LOGINANASTASIA'S POV
Lunch was different these days. Four chairs occupied on a Saturday afternoon was...strange, but slowly becoming normal. These days Silas was always out, not that I cared much for him but something was definitely off. I don't know what threw me off more, his absence or the sudden closeness the brothers now seemed to share. Laughter erupted from across the table, I rose my head and our eyes locked. Quickly, I stabbed my last pancake and rammed it inANASTASIA'S POV My bones felt different, it was the first thing I noticed as I opened my eyes. I felt...good, better than I had ever been. The corners of my lips tugged upwards and I burst into laughter right after, it was strange, strangely good. It felt better than I expected. Having a wolf. It made me giddy, excited enough to want to get out of bed early every morning. I pushed the covers away from my body, lifted my hands and arched my back as far back as possible then the scent hit me. The scent of freshly baked pancakes wafted into my nostrils. It was different from the regular, there was no way I was wrong about this. I could recognise this even in my sleep. Quickly, I slid my legs into my slippers, stepped into the bathroom to brush and was out in less than five minutes. A fresh burst of scent hit me the moment I opened the door and I found myself sprinting downstairs. "Mum don't tell me this is dad's recipe," I said, jumping
The door clicked shut, the sound muffled and soft against the carpet, signaling Jed’s departure. The silence he left behind should have felt heavy, but instead, it was just… hollow. A few moments later, a soft rustle announced another presence before the door even swung open. "Ana?" My mother stepped into the bedroom, her eyes rimmed with red, her hands clasped tightly against her chest. She looked at me as if I were made of blown glass, fragile enough to shatter if she spoke above a whisper. She crossed the room and sat on the edge of the mattress, the dip in the cushions subtle, hesitant. "How do you feel?" she asked, her voice trembling with an emotion I couldn't quite mirror. "Now that it’s over… now that the curse is broken?" I looked down at my hands resting in my lap. I turned them over, studying the faint lines etched across my palms, the pale skin over my knuckles. I flexed my fingers, waiting for an epipha
ANASTASIA'S POV The sculpted nose and jawline in front of me the moment my eyes opened were hard to miss and white disappointing. I had hoped to instead wake up to fresh eyes that looked at me like a goddess and firm lips that would tell me how much of a goddess I looked even in this state. "How are you?" The voice confirmed my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. "I'm good, thank you," I responded quite lazily. "Where's Zain?" My eyes scanned the room. Everything looked the same, untouched except for the chair missing from my drawer on which Jed's bottom found its home. "Ouch." I winced slightly as my arms made to move towards Jed's own barely inches away from me and the recollection of everything came back to me. I remembered fainting from the sheer agony of it. Dying and clawing my way back from hell. Yet my body felt no different now; my heart hammered with the same frantic rhythm, and the ache inside hadn't
ZAIN'S POV The sound that tore from Ana’s throat was barely human. Her body seized instantly, heels battering the floor in a frantic, broken rhythm. The seer lunged, wrapping her arms around her convulsing frame and driving her thrashing limbs into the ground until the violent jerks subsided into a terrible, shuddering tremor. The candles had begun to emit black flames now and with each second, it became harder to see what was actually going on. Vivienne looked mortified, like she had seen a ghost. Her body was tense, the sharp ridges of her cheekbones showing as she stood rooted to the spot, her eyes never leaving the circle. The seer’s chanting dissolved into a low, hollow hum as I looked toward the far corner. There sat Mother. Untouched. Her hands rested folded in her lap, her eyes casually tracing the floor as if the screaming had nothing to do with her. My blood boiled, her serene, spotless silence cutting deeper than any scream in the room.
ANASTASIA'S POV The air was tense as we awaited the seer's arrival. Kora sat at the corner away from everyone as she sobbed quietly, the sobs still managed to fill the room but we all pretended not to hear it. Every small noise felt magnified—the grandfather clock ticking against the oak paneling, the dry rasp of leaves scraping outside the frosted bay window, the harsh, uneven cadence of our own breathing. I looked to the brothers wondering how they must be feeling having to choose between supporting their mate and their mum, it must be tough. Zain leaned against the mantlepiece, jaw set in a rigid line, his knuckles white where his hands gripped the edge of his dark woolen coat. Beside him, his brother remained rooted near the hall threshold, his posture stiff, gaze fixed resolutely on the faded pattern of the Persian rug beneath his boots. Mother on the other hand held me close to her, rocking me from side to side occasionally to calm my nerves but it wasn'
ANASTASIA'S POV The clock chimed indicating 4pm. I looked towards the kitchen where mother stood, holding a glass of wine as she tapped her feet rhythmically to invisible music. She was growing impatient, I could tell. I was too. Silas hadn't returned for so long, I was tired. The stairs had called my name far more times than I could count, but going up to my room would indicate a form of acceptance of defeat and that was far from the message I wished to pass across. Jed and Zain stole occasional glances at me when they thought I wasn't looking. They hadn't moved in the past four hours. I respected it, but it was far from enough to gain back my trust and love. The door flung open, distracting me from my thoughts and visibly shaking everyone. An unfamiliar face appeared in the doorway, her eyes met mine, and immediately she let out a loud shriek. "This was definitely not what I was expecting," I







