LOGINAnana blinked."What?"Lucien's eyes narrowed slightly."What are you thinking about?"For a moment, she looked away.And that alone told him everything he needed to know.The concern in his gaze deepened.Because now he was certain… Something was bothering her.His grip tightened ever so slightly around her hand."My woman..."The words came out low and gentle.Lucien lifted his free hand and carefully tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.His fingers lingered for a moment.A small breath escaped Anana.A faint smile touched his lips."You forget who you're talking to."His gaze remained fixed on hers."I've spent too many years loving you to miss a face like this."His thumb brushed lightly against her cheek."You can smile for the entire world if you want."His voice softened further."But you can't hide from me."The warmth in his eyes never wavered."So tell me what's troubling you."Neither of them rushed the silence.Lucien simply waited.And eventually...Anana relente
While Anastasia was still at the academy...Far away from classrooms, lessons, and troublesome boys...Life within the Crimson Blood Pack continued as usual.Or at least...As usual as it could be.Inside one of the private chambers overlooking the inner courtyard, Anana sat comfortably curled into a large fur chair, a book resting open in her lap.The sight alone would have surprised most people who knew her.Years ago, she never would have imagined spending an afternoon like this.There had been a time when Anana would have chosen a sparring ground over a book without a second thought. Sitting still for hours and turning pages had never been her idea of enjoyment.Yet somewhere along the way, motherhood had changed her in ways she never expected. It had unlocked parts of herself she hadn't known existed.Like appreciation for peaceful moments like this.Her attention remained completely absorbed in the pages before her.So absorbed, in fact, that she failed to notice the massive bla
Lunch break finally arrived.The rune carved above the classroom door pulsed once before its familiar blue glow shifted into a bright, vivid red.A collective sigh of relief swept through the classroom.The lesson was over.Chairs scraped against the floor… Books snapped shut…Almost immediately, conversations erupted from every corner of the room, filling the room with noise.Students stood from their seats… Groups formed… Laughter filled the air.The classroom instantly transformed from a place of study into a sea of movement and voices.And unfortunately...A good portion of those voices seemed to be talking about Anastasia.At first, she ignored it… Or at least, she tried to.Anana's words from the previous night lingered in the back of her mind.The world will spend a long time telling you who they think you are.The right people will see you.So she endured it… The glances… The whispers.The conversations that mysteriously died whenever she looked in their direction, only to res
The words broke out low, strangled by anger he wasn’t fully controlling anymore.His hands curled into fists at his sides, knuckles whitening… Shoulders rising like he was holding something back with sheer force.Then he moved fast.A sudden step forward that made a few students flinch back instinctively.His arm came up… Too quickly.Chair legs screeched again as someone gasped aloud.But before the motion could complete… A hand shot out and caught his wrist hard.The second boy.The impact stopped him mid-motion, but not the energy behind it.The first boy was still shaking… still trying to move forward even as he was held.His breath came heavier now, hot and uncontrolled.“Don’t.”The second boy’s voice was low, tense… Barely audible. But firm enough to hold weight.The first boy didn’t look at him at first.His eyes were still locked on Anastasia… Burning and furious. Like he wasn’t seeing a person anymore… just the target of everything boiling inside him.The second boy leaned
Then 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
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.
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 th
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 bes







