!" Her words were a soft murmur, filled with relief and concern. I shook my head in a turmoil of emotions.

If only I had heeded her advice, I thought, my heart wouldn't have been shattered. I wouldn't have left home, leaving her to face this menace of fire alone.

The fire was extinguished, but our home was lost.I told my mother everything that happened to me while I was away. She believed in me telling her about werewolves and how my mate rejected me. She didn't think I was insane, unlike my classmates who laughed off my warnings when told them to be careful out there in the woods.

Back at school, I faced relentless bullying, and it became unbearable. "Mom, let's start over somewhere else, anywhere but Mortem Village," I pleaded one day.

Then, we decided to leave the town. We don't have our castle anymore, and she needs to work in order to sustain our needs.

We went to the city and relocated in a town called Spear Village, where my mother found a job as a caretaker. The people were kind, and I made friends at my new school who admired my red hair and dresses.

A month in our new life brought a sense of adjustment, and we even got a new car, a testament to my mother's hard work. But just as I thought I'd moved on from my mate, illness and nightmares about him began to haunt me.

Lycan Steven and I were inside the cabin again. We were happy and laughing. We had pups, too. In my dream, he didn't reject me. He accepted me wholly and made love with me every single day. It brought me to tears that I thought it was real, but then my dream whirlwind into the time stamp where I was almost beaten to death by him

I was taken aback into that forest like a little kid. Before Steven could kill me, I woke up with my alarm on my bed. I was out of breath while looking around the room.

"It was just a dream, Nat. You are safe here." I kept on convincing myself that I was safe here. Lycan Steven won't find me because it's dangerous for him to live in a bustling city full of humans. However, the nightmares persisted to the point that my body felt sick.

I couldn't eat nor stand.

"Honey, drink this medicine. It will help you," my mother gave me last night a medicinal herb that she made. I didn't ask where she got it. It was successful at first, but as days went by, I became weaker.

"Fuck you, Lycan Steven!" I screamed at the top of my lungs one night when I had a nightmare about him again. He was fucking another woman this time. He was looking at me straight in the eyes while he bedded multiple women.

I felt like someone was choking me when his body was buried to another women.

My mother, Sylvia, rushed to comfort me, but I couldn't reveal the disturbing nature of my dreams. "What's wrong, Nathalie? What did you see in your dream?"

"Nothing," I whispered weakly at her, but mother knows me best.

"Nat, please tell me what's going on. I can't help you if you keep on going like this. Hazel came here to ask how are you. She lets you borrow her notes from her class. Your new professor is concerned about you, too."

Hazel was my newly found best friend. We just clicked in class one time when we made fun of our History teacher. He deserves it because of his homophobic remarks to one of our classmates. I heard that he got kicked out in school because of his behaviour.

"I'm really okay, mom. Thank you for worrying." I smiled at her and kissed her on the cheek. She looks at me with eye full of concern, not biting my acting.

The morning after that, I woke up early to go to school. I put on my favorite white hoodie and sneakers.

"Are you sure you are alright now, honey?" Sylvia asked concerningly. I nodded at her. "Yes, mom. I have to study and get that diploma, remember?" I winked at her to stop her from worrying.

She sighed and showed me her phone. "Alright. I'm one call away if anything happens."

"Yep! Bye, I have to go!" I said and kissed her on the cheek when I saw Hazel parked her Lambo in our front porch. My friend's kind of rich. As soon as she saw me, she giggles and told me everything that I missed while I was out in school.

"Oh my Gosh, girlie! You wouldn't believe what happened in school! Our new History teacher is hot and so daddy-like vibes! He's so fucking smart too that I couldn't stop myself drooling while he's teaching in class."

Rolling my eyes, I just laughed at Hazel. She looks at me seriously. "What? I'm being serious here! Just look and find out when we arrive."

"Alright!" I said and raised by hands up to surrender. She pulled up her car and we went inside the class.

My first class is History. Sometimes, I skipped it because I didn't like the teacher. I usually just go to the library to read my materials and books there.

However, this time is different.

With Hazel's insistent prodding, I found myself reluctantly heading to History class, my eyes rolling with each step. Slumping into my chair, I tossed my backpack aside, bracing for another dull lecture. But then, the door burst open, shattering the mundane atmosphere.

In strode Lycan Steven, donning black-rimmed glasses, clutching a tome of history book, his aura radiating an undeniable confidence. My heart, traitorous and unrestrained, hammered against my ribcage.

I gaped at him, disbelief etching my features as our eyes locked in a silent, intense exchange.

The mate bond we once shared had been severed months ago; his rejection still echoed in my heart. Yet, here he was, stirring up a storm of emotions I thought I'd buried deep. His intense gaze felt like a puzzle, inviting yet enigmatic.

He rejected me already the last few months, but why is he making me feel things in my stomach?

Why is he staring me intently?

And most of all, why is he here as my new History professor?