INICIAR SESIÓNThen one of the boys leaned back in his chair.A smirk appeared on his face."Can we help you?"Anastasia stared at him.Her voice was cold… Not angry… Just cold enough to make the smile on a few nearby faces disappear."You don't get to bully people."The smirk on the boy's face faltered… Only slightly.Anastasia continued."Humiliating someone isn't funny."Her gaze swept across the table."Cornering someone isn't funny."Another pause…The silence seemed to stretch."Making someone so afraid that he doesn't want to come back to school isn't funny either."The room around them began to quiet.At first, it happened gradually.One conversation ended… Then another…A chair scraped against the floor and wasn't replaced by any new sound.Students started looking over… Heads turned… Whispers died.The atmosphere in the classroom shifted as curiosity slowly gave way to something heavier… Something tense.Because everyone knew exactly who she was talking about.The first boy's expression da
The next day arrived far sooner than Anastasia would have liked.Morning sunlight spilled across the academy grounds, painting the stone pathways in soft gold as students streamed through the gates.The academy was already alive.Voices drifted through the air from every direction… fragments of conversation, bursts of laughter, the shuffle of footsteps across stone. Groups of students moved in clusters, their chatter blending into a steady hum that seemed to wrap itself around the entire campus.Usually, Anastasia might have found this amount of noise overwhelming.Today, she didn't… Because something felt different.Anana's words still lingered in her mind, warm and steady.The people who matter stay.The right people will see you.The memory settled quietly in her chest, easing a tension she hadn't even realized she was carrying.Unlike yesterday… the weight on her shoulders didn't feel quite so heavy.With a small breath, she stepped into her classroom.The room was already buzzing
Anana didn't answer immediately.She simply looked at her daughter… Really looked at her.Past the frustration, the confusion… the hurt she'd been carrying since the moment she stepped into the academy.She saw the uncertainty hidden behind those familiar blue eyes.The quiet fear Anastasia hadn't fully voiced…The fear that one day she would disappear beneath the weight of her surname.Slowly, Anana reached up and brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.The gesture was gentle, patient and loving.The same gesture she'd used when Anastasia was a toddler struggling to say her first words.Then she smiled… A small smile. The very kind that somehow always made the world feel lighter."My little wolf..."Anastasia's gaze remained fixed on her.Anana took one of her hands and squeezed it softly."Do you know what I see when I look at you?"Anastasia blinked."What?""I don't see Lucien."The answer came immediately. Without hesitation or doubt."I don't see the Alpha God of War."He
Anana's expression softened even further.Without a word, she reached for Anastasia's hands and gently folded them between her own… It was so warm and comforting.The exact kind of touch that had soothed scraped knees, bad dreams, and childhood fears long before Anastasia could even remember them."Come here."Her voice was soft and gentle.Anastasia didn't resist… She never did when her mother used that tone.Anana led her across the room, their hands still linked.The fire crackled softly nearby, filling the space with warmth.She guided Anastasia towards one of the large fur-covered chairs before settling beside her instead of across from her.She was close enough that their shoulders touched and definitely close enough that Anastasia could lean against her if she wanted.And somehow...Anana always seemed to know when she needed that.One arm naturally slipped around Anastasia's shoulders.The other remained wrapped around her hand."Now..."Her eyes sparkled with curiosity."Tell
Anastasia remained where she was for a few moments longer.Her gaze lingered on Kaden.The boy looked as though he'd checked out of reality halfway through their conversation and simply never bothered coming back.Honestly...She wasn't entirely convinced he wasn't asleep.A faint breeze stirred the leaves overhead, carrying their scent around the clearing.The frustration that had been clawing at her all afternoon had begun to settle… Not completely. Just enough for her to breathe.Then voices drifted through the trees. It was distant at first… Then closer.Footsteps followed… Lots of them. Students.The sounds immediately pulled her attention away from Kaden.Anastasia turned her head.Through gaps in the trees, she caught glimpses of students moving across the academy grounds.Groups crossed the pathways with books tucked beneath their arms.Others hurried towards distant buildings. Some were already running.The sight made her stomach drop.The lunch break was ending… Classes were
She immediately jumped to her feet and spun around.Her gaze swept across the clearing… Left! Right!Nothing! Just trees, rocks and more trees.Her brows furrowed.Had she imagined that?The voice had sounded real… Far too real.Then…A figure shifted on the opposite side of the massive boulder beside her.Anastasia stiffened.A boy… Older than her, much older.He was stretched comfortably across the other side of the rock as though he'd been there the entire time.One arm rested beneath his head, serving as a makeshift pillow. The other lay across part of his face, shielding his eyes from the sunlight filtering through the leaves above.He looked completely at ease. Completely relaxed like someone enjoying a quiet afternoon nap… Or trying to.His eyes remained closed.His expression carried a remarkable amount of indifference for someone who had apparently been listening to her rant at the sky, the trees, and the academy for who knew how long.He looked thoroughly bored or maybe unim







