Chapter 23 #2
His voice pulled me back. I jerked back a step, my back hitting the shelf. Bottles rattled behind me.
"I-I'm fine." My voice shook.
He watched me, his mouth slowly curving. "You're blushing."
"No."
"Yes." He stepped forward. Instinctively, I tried to retreat, but the shelf was right behind me. Nowhere to go.
He reached out, fingertips lightly touching my cheek. "Hot."
My breathing completely unraveled.
His fingers traced from my cheek to my chin, then my neck. His touch was gentle, like stroking something fragile, fingertips leaving trails of fire across my skin.
"Elena..."
He lowered his head, forehead against mine. I could feel his breath on my lips, feel his body heat through our clothes, feel his heartbeat syncing with mine.
My wolf whimpered softly inside me, lying down, tail slowly wagging behind it.
Just as he was about to kiss me, a phone rang.
Sharp, jarring, shattering the moment.
I shoved him away and pulled out my phone. Unknown number.
"Hello?" I answered, voice still unsteady.
"Is this Anya's parent?" A woman's voice, somewhat rushed. "This is her teacher, Ms. Brown. Anya had an incident at school. Can you come?"
My blood turned to ice.
"What incident? What happened to her?" My voice rose, fingers gripping the phone white-knuckled.
"I can't really explain over the phone." The teacher's tone was uncomfortable. "Can you come as soon as possible? The principal's office."
"I'll be right there."
I hung up, grabbed my bag, and bolted.
"Elena—" Lucifer caught me. "What's wrong?"
"Something happened to Anya." My voice shook, my whole body shook. "At school. The teacher wants me at the principal's office."
His face darkened. "I'll take you."
"But the shop—"
"The staff can handle it." He pulled me by the hand, striding out the door, telling the staff and working wolves, "Thanks for today. Finish up and you can head home."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The car was parked nearby. Marcus was already in the driver's seat. Lucifer opened the back door, let me in first, then sat beside me.
"Anya's school," he told Marcus, voice cold. "Fast."
"Yes."
I gave the address, and the car tore through the streets. I sat in back, fingers clutching the bag strap, knuckles white.
What could it be? Was she hurt? Sick? Or—
Countless possibilities flashed through my mind, each making my heart race faster, my breathing more urgent.
"Don't worry." Lucifer's hand covered mine, warm and strong. "She'll be okay."
I looked at him. Those gray eyes were full of reassurance and resolve.
But I still couldn't stop shaking.
The car stopped at the school entrance. I shoved the door open and ran out, practically sprinting through the gate, across the playground, straight to the classroom building.
Lucifer followed behind, footsteps echoing in the hallway.
The principal's office was on the third floor. My legs felt weak climbing the stairs, but I gritted my teeth and kept going.
When I pushed open the office door, my hands trembled.
Anya sat in a chair, tear tracks on her face, eyes red, dirt on her clothes. Seeing me, she immediately jumped down and ran over.
"Mommy—"
I scooped her up, checking her over. "What happened? Are you hurt anywhere?"
"I'm not hurt," she said quietly, voice still tearful. "But..."
"Ms. Windsor."
A woman's voice. I looked up to see a woman in her forties standing behind the desk in a business suit, face set in a perfunctory smile.
"I'm Ms. Brown, Anya's teacher." She glanced at Lucifer behind me, froze, then immediately adopted a more respectful expression. "Your... Your Majesty."
Lucifer ignored her, walking to my side and looking down at Anya. "What happened?"
Ms. Brown cleared her throat. "So, this afternoon, several students had a conflict with Anya on the playground. They... they said some unkind things."
"What things?" My voice went cold.
Ms. Brown hesitated. "They said... said Anya was a half-blood, said she didn't have a father. Children don't know better, probably heard it from adults—"
"And then?" Lucifer cut her off, tone colder.
"Then..." Ms. Brown sighed. "Let me get him." She left the office and returned minutes later with someone.
Liam.
His t-shirt was covered in dirt, a scratch on his face, hair a complete mess.
My heart clenched.
Seeing us, Liam paused but shuffled over, head down.
"Then this... this boy suddenly climbed the wall and beat up those students." Ms. Brown's tone carried obvious disapproval. "Climbing walls is very dangerous, and fighting—"
"I felt my sister being bullied." Liam kept his head down, voice small. "So I came."
"Sister?" Ms. Brown frowned at me. "You're his mother? How do you raise him?"
I opened my mouth to respond, but Lucifer stepped forward, blocking me.
"Watch your tone." His voice wasn't loud but carried enough authority.
Ms. Brown blinked, eyes darting between me and him, as if understanding dawned, her expression immediately changing. "But still, climbing walls..." Her voice noticeably weakened.
"How did you get in?" Ms. Brown shifted topics. "The school wall is seven feet high—"
"I climbed it," Liam said matter-of-factly. "I heard her crying."
Ms. Brown's expression soured further. "But you injured three students—"
"Where are those students?" I interrupted, voice rising. "The ones who bullied my daughter—where are they?"
Ms. Brown froze. "They're... in the next room resting. Ms. Windsor, I think we can handle this privately. The children are too young to understand—"
"Handle it privately?" My voice rose higher, echoing through the office. "They bullied a five-year-old child, called her a half-blood, said she has no father, and you think we should handle it privately?"
"But if this escalates, it won't be good for Anya either..." Ms. Brown glanced at Lucifer, her tone softening. "And those children's parents are people of status. If we really pursue this—"
"Pursue it." Lucifer suddenly spoke, his entire presence shifting. The Alpha pressure radiated from him like an invisible force, making the air in the office grow heavy.
Ms. Brown's face drained of color.
"Bring those students here," Lucifer said, each word a command that brooked no argument. "Now."
"But—"
"Now." He repeated, voice colder, eyes narrowing with the distinctive golden glow of a wolf. "Whose land are you standing on?"
Ms. Brown swallowed, her whole body trembling. She turned and practically fled from the office.
Minutes later, she returned with three children. All around seven or eight, heads down, not daring to look at us. Their faces had bruises, clothes dirty.
One child's mother followed behind—a woman in designer clothes, face full of displeasure.
"Ms. Brown, what is this?" Her voice was shrill. "My son gets beaten up at school like this, and this is how you manage things? I'm filing a complaint—"
"Mrs. Wilson, please calm down—" Ms. Brown tried to placate her.
"Calm down?" Mrs. Wilson's voice went higher. "My son's face is swollen! I want an explanation, or I'm going to the board—"
Her words cut off abruptly.
Because she saw Lucifer.
"Your... Your Majesty?" Her face changed instantly, voice trembling, all that arrogance vanishing.
Lucifer ignored her. He walked to the three children, looking down at them. The Alpha pressure didn't relent at all. All three children's legs shook. One had been about to cry but forcibly held it in.
"You bullied her?" He pointed at Anya, voice light but spine-chilling.
The three children trembled, not daring to speak.
"I asked you a question." Lucifer's voice grew colder. He stepped forward, bending to look at them, eyes flashing dangerously. "Did you bully her?"
"We... we..." One child stuttered, tears about to fall.
"What did you say?"
The children kept their heads down, silent.
"I told you to speak." Lucifer's voice dropped to its lowest point, yet made everyone present shudder. "What did you say to her?"
"We... we called her a half-blood..."
"And?"
"Said she... said she doesn't have a father... said her mom is... is..." The child burst into tears, not daring to continue.
"Wait." Mrs. Wilson suddenly spoke, her voice still shaking, but she pushed forward. "Your Majesty, they're just children; they don't understand. I'll educate them properly—"
"Being young means they can bully others?" Lucifer whipped his head to look at her, those gray eyes cold as ice, pressure fully unleashed. Mrs. Wilson's legs buckled, and she nearly collapsed. "Means they can discriminate based on bloodline? Means they can insult someone's mother?"