Chapter 191

Easter~

I was just getting my bed and that of Rose dressed when I heard the soft knock. It was gentle, deliberate—definitely not Jacob’s. When I opened the door, I found Tiger standing there, silent and solid as ever, cradling my daughter in his arms like she was made of glass.

“She fell asleep,” he said, his deep voice like the earth itself whispering. “Playing with Alexander outside p>

My heart melted at the sight—my sweet Rose with her wild curls sticking to her forehead, arms curled around herself like a tiny dreamer. I reached out, and Tiger handed her over with that same surprising gentleness — the kind that felt almost unreal coming from someone who looked like he could shatter mountains just by walking through them.

“Thank you,” I whispered, my voice soft.

Tiger gave a smile and a single nod before turning and walking away without another word. I watched him go, his shoulders broad, his steps soundless on the marble floor. There was something soothing about Tiger, like a guardian spirit you could trust to watch over you while you slept.

After tucking Rose into her little bed in the corner of my room, I finally got to unwind. I was exhausted. Being a mom, healing from everything I’d gone through today, trying to build a new life here—it all weighed on me. But I was thankful.

Grateful.

Free.

With a sigh, I stepped into the bathroom and let the hot water stream down my back. The ache in my muscles eased, but the ache in my heart… that was harder to reach. I thought about Jacob again. His voice. His smile. The way he always made space for me, even when I didn’t ask. Even when I didn’t feel like I deserved it.

God, I had to stop thinking about him like that.

He was kind, sure. Protective. Patient. But he was Jacob. The Wolf Spirit. An ancient being out of stories and stars. And I was just… me.

A broken girl trying to stitch herself back together.

When I came out of the bathroom, my damp curls clinging to my cheeks, I’d barely pulled on my pajamas when I heard it—

BOOM.

It didn’t sound like thunder.

It sounded like the sky was splitting in half.

I froze, my hand halfway through buttoning my shirt. The house was usually so quiet—blessedly soundproof, like a sanctuary from the chaos outside. But this… this thunder didn’t care about walls or silence. It cracked through everything.

My heart leapt into my throat.

I rushed to Rose’s bed. She was still asleep, curled under her blanket, the soft rise and fall of her breathing like a lifeline. I kissed her forehead and whispered, “Stay sleeping, baby,” before slipping on a sweater and stepping out of the room.

The hallway was a warzone. Cracked walls groaned under the damage, smoke snaking from shadowy corners. Burnt claw marks were carved deep into the wood like someone tried to rip the house apart with fire and fury. Blood was everywhere—splashed across the floor, streaked on the walls, even speckled the ceiling. In the living room, couches lay scattered and flipped like rag dolls, torn cushions spilling their insides across the chaos.

And when I got outside—

Oh God.

Outside was ruin.

I crept to the front foyer and pressed a hand against the massive door. I opened it just a sliver, and the wind practically screamed through the crack. My hair whipped around my face. The air reeked of blood and smoke.

Then I saw it.

Bodies.

Guards I’d passed in the hallways—men who used to smile at Rose or hand her a flower—now lying twisted and broken like paper dolls tossed aside.

The estate… was burning.

I pressed my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming.

This couldn’t be real.

I stumbled back into the shadows of the corridor, trying not to hyperventilate. I pressed my back against the cold stone wall and peered through a broken pillar.

And then I saw her.

Natalie.

Golden flames licked her skin, curling around her arms and legs like armor forged in rage. Her eyes… oh God, her eyes weren’t even looking human anymore. They glowed with some ancient fury, her pupils gone, just blinding gold light.

She looked like something out of a prophecy.

Something divine and terrifying.

Around her were Jacob and the others—Fox, Bubble, Eagle, and Tiger. Gods. Beings I’d lived with. Laughed with. Watched cook breakfast.

Now they looked like warriors from a different world.

Fox moved like liquid fire, dodging one of Natalie’s golden whips. “Natalie, STOP p>

“I won’t let them hurt him again!” she screamed, and the raw anguish in her voice nearly broke me.

I didn’t understand. I didn’t know who she meant or why she was so angry, but I could feel her pain like it was stitched into the wind.

Then suddenly, Fox was blasted backward by an explosion of light. He flew right past me, colliding with a tree that shattered on impact.

I gasped and clamped both hands over my mouth.

Tiger caught Fox before he could hit the ground again. He didn’t say a word. He just crouched low, placing his brother gently down before stepping forward—his muscles tensed, golden-brown hair rippling like leaves in a storm.

They were trying not to hurt her.

But she was burning.

Unstoppable.

And me?

I was hiding like a coward.

But I couldn’t move. My knees were jelly. My stomach churned. I was sweating and shivering at the same time. Every instinct in my body screamed at me to run back to Rose, to lock the door and never come out.

But I couldn’t stop watching.

Jacob was the only one standing between her and the others now, his hands raised, glowing with soft blue light. “Natalie. Little moon. Please. Breathe p>

Something about the way he said it—it was different.

It cut through the chaos.

Natalie trembled, her flames faltering just for a moment. “I—I don’t know how to stop it p>

Her voice was so human now.

So broken.

Jacob stepped closer. Calm. Brave. “You’re not their victim. You’re divine, Natalie. But don’t let your power become your prison p>

“I can’t… I can’t let them hurt him again,” she whispered.

Jacob took her hand.

I don’t even think he flinched when the flames touched his skin. “Then don’t. But don’t become what they made you to survive p>

But Natalie wasn’t listening. Stubborn as ever, she kept fighting—clawing her way out, desperate to escape, especially from Jacob. With a furious yell, she hurled a massive boulder at him. He dodged like it was nothing, but the thing came rocketing toward me. I didn’t even have time to react—something slammed into me, shoving me out of the way just in time.

I crashed against the wall, breath ragged, heart pounding so hard and fast in my chest that it felt like it was trying to escape. I didn’t know how long I stayed there, frozen, the world spinning around me.

Could’ve been seconds. Could’ve been hours. All I knew was that my legs refused to work, and I was crying without even realizing it.

I had no idea they were capable of this.

No idea the people I’d been living with were as scary as this.

No idea the pain Natalie carried inside her.

And no idea how any of this would end.

I sat in the rubble, hugging my knees, shaking like a leaf.

Then I felt it—something cold and wet on my hand.

I looked up.

It was Tiger.

He stood there, holding a sleeping Alexander in his arms like something sacred. One of them must’ve shielded Alex from all the chaos—made him sleep through the storm. Blood smeared Tiger’s face, singed around the edges. It wasn’t his. His smile was faint, worn-out, but still there.

“Hey,” he said softly, kneeling beside me. He adjusted Alex gently in his arms, like he was made of glass. “You okay, Bunny p>

I couldn’t answer. My throat burned. My voice was gone—choked by fear, smoke, and everything in between.

Tiger brushed a loose strand of hair from my face with a tenderness that didn’t match the destruction around us. “She didn’t mean to scare you,” he murmured. “Natalie… she’s hurting. More than most of us can even imagine p>

“I… I didn’t know I managed, my voice barely more than air.

He handed Alexander to me, careful not to wake him. “None of us want you, Alex, or Rose caught in this mess. We’ll protect you. I swear it. Now please—take him to your room, lock the door, and don’t come out until Natalie’s calm p>

I looked into his eyes—warm, green, painfully human in a world that felt anything but.

And for the first time since I stepped out of my room… I let myself breathe.

Still trembling. Still afraid. I nodded, rose from the floor, clutched Alex tight to my chest, and ran back inside.

I carried him to my room, tucked him into bed, then turned and locked the door behind us like it was the only thing keeping the world out.