Chapter Six - The Enrollment

Nia's POV

The moment our eyes met, something inside me snapped in a way that felt both sudden and long overdue, like a thread pulled too tight for too many years finally giving in.

I stood there with Vince in my arms, my fingers tightening instinctively around him as though my body understood before my mind did that danger had found us again, not the kind that lurks in shadows or hides behind trees, but the kind that wears a familiar face and speaks with a voice that once meant home.

Darian did not move at first, yet his presence filled the space between us so completely that it felt difficult to breathe. His gaze stayed on me with an intensity that made my skin prickle, his shoulders slightly tense as if he was holding himself back from stepping closer.

“You are alive,” he said, and although his tone was steady, there was something beneath it that did not belong to the man I used to know.

A soft, humorless sound left my lips before I could stop it, and I shifted Vince slightly in my arms, pressing him closer to my chest.

“Is that what you came here to confirm?” I asked, my voice calm in a way that surprised even me.

His eyes dropped to Vince then, lingering for a second too long, and something in my stomach twisted sharply.

“Is that my son?”He asked

The question settled heavily in the air, and I felt my jaw tighten as a slow burn of anger spread through me. My nose twitched faintly, a habit I had never quite managed to control when I was trying to contain my temper.

I took a step forward before I could stop myself, my body reacting on instinct, ready to tear into him, to make him feel even a fraction of what I had endured, yet Vince shifted in my arms, his small fingers clutching at my dress, and that alone forced me to stop.

“Do not,” I said, my voice low and strained, the warning clear despite how quietly it left me. “Don’t you dare.”

Darian’s jaw flexed, and I saw the subtle movement of his throat as he swallowed, but he did not look away.

“You think I would not recognize my own blood?” he asked, his tone tightening slightly.

“You lost that right,” I replied immediately, my lips pressing into a thin line before I continued. “You lost it the moment you chose to believe lies over truth, the moment you had me thrown into a cell without even listening, the moment you turned your back while I begged you to hear me out.”

Something flickered across his face then, something quick and almost hidden, but I caught it, and it only made my chest ache in a way I refused to acknowledge.

“I did not know,” he said, his voice quieter now.

My head tilted slightly, and I let out a slow breath, my fingers unconsciously smoothing over Vince’s hair as if grounding myself.

“You did not want to know,” I corrected, my gaze steady on his.

The silence that followed was heavy, filled with everything neither of us could undo.

“I searched for you,” he said after a moment, his brows drawing together just slightly.

I felt my lips curve into a faint smile that held no warmth.

“And what would you have done if you found me?” I asked, my voice soft but edged with something sharper. “Would you have dragged me back in chains, or would you have stood there and watched while your Luna finished what she started?”

At the mention of Lyra, something dark passed through his expression, his fingers curling faintly at his sides.

“She is gone,” he said.

My eyes narrowed slightly, my nose twitching again as I studied him.

“Of course she is,” I replied, the words slipping out with quiet bitterness.

He took a step forward then, slow and deliberate, and my entire body tensed instantly, my grip on Vince tightening as my wolf stirred restlessly beneath my skin.

“If you follow me,” I said, cutting him off before he could speak again, my voice steady but firm, “I will not guarantee your safety.”

The warning hung between us, and for a brief moment, something unreadable crossed his face before he stopped moving.

Vince shifted in my arms, his small voice breaking the tension.

“Mother?” he asked softly.

I softened immediately, pressing a gentle kiss to his hair, my hand cradling the back of his head.

“I am here,” I murmured.

When I looked up again, Darian was still watching me, but something in his posture had changed, the rigid authority I once knew replaced with something more restrained, something almost uncertain.

It did not matter.

I turned without another word, my steps steady despite the way my heart pounded against my ribs, and I walked away from him just as I had done six years ago, only this time, I did not look back.

---

Ever since that day, Darian had always found a way to seek an audience with me which I blocked and kept the other children a secret since he only learnt about Vince and not his other siblings.

Torin returned on the fourth day after my encounter with Darian.

I was already waiting when he entered the council chamber, my arms folded loosely across my chest as I watched him step inside.

“You sent for me,” he said, his tone calm, though his eyes sharpened slightly as they landed on me.

“I need to speak with you,” I replied.

He dismissed the guards with a small gesture, and the room fell quiet as the doors closed behind them.

“What happened?” he asked, stepping closer.

“Darian is here,” I said, my voice steady despite the way my fingers curled slightly against my arms.

Torin’s expression shifted just a fraction, his brows lowering slightly.

“How close?” he asked.

“He has been circling the territory for three days,” I replied. “Today he entered the village.”

His jaw tightened faintly.

“And the children?”

“He saw one of them,” I said, my gaze dropping briefly before returning to his.

Torin was silent for a moment, his eyes studying my face carefully.

“Did he know?,” he asked slowly, his expression darkening.

“Yes,” I answered, my lips pressing together as I exhaled slowly.

“What do you want to do?” he asked.

I hesitated for a brief moment before speaking.

“I want to begin the process of registering them in the Alpha school.”

His brows lifted slightly.

“Now?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said firmly.

“Why the urgency?”

I unfolded my arms, letting them fall to my sides as I took a small step forward.

“Because I do not want him near them,” I said, my voice quieter now but no less firm. “If he stays here, he will try to claim them, and I will not allow that.”

Torin watched me closely, his fingers brushing lightly against the edge of the table beside him.

“You cannot keep them hidden forever,” he said.

“I am not hiding them,” I replied, my nose twitching faintly as I met his gaze. “I am protecting them.”

He was silent again, considering my words.

“Do you want me to enroll them under my name?” he asked after a moment.

The question made me pause.

“Your name?” I repeated.

“It would remove suspicion,” he said. “If they are registered as mine, Darian would have no reason to question it without creating conflict.”

I studied him for a moment, something faint and uncertain stirring at the back of my mind.

“Why would you do that?” I asked.

His gaze held mine, steady and unreadable.

“Because it protects you,” he said.

Something about the way he said it made my brows knit slightly, but I pushed the feeling aside.

“If that is what it takes,” I said slowly, “then yes.”

He nodded once.

“It will be done.”

For a brief moment, the room fell quiet again.

Then he stepped closer, his hand lifting slightly as if he intended to touch my shoulder, but he stopped halfway, his fingers curling faintly before he let his hand drop.

The movement was small, almost unnoticeable, yet I caught it, and something about it lingered in my mind longer than it should have.

“You should rest,” he said instead, his tone softer now.

“I am fine,” I replied.

His gaze lingered on me for a second longer before he nodded.

“Be careful,” he said.

“I always am,” I answered.