22. Anastasia

His eyes beamed with tiny freckles of emerald blue sea. Enthusiasm and ecstasy was vivid in them like mountains. That expression surpassed every emotion on his face and soon he was an eager soul, craving to know more about the secrets behind that name.

"My mother named me that when I was twelve." Evelyn started, choking back her chortles.

"She named you after the moon goddess?" Michael asked, his ears perked up in attention like that of a dog.

"Yeah. I was close to announcing my wolf that time." Evelyn sighed, slightly hesitating as to let him on this topic or not.

His steps came to a halt at my confession. "You didn't announce your wolf back then?" He asked purely curious.

Evelyn gave him a forced smile, trying to hide her dissatisfaction with the matter. It wasn't easy to converse with someone who knew nothing of your suffering. But she tried anyway.

"I was cautious that things may not turn out well if I announced my wolf that soon so I refrained." She finished, naively making a poker face.

"You held your wolf back for all that long?" His brows furrowed and his tone lightened sending off a warm feeling around her though he was more in a state of awe at her resistance of her wolf. He had never been able to put such shackles on Xavier and she held her beast inside her captive for six years!

"I think, Selene and I have a sort of agreement." Evelyn tried to explain as his brows furrowed furthermore.

"If Selene wants something, I have to let her have it and in return she'll leave me alone for the time being." She shrugged off her shoulders at the end causing Michael to just stand there with his troubles. If only he had such a cooperative beast as his other half.

They resumed walking in silence around the greyish pavements. Evelyn's eyes were wandering without the imposition of taxation and taking in the slightest corner and the leaf on a tree in the garden. It was a huge garden and there was no suspicion of a door or a room anywhere near square meters in her approach. It was all natural with a lane of shamrock grass cooling her barefoot as she dawdled.

"Tell me something about your mother." She muttered in a whisper when she felt his presence around herself getting only stronger.

He seemed to be taking a moment before he engulfed a long break of air, "She had the same forest green eyes as mine, beautiful and gleaming as the full moon. Her mere face was enough for dad's and my wolf to calm down and listen to her, patiently." Evelyn listened eagerly, specially after his mention of the word 'patient.' It was clearly not a word werewolves like them were accustomed to.

"She was a tall and brawny and a beautifully strong woman. She was the tallest woman in our pack back then." He huffed and smiled vigorously at the mention of her. There was a peculiar softness added to his tone during the tenure he was speaking so proudly of her; he was indeed proud of her.

"The last time I saw her was when I was fifteen." The softness in his tone was gone. The laugh was gone. The glee in his eyes was gone. The beautiful spark in them was gone. At this moment, when he mentioned so emotionlessly about his mother to shun a sympathetic glance shooting towards his side, Evelyn was bound to believe, even for a second that his soul was gone.

Pretending to know better and have not been a witness to his previous statement, she asked out of courage to lighten the the abrupt force weighing on his shoulders causing it to look tensed and . . . tempting.

"What was her name?" She ignored the spontaneous knot bulging in her belly, focussing on his stunned face.

"Anastasia." He whispered and sounded almost like he was whimpering. It seemed to have taken up all the strength in him to say out such an ordinary little name. He looked exhausted even though not physically.

"It sounds just as beautiful as her." She complimented giving a huge shy smile and he accepted it with an approving little nod.

In truth it wasn't what had been going inside her thick brain. She was curious to know the beauty's name whom he spoke of without any hesitance or anxiousness. But there were far more unresolved queries and undeveloped theories in her mind she needed answers of and her wolf craved those answers even knowing he wasn't the right person she should ask assistance of in this matter.

She should leave this matter of family killing and avenging family at bay for now.

After a long walk of silence they came across a white marble fountain resembling the cupid with his arrow pointed towards Evelyn's direction. It was rather funny to watch the cupid aiming at Evelyn and Michael, possibly hoping they'd just get lost in each other's auras any moment or else he'd shoot an arrow without hesitance.

There were light green pikes raised on the sculpture. And lotuses were swimming blissfully on the navy blue water that mirrored the actions of the sky. It was a gorgeous and sweet smelling sight.

Evelyn perched on the side of the fountain and stared and momentarily played with the cool water. The petals felt beautiful against her skin. The tranquility and purity of the place was not tainted by their unsophisticated silence―yet.

"You remind me of her." Michael was leaning against the fountain with his arms curled around each other in front of his chest. He was gazing down at her, observing her closely, her face and her sweet little giggles.

She was caught out of her daze at his abrupt accusation. She kept staring at him but nothing came out of him. At last she sighed out of exhaustion.

"You have my undivided attention." She chirped, encouraging him to go on.

"Not your eyes but your hair and skin. Not to mention the warmth radiating off of you reminds me of her. You two . . . are related in more than one way and I can't get—" He was interrupted by something which she could only guess was a mind-link.

The next moment he hurriedly sat up, alarmed. He looked Evelyn for a moment before scampering off with a small reassuring smile plastered on his face and despite how forced it looked, she didn't dare ask about his hurry.

Something was off. It was clear in his tone but he shouldn't have left her alone there. Who knew where she would end up? Which room she would end up in? Or what face would be there to greet her?