The calm before chaos

EVE’s POV 

PRESENT TIME 

“Mrs. Eve—”

“It’s Miss Eve.” I corrected the school proprietress sitting in front of me. She cleared her throat, taking off the golden spectacle resting on her small nose. The slight redness of her cheeks pointed out her embarrassment, but I knew I’d be the embarrassed one before leaving. 

A part of me already knew what she was about to say. 

And the other part of me hoped she’d say something else. 

“I’m afraid this school can’t tolerate your kids any longer.” Her voice was calm, but it hit me like a punch to the gut. The fourth school. The damn fourth school. “Ashton beat up someone—until he bled—over a slight argument.”

The urge to defend my son kicked in. “Ashton would never start a fight without a reason.”

“You’re right. Someone mocked Aria and made her cry, but that isn’t enough to beat an older kid until he bled.”

Aria doesn’t cry. That other kid might have provoked her, so she wanted Ashton to do her dirty work. I shook my head, clutching my purse tightly. “How old is the other kid?”

She stared at me blankly. Like she was expecting a more concerned expression. “He’s seven.”

“Ashton is four,” I explained, raising my voice. “There’s no way Ashton beat up that kid until he bled.”

“He’s currently in the school clinic.” Her voice was dry, a little bit rude, more like she didn’t want to have this conversation anymore. “I think you should apologize to the poor kid. And of course, you can take your kids out of here.”

I leaned closer, resting my elbow on the wooden desk. She raised her bushy brow when I gave her a warm, dazzling smile. “I think we can reconsider. How about I talk to my kids, and you give them one more chance?”

“One more chance?” She blankly stared at me. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, Miss Eve. Ashton, Aria, and Adrian…they’re trouble. Especially Ashton. He has this cold look that even gives me the chills.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I waved her off. “They’re just children. Four year olds.”

She stood up, signaling the end of our conversation. “I have other things to attend to. Please leave my office. And your kids would be outside waiting for you.”

I gritted my teeth. 

Grabbing my purse, I stormed off. 

The moment I opened the door, something small pressed against my legs. She buried her face in the middle of my skirt. “Mommy, is everything okay?” Aria asked in that adorable voice that always made me melt. How could someone so warm and sweet cause so much trouble? 

I stared down at her. “Yes, baby. Let’s go home.”

She tilted her, chocolate brown hair spilling over her back. “We’re leaving this school, too?”

I ruffled her hair. “Mommy tried her best. Where are your brothers?”

“Inside your car.”

“Okay, baby. Come here, let mommy carry you.” I bent down a little, spreading my arm wide, giving her a small grin, and she shook her head. 

“Just hold my hand, mommy.”

My heart skipped a beat. Dear God, don’t tell me she was already growing up. I won’t be able to handle it. Reaching out for her small palm, I squeezed it, then we walked outside together. 

“Mom!” Adrian yelled as soon as he saw me, jumping on the seat. I helped Aria in, then got into the driver’s seat. Warm hands pressed against me as Adrian kissed my cheeks. “Mom, you look so pretty.”

“Thank you, baby.” I smiled, turning to stare at Ashton who was sulking in the back seat. The proprietress didn’t lie about the coldness in his eyes. It freaked me out sometimes, too. 

“Ashton? Care to tell me what’s wrong? You beat a kid until he bled today, what do you have to say about that?”

“Mom, he beat up Peter because he mocked me.” Aria defended.

“Defending your sister is nice, but that kid could have died. I don’t want you doing things like that, Adrian, you’re still a kid. You’re four for God’s sake, act like it.” 

He shifted in his seat, his head hung low. “I’m sorry, mother.” He was the only one who called me mother, and it took me a while to get used to it. I wanted him to call me “mommy” like the other kids, and not act so mature, but Ashton wouldn’t change. 

To make him feel a bit better, I gave him a small smile. “It’s okay, honey. I’ll make my findings about another school, and hopefully, this one would be perfect.” 

Hopefully. 

~~~

Baking had never been my thing, but whenever I saw my kids eating cupcakes, cookies and sweet buns, my heart instantly melted. It was why I honed my baking skills, worked extra hard, and got a small bakery shop down the streets. 

Because I owned it, I could open it anytime and still have enough time for my babies. 

Last week was hectic. I put so much effort into finding another school—one that was made for them—and eventually, I found one. Willowridge. Adrian had told me he loved it, and Aria, the same. Ashton just said it was cool. He was too adult coded to be a kid. 

Lifting my head to glance at the wall clock, a small smile grazed my lips. It was time to go pick my babies. I removed my apron, hung it somewhere, then grabbed my car keys. 

I got to Willowridge in minutes. 

I walked straight to their class. Standing by the window side, I waved at their teacher, eying my kids usual spot—but they weren’t there. They couldn’t have gone out at the same time, right? 

“Miss Eve.” The teacher waved back at me. “I didn’t think you’d be coming for the kids today,” she continued, slowly sucking the breath from my lungs. 

What the hell did she mean? 

“I met their dad for the first time, and I must say that's hell of a strikingresemblance!”

A great surge of panic overwhelmed me. “Where are my babies?”

She looked confused. “Their dad came to pick them up.”

I couldn’t feel my legs. Dad? The man who raped me? Hell no. I hurried into the classroom, hair lifting on my nape and arms. “I’m their mother, their only guardian. I didn’t tell you about any man, why did you let him take them!”

Blood slowly drained from her face. “You don’t know him?” She panicked, “since they looked extremely identical, I assumed—”

I let out a low growl, not caring if she was terrified or not. “This is your fault!” I could barely control the harshness in my voice. “You’re going to help me find them, and I swear, if I find as much as a scratch on their body…I’m going to kill you.” 

She sucked in a breath. “Miss…Miss Eve..” 

I didn’t allow her to finish her last statement. Hurrying straight to the school proprietress’ office, I barged in without knocking, my breaths rushing out as my limbs trembled. 

“What the…” the woman met my gaze, but I wasn’t here for small talk. 

I slammed my palm on her desk. “A strange man came here to pick my kids, and you allowed him?”

“Your kids were eager to go with him.” She became defensive, shifting the blame to my four year olds. “According to them, their father had travelled a long time ago, and he was finally back to take care of them.” 

Tears filled my eyes. “I couldn’t bring myself to tell them I didn’t know their father!”

“We’re sorry, Miss Eve, but this seems like a family matter now. I’m sure the man I saw is their father.”

A growl rumbled from my chest, my wolf eager to claw her way out. “I’ll go now, but I promise you, if I don’t find my kids in an hour, I’ll make sure this school crumbles. I won’t stop until you and that damn teacher land in jail.”

“Like I said, this is now a family matter. You should have told your kids the truth, Miss Eve. If you had, they wouldn’t have been so eager to leave with a stranger.”

“So you’re saying this is my fault?”

She was lucky this was the human world. Back in Redhood, she’d be bawling when I rip her apart and spill her blood on the walls. I leaned toward her, staring into her eyes. “You have only an hour to find my kids. One fucking hour. If I don’t see them, forget about the law. I’ll make you crave death.”

Her face turned pale. 

I left her office, slamming the door so hard, I think I ruined it. My eyes burned with tears as I jogged toward my car. I didn't know where to go. I didn’t know what to do. I kept hitting the steering, tears blurring my vision as pain twisted my chest. 

My phone buzzed next to me. 

I didn’t bother to pick it up. 

And then it kept buzzing. 

Fuming with anger, I grabbed the phone. “Who the hell—”

“Is this Eve?” A smooth, masculine voice settled in my ears. “Hello,” he repeated, “I called to let you know your kids are with me. I picked them up from school, and—”

“You had no right!” I barked, relieved and pissed at the same time. “Listen, tell me where you are. I’m coming for them right now.”

“Werewolf territory,” he replied swiftly, his tone bored. “Silverblood pack.”

A cold shiver ran down my spine. “Who….who are you?”

He was silent for a while. 

And that silence stretched for minutes. 

Then his deep voice rang out. “The supreme Alpha. Dominic." 

The phone slipped from my hands.