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Home / Werewolf / SCAR OF THE REJECTED THORN / Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 30

Lahat ng Kabanata ng SCAR OF THE REJECTED THORN : Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 30

30 Kabanata

A QUITE EVENING

ALARICThe ride back home was quiet, the soft hum of the engine filling the silence as I stared at the bouquet resting on the seat beside me, white roses, lavender sprigs, and a single pink peony. I didn’t know if she’d like them, but somehow they felt right. Beautiful. Gentle. A little like her.By the time I reached the palace, the moon had begun to rise, silver light spilling through the tall windows. I climbed the grand staircase, the flowers in hand, and made my way toward our bedroom.The door was slightly open.She was there.Anya stood by the wardrobe, her back to me, auburn hair gathered in a loose bun with soft strands falling over her face. She was wearing one of the dresses Evelina must have chosen, pale and elegant, flowing gently with her every movement. She was so focused on arranging the clothes in the shopping bags that she didn’t notice me at first.For a moment, I just watched her, the way she moved, the quiet determination in her small gestures. There was something

A BLOOMING MORNING

ANYAWhen I opened my eyes that morning, the first thing I noticed was that I wasn’t where I’d fallen asleep.We had gone to bed on our own sides — a safe distance between us, just like Alaric said, to keep me from hurting myself if I sleepwalked again. But now, the sunlight revealed a very different picture.I was pressed against him, tangled completely in his arms. My leg was thrown over his, my head tucked beneath his chin as if I’d belonged there all along.Heat rushed to my face.He stirred before I could move. His eyes opened slowly — calm, deep, and focused on me.“Good morning,” I murmured, forcing a small smile as I carefully untangled myself.“Good morning,” he replied, voice low and rough with sleep.I sat up quickly, brushing a few loose strands of hair from my face. “I… uh, sorry. Again. I didn’t mean to—”He chuckled softly. “Relax, Anya. Besides, I’m not complaining.” His voice was warm with teasing. “If this keeps happening, I might start thinking you like waking up in

AN UNEXPECTED RECOGNITION

ANYAThe ride to the mall was quiet.Not the peaceful kind of silence that comes from comfort, but the heavy kind, filled with nerves and thoughts I couldn’t quite untangle.I traced my fingers along the strap of my purse, realizing how light it felt. I hadn’t really spent any of my own money since I arrived. Evelina had paid for everything, clothes, soaps, perfumes, insisting they were gifts from my sister-in-law. It was kind of her, and I appreciated it more than I could say… but it still felt wrong. Like I was taking too much, like I hadn’t earned any of it.Alaric’s steady hands on the steering wheel caught my attention. He looked calm, focused, as if silence never bothered him. That somehow made me even more aware of mine.When the car finally slowed in front of the mall, he turned to me. “You’re sure about this?”I nodded, trying to sound confident. “I just want to get something for the king and queen. I don't want to go empty handed.”He smiled faintly. “They have everything, A

RUNNING FROM THE TRUTH

ANYAI didn’t stop running.The moment I burst through the palace doors, the world outside hit me—bright, cold, too big. My lungs burned, my heart felt like it was fighting to escape my chest, and the queen’s voice kept echoing in my head.My daughter.My child.Her eyes… her face… the resemblance I’d pretended I didn’t see.I kept running down the steps, past guards who stared but didn’t dare stop me, past fountains that blurred into silver streaks. My breath came in sharp, panicked bursts.Everything inside me felt wrong.No. No. That can’t be true. It can’t. My mother, my father, Dominic… my sister… they’re my family. They are mine. My whole life—my childhood, everything—can’t just… belong to someone else.My head felt too full, too loud. Each thought crashed into the next.My footsteps finally slowed when I reached the garden path outside the palace gates. My legs trembled so badly I had to stop. I grabbed onto a cold stone railing, trying to breathe, trying to think.But the mome

THE SILENCE OF MY WOLF

ANYAAlaric came back again.I heard his footsteps before I saw him, sharp, angry, determined, and for one awful second, I thought he was going to scold me.But the moment he reached me, everything about him softened.He crouched slightly, trying to catch my eyes.“Anya… look at me.”I did. Barely. Just enough to see the worry tightening the lines around his eyes.“You’re shaking,” he whispered. “And you can’t even breathe properly.”I opened my mouth to say something — anything — but all that came out was a broken inhale.That was when he made the decision.“Fuck it,” he said, voice gruff but gentle. “We’re going home.”I stared at him, stunned.He wasn’t forcing me to stay.He wasn’t telling me to calm down.He wasn’t telling me to face the queen or ask questions or try to understand.He just… wanted me away from there.“We’ll come back when you want to,” he added softly. “Not before. I know you’re not ready, Anya. And that’s okay.”My chest clenched.I didn’t trust my voice, so I o

BEFORE THE TRUTH SPEAKS

ANYAIt started as a small, strange emptiness in my chest. A feeling I couldn’t name. Like a part of me wasn’t sitting in the car anymore.Then it hit me.Luna.I swallowed hard and tried calling her gently in my mind.Luna?Nothing.Not even the faintest whisper.A pinch of panic tugged at my ribs. I tried again, firmer.Luna, please—answer me.Still nothing. Just silence. Heavy, suffocating silence.My fingers curled against my knees as my heartbeat quickened. When… when was the last time she spoke to me? Before we met the queen? Before the palace? Before everything broke open and my world tilted?I couldn’t remember.God… I couldn’t remember.A small, shaky breath escaped me. I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to calm the storm rising inside.I had forgotten her.In all the chaos—The stares.The queen’s face.Her words.My daughter.I had pushed Luna to the back of my mind and she… she had gone quiet.My throat tightened painfully. Luna had been with me through everything—every

JOY IN ONE ROOM, SHADOWS IN ANOTHER

ALARICThe house felt too quiet the moment Anya closed her bedroom door.She had barely looked at me when we got home. Her voice was soft—soft in the way that tells you someone is breaking but trying not to show it.“Alaric… I just need some time alone.”I nodded, even though every instinct in me screamed to follow her, to hold her, to fix whatever was wrong. But I stepped back and let her disappear down the hallway.I shouldn’t have.I shouldn’t have let her walk away like that.I paced the living room for a while, pretending I wasn’t listening for sounds from her room. My wolf was restless, pacing circles inside me, whining low.“Something is wrong.”I could feel it too, this strange pressure in my chest… an uneasiness without a name. The kind that creeps into your bones when you know someone you care about is hurting but you can’t help them.I tried to distract myself, but every little sound from her room made me glance up. At one point I heard her wardrobe door open. Then silence

MY HEART SPOKE FIRST

ANYAThe room felt too quiet after Alaric left me alone.I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at my phone like it could magically fix everything inside my chest. My thumb hovered over Dominic’s name.Call him. Tell him. Ask him. Something. Anything.But the moment I pressed the call button, it rang only once before cutting to voicemail.He didn’t pick.Of course he didn’t. Either busy… or not with his phone.I swallowed the lump in my throat and moved to my parents’ contact — but my fingers froze. Calling them would only make everything real. And I wasn’t ready for that. Not when I didn’t even understand what was happening to me.I turned the phone off and tossed it onto the bed, the silence swallowing me whole.I dragged myself to the bathroom.When the light flickered on, I lifted my eyes to the mirror… and froze.My reflection stared back at me — the same face I’d seen all my life. But now… now I could see her.The queen.Not identical, but close enough to make my stomach twist. S

UNVEILING THE THREADS

ALARIC I stood in front of her door longer than I should have.Not because I was unsure, but because I needed a second to steady myself. The last few hours had left my mind tangled and my chest tight, and I knew she was feeling it even more.I knocked once.Two minutes passed before the lock clicked. I knew the exact time, because I had been watching the clock like a man waiting for a verdict.When the door opened, she wasn’t crying like I feared. She looked… collected, but fragile beneath it. Her eyes held this quiet chaos, like someone holding too many thoughts at once.And then she said it.Soft. Quick. As if the words had slipped out before she could stop them.“I love you.”Everything inside me froze.Not because I didn’t feel it — hell, I’d felt it far longer than I should admit — but because she said it like she was stepping off a cliff, not offering her heart.Like she expected me not to catch her.“Anya…” I said quietly.She wasn’t shaking. She wasn’t running. She was standi

UNRAVELING THE BIRTH NIGHT

ANYAI woke with a small gasp, my heart racing like I had been running. The room was dark, the lamps off, the curtains pulled slightly by a soft breeze. For a moment, I didn’t know why I’d woken—until I reached out instinctively.Empty.Cold sheets.Alaric wasn’t beside me.A strange panic fluttered in my chest. I sat up quickly, blinking at the shadows. Maybe he’d just gone to the bathroom? But the door was open. The lights off.I swung my legs out of bed and stood, my body still heavy with sleep. My throat felt dry, so the first thing I did was reach for the glass on the nightstand. I drank it slowly, letting the coolness settle my nerves.He should be here.Why isn’t he here?Before I could spiral further, Luna’s voice drifted through my mind, steady and warm.“He didn’t leave you, Anya. He wouldn’t.”I exhaled softly. I know… but still.Her presence eased me more than I expected.Luna sounded a little smug.“I’ve been talking to his wolf.”I froze. “You what?”“Talking. Getting to

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