Semua Bab Alpha Leon's Regret : Bab 21 - Bab 30

_Anya’s POV_The rest of the day passed in a strange blur.After everything that had happened, my body still felt tired and my mind felt heavy but there was also something else growing quietly inside me.I felt relieved that I was safe.Leon had come but he had not taken me.Jacob had protected me.That thought stayed with me as I sat quietly in my room, staring out of the window while the sky slowly turned darker. The golden light faded and the night settled over the mansion like a soft blanket.Maya’s voice was calm now. You are thinking about him.“Yes,” I admitted.He had held me so tightly. His voice had been so firm when he said he would protect me. No one had ever done that for me before.A soft knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts.“Come in,” I said.A maid stepped inside and bowed slightly. “Dinner is ready. Alpha Jacob has asked for you to join him.”I nodded. “I will come.”I stood up slowly and smoothed my dress. My heart beat a little faster as I stepped out of

_Anya's POV_The rest of the morning passed in a blur. Mom Jess showed me earrings, necklaces and bracelets. She held them up against my skin and asked me which ones I liked best. I tried to answer her properly but my mind was still not there.Every time we passed a mirror, I looked into it carefully. I pretended to fix my hair or look at a piece of jewelry but I was really watching her reflection. I was waiting to see that twisted face again.But it never came back. Her face stayed normal in every mirror. She smiled at me and laughed at small jokes and her reflection did exactly what she did. There was nothing strange about her at all.I started to feel foolish.Maybe it really had been my imagination. Maybe I had stared at myself too long in the changing room mirror and my tired eyes had played a trick on me when I looked up. That would explain everything. My mind was simply tired. It was creating shadows that were not there.We finally found a beautiful jewelry set that matched the

_Anya's POV_Even after we returned to the mansion, I could not stop thinking about what had happened in town.I tried to distract myself while the servants carried my shopping bags upstairs. I tried to focus when Mom Jess excitedly spoke about where each dress should be hung and which accessories would match which outfit. I nodded when she talked to me. I smiled when I was supposed to smile. I answered when she asked questions.But my thoughts were elsewhere. They kept circling back to the same things; the mirror, the dog and the missing shadow. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw them all over again.Maya was restless inside me. Something is wrong.I swallowed hard. “Maybe not. Maybe we are simply overthinking.”Then why did the dog react like that?“I do not know.”Why did you see that face?“I do not know.”Why did she have no shadow?I had no answer and that frightened me more than anything.By the time evening came, I had forced myself to calm down. I washed my face, changed int

_Anya’s POV_I woke slowly to warmth.For a few soft and peaceful seconds, I did not remember where I was. My body felt heavy with sleep and wrapped in heat. There was something firm and warm pressed behind me. A strong arm was draped around my waist, holding me close against a broad chest. My head was resting against something solid and beneath my cheek, I could hear the slow and steady beat of a heart.My memories came back all at once and I remembered everything that had happened the night before. I remembered the attack, the masked men, the hands around my throat and Jacob bringing me to his room after saving me. Heat rushed to my face when I finally understood where I was. I was lying in Jacob’s bed.And somehow during the night, I had ended up curled completely into his arms.Maya purred happily inside me. We slept very well.“Be quiet,” I muttered silently.Jacob’s deep voice sounded near my ear. It was rough with sleep. “Talking to your wolf this early in the morning?”I froze

_Anya’s POV_The entire evening felt like something from a dream.After we returned from town, I stayed distracted by the strange woman from the jewelry shop. No matter how much I tried to push her words away, they kept returning to me.“You are blinded by trust and cannot see the truth.”The sentence echoed again and again inside my head.I stood near the bedroom window for a long time, staring outside at the darkening sky. The clouds were painted orange and pink by the setting sun and the wind moved softly through the trees around the mansion.Maya stirred quietly inside me. Stop thinking about that woman.“I am trying.”She was strange.“Yes.”And frightening.I wrapped my arms around myself slowly. “Do you think she was telling the truth?”Maya hesitated. I do not know.That answer did not comfort me. A knock sounded on the door before I could think further.“Come in,” I called softly.One of the maids entered with a smile. “Miss Anya, Alpha Jacob asked me to help prepare you for