Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
Elena
"Mom, I'm home!"
Anya burst through the door, her backpack bouncing on her shoulders. Liam followed behind, one hand resting on her shoulder to keep her from stumbling.
"Easy," he said.
I set down the fragrance bottle I'd been labeling and walked over to smooth Anya's hair. "How was school today?"
"Great!" She tilted her face up, eyes shining.
Liam had been coming by more often now, even picking up Anya from school.
I'd told him Amy could do it, but he insisted.
I could tell he wanted to spend more time with his sister.
And though he was only ten, he was a werewolf ten—taller and stronger than most kids his age. He could protect Anya. So I let him.
I turned to Liam, and my eyes widened. Today he wore a clean white T-shirt and jeans, his hair dyed back to light brown—the same warm light brown as mine, catching the sunlight with a soft glow.
His bangs were neatly combed to the side.
The two piercings in his right ear remained, but the studs were gone, leaving only small holes.
He caught me looking and touched his ear self-consciously.
"Took out the tongue piercing too." He opened his mouth to show me. Clean, just a faint healing mark where it used to be.
"And this." He pulled a test paper from his backpack. "Math quiz. Perfect score."
The red "A+" blazed under the light. I took it, scanning the neat handwriting, every problem answered carefully.
I turned it over and over, hardly believing it.
"Liam!" I pulled him into a hug and ruffled his hair.
He stumbled and had to bend down. His face flushed, but his mouth quirked up at the corners.
These past few days, Liam came by the shop almost daily.
Sometimes helping me move shelves, sometimes organizing inventory, but mostly picking up Anya from school.
He didn't say much, but he worked hard. Whenever Anya grabbed his hand and chattered away, he'd listen patiently, that faint smile playing at his lips.
The aggression I'd seen in him at our first meeting had faded. This was my Liam.
"Go do your homework," I smiled. "When you're done, I'll take you both for ice cream."
"Yes!" Anya jumped up, dragging Liam toward the small break room behind the shop. I watched them go, listening to Anya's bright chatter, warmth spreading through my chest.
These sweet moments were touching me, bit by bit.
But one person rarely appeared, like a missing piece in this picture.
Lucifer.
Since that day we returned from the school, he hadn't come to the shop again.
Occasionally, werewolves would deliver things—jewelry and clothing were secondary, mainly glass display cases, more sophisticated fragrance tools, and more precise equipment.
Today, it was a bouquet of lilies. The delivery person said it was "arranged by His Majesty," bowed, and left.
Lilies and bay leaves.
I placed the bouquet in a vase by the register. The lilies sat there quietly, white petals unfurling. I stared at them, something tightening in my chest.
What was he doing? Was he alright?
These questions circled endlessly in my head, but I didn't know how to ask. What were we to each other now? Should I reach out first? I couldn't bring myself to, because every signal I'd given him was rejection.
I sighed and turned back to work.
The next morning, before I'd even gotten to the shop, I'd just opened my laptop to process orders when my phone started blowing up.
Messages flooded in one after another.
"Ms. Windsor, have you seen the news online?"
"Boss, something's happened!"
"Elena, people are saying your fragrance products are toxic!"
My fingers froze. I opened my browser and searched "Windsor Fragrances."
The screen filled with headlines.
"Windsor Fragrances Exposed as Toxic, Multiple Customers Report Adverse Reactions”
"Unethical Business? Windsor Fragrances Suspected of Using Harmful Chemical Components"
"Consumers Speak Out: Dizziness and Nausea After Using Windsor Fragrances"
My breath caught.
I clicked the first article. Photos appeared—medical diagnoses, screenshot conversations, pictures of my shop.
The article claimed multiple customers experienced dizziness, nausea, insomnia, and allergic reactions after using Windsor Fragrance products.
Hospital visits led to diagnoses of "chemical poisoning. "
The comments section had exploded.
"Oh my God, I bought some too!"
"Throw it away now!"
"Unethical business!"
"Call the police!"
"I heard His Majesty visited her shop too. Did he approve this?"
"Evil werewolf! Damn her!"
My hands trembled. This was impossible. My fragrance used all-natural essential oils, every batch rigorously tested. There was no way they could be toxic. What terrified me more was how this had spread to Lucifer.
My phone rang. This time, it was an employee from the shop.
"Ms. Windsor!" The voice was frantic. "There's a crowd at the shop entrance! They're demanding answers! You need to come now!"
My blood turned to ice. "I'm on my way." I grabbed my bag and rushed out.
The taxi raced through the streets. I sat in the back, fingers gripping the bag strap tight.
When I reached the shop, I froze.
A dozen people crowded the entrance—men and women holding handmade signs. "Unethical Business" "Toxic Fragrance" "Give Us Our Health Back." A ring of onlookers surrounded them, some taking photos, others recording videos.
I took a deep breath and pushed the car door open.
"That's her!" A woman pointed at me, voice shrill. "Her shop sells toxic fragrance!"
"Unethical business!"
"Give us our health back!"
I tried to keep my voice steady. "That's impossible. My fragrance uses all-natural essential oils with no harmful components—"
"Still lying!" The woman stepped forward. "We have medical diagnoses!"
The crowd started to surge. People pushed forward, waving signs and shouting slogans. Someone shoved me. I stumbled back, but I stood my ground at the entrance, spreading my arms to shield the employees behind me. "What do you want?"
"Move!" A man reached out to push me.
I staggered—
An arm suddenly wrapped around my waist from behind, holding me steady.
That familiar scent surrounded me. Cedar and amber. My wolf shot to attention. I looked up to see that familiar jawline and throat.
"Enough."
Lucifer's voice came from behind me—low, cold, carrying Alpha authority.
The crowd went silent.
His arm circled my waist, pulling me closer to him.
Then he raised his head, gaze sweeping over the people holding signs.
The scene went quiet, frighteningly so. I grabbed his sleeve.
Lucifer glanced down at me. We didn't speak, but his eyes told me what I needed to know.
He was fine. He had this under control. He turned, shielding me behind him. "Disperse."
The people exchanged glances. No one spoke, but no one moved either.
"I said," Lucifer's voice turned colder, Alpha pressure crushing down like an invisible force, "disperse."
The sign-holders began to shake. One raised his sign higher. "Your Majesty!" His voice wasn't loud but clearly held suppressed anger. "Are you protecting the guilty party?"
"Your Majesty!" I looked over—it was a reporter, a man beside her holding a camera. She thrust her microphone forward. "You endorsed Windsor Fragrances. Did you know the materials were problematic all along?"
"Your Majesty, we're the victims—" The woman's voice trembled.
Led by them, the previously calm crowd began to stir again. I didn't know what to say. Lucifer didn't move, but in an instant, the Alpha pressure rolled out, fiercer than before. Several people dropped to their knees involuntarily.
"Hale will investigate this thoroughly—"
Lucifer turned, hand on my shoulder. "Let's go."
Marcus had already pulled the car around to the back entrance. "Get in," Lucifer said, helping me into the car. The vehicle sped off, scenery rushing backward. Lucifer sat beside me, taking my hand.
"I'll get to the bottom of this," he said, voice softening. "Elena, you should stay home for now."
My fingers still trembled, but Lucifer's warmth somehow calmed me. He squeezed my hand gently. "Don't worry."
Over the next few days, things escalated.
More and more news appeared online, even TV stations started covering it. The "Windsor Fragrances Incident" became a trending topic, everyone talking about it.
I had to temporarily close the shop.
Worse, Lucifer faced questioning from the Elder Council over this. The Hale royal family had been shamed. Someone dug up photos of him helping at the fragrance shop.
Someone with an agenda used this incident to inflame tensions between humans and werewolves.
Combined with the crimes noble werewolves had committed before, both street protests and online arguments grew increasingly heated.
People took to the streets, "Werewolves Protect Criminals!
Humans Must Unite!" banners waving in the air.
The Hale royal family had to send soldiers to suppress it, only creating a vicious cycle.
I sat at home watching the news on TV, fingers clenched around the remote.
What hurt me most was Anya.
The day I picked her up from school, she stood at the classroom door, eyes red.
"Mommy..." She threw herself into my arms. "They said... they said Mommy's a bad person..."
My heart felt like something had grabbed it hard.
"Baby," I held her tight, "Mommy's not a bad person."
"But they all say so..." Her voice held tears. "The teacher too... the teacher won't let me answer questions anymore..."
I clenched my jaw and carried her out of school. On the way, I made a decision.
"Anya," I crouched down to her eye level, "how about you don't go to school for a while? You can rest at home."
She seemed reluctant but finally nodded and threw herself into my arms, tears still on her face. My heart broke.