Come home.

“Child, I know you are awake. Please, avoid sudden movements. It's for your own good. Don't talk too much either; we barely got you back,” an older woman placed a hand over Seth's - a thing that finally encouraged her to open her eyes.

Facing the kind face felt refreshing, nothing like the flaming, worried looks on the faces of all Alphas.

Memories attacked her as if they were a nightmare sent to torture her existence. A lonely tear rolled down her cheek, but the kind woman caught even that: “Don't cry, child,” the woman smiled.

For some odd reason, her eyes were filled with so much love it almost suffocated Seth. She raised an eyebrow, silently questioning the strange woman.

“Oh, I'm sorry, my mind has been quite occupied with way too many things at the same time. It would be best if I introduced myself first, right? My name is Anastasia, but you can call me Anna if that's easier. I am the King's grandmother. As soon as I heard about you, I had to come and make sure those shitheads are taking good care of you. Damn it, please don't tell them that I cursed, okay? I'm a lady so I should be polite and elegant. Let's make it our little secret, and I will sneak some snacks here for you,” the woman grinned like an excited child.

Seth couldn't help herself, so she chuckled and nodded her head. She took her time to observe the woman. Calling her a grandmother sounded more like an insult than an actual role in someone's life.

Anastasia was stunning; her hands, neck, and fingers reminded of an expensive jewelry show. Anastasia wore light, natural-looking makeup and wore a dress with a bright sunflower print all over it. No wonder she seemed so happy and looked effortlessly beautiful.

Of course, beyond that - she did remind a high-class lady with her perfect posture and the choice of words. Seth had to think back if she had ever met someone as elegant as Anastasia. To hell, she had never met a proper grandmother, let alone one that reminded more of a young mother than granny.

Sighing, Seth eyed the water bottle next to her bet. Her action didn't go unnoticed, and the woman instantly grabbed the bottle, opened it, and placed it next to Seth's lips.

When she satisfied the feeling of thirst, her head nearly dropped back against the pillow. Even though the dry feeling in her mouth and throat was gone, Seth still struggled to hide the headache she had. Shifters usually didn't suffer from migraines, but at times it happened, especially after head trauma.

“Thank you,” Seth choked out, trying to speak up to her best ability.

She didn't seem to be in too much pain, but the woman's words kept echoing in her mind. What did Anastasia try to say when she mentioned barely getting her back? Did Seth manage to die before she woke up again? But then again, would that be as bad? To leave, for once?

Her reality and dreams mixed in an endless knot, confusing her. Seth wanted to know every tiny detail that she had missed while she was asleep, but for some reason, everyone kept trying to shield her from the truth.

“Child, I just told you that you shouldn't speak up. Try to rest some more; I'll be here if you will need me. This old lady is not going to let you out of her sight, trust me. Besides, I'm sure no one could ever take better care of you than I could,” Anastasia chuckled, bringing her palm to Seth's forehead to check her temperature.

Seth knew that the older lady must be pretty old-fashioned since most shifters used medical equipment to measure someone's temperature nowadays.

“I'm fine, I promise. I've been asleep for quite some while now, and sleeping would be the last thing on my mind. Anyway, I'm glad to meet you; hope those four rascals didn't tell you horror stories about the big, bad puma,” Seth chuckled, slightly cringing at the words she chose to address herself.

Those men wouldn't say anything wrong; at least she hoped they wouldn't. But then again, as grown as they were, despite being an Alpha rank, all four of them were close to the level of a toddler - running around and acting stupid for most of their free time. God knows what seeds of lies the men might have planted in Anastasia's mind.

“Likewise, sweetheart. Oh, don't worry, I wouldn't listen to them even if my life depends on the information they might give. You see, old wolves such as myself tend to rely only on whatever we see or hear ourselves. It would be unfair to judge you by whatever those boys say. Some women could say that boys would be boys, but at the end of the day, deep down, they're all little shitheads. I wanted to meet you myself, feast my eyes upon the beauty you are. I must confess - the only thing I listened to was when they spoke about how stunning you are. They didn't lie. Would you like another sip of water?”

Anastasia seemed to be the type of woman who loved to interact with others. A social butterfly at its finest. But who would dare to blame her - the woman's kind smile and loving eyes would attract anyone.

Seth nodded her head and smiled at the woman, touched by her gentleness and caring nature. Her own family didn't care for her as much as this stranger did. Seth gladly took another sip of water and turned her attention back to the deep green eyes which kept staring right into her soul.

“You love him, don't you? My grandson,” Anastasia questioned Seth.

Unlike others, who asked the same question, hers was driven by the kindest curiosity Seth had ever spotted in someone's eyes. The woman is truly worried about Luciano's future.

Seth's eyes filled with tears once again, her gaze escaping Anastasia's hopeful one. When the next tear escaped, the older woman was there again, gently wiping it away: “Take your time, darling, you don't need to answer right away,” she added as if she felt like her question had brought pain upon the already suffering puma.

“I'm sorry, I'm just worried. Before I fell asleep again, someone mentioned that he had been pronounced dead. Of course, I love him; I'm trying to figure out how to love a dead man if the rumor was true,” Seth quietly sobbed.

She had never been a woman with too many emotions, but the thought of losing Luciano terrified her. No matter how many times he had managed to piss her off or even drive the woman near insanity, he still was one of the men Seth fell for.

Perhaps the thought alone scared her even more than the knowledge of accepting the thought as reality later on.

“At this point, I don't know what to think or feel anymore. It's like I can feel that he's not around, maybe even distant, but I don't feel like he actually died. Maybe this is my coping mechanism - avoiding the problems or pretending those aren't real. I don't know a lot of things, but if there is one I'm absolutely sure of, it's that I would feel it if he died. I know I sound like a nut case, but it feels natural to tell you everything. I'm sorry to force my doubts onto you, Anastasia; it's so unfair and selfish of me. Anyway, aside from the topic - where are the three asshats? I thought they would run into this room like maniacs, screaming and making sure I didn't lie. I have a feeling that none of them would let me, even if I wanted to.” Seth forced a weak smile, trying her best to avoid thinking about Luciano.

No matter what others said, she wouldn't believe in dry words unless she saw actual proof of his death. Luciano was the strongest man she had ever met, and Seth had to face many Alphas during her lifetime.

And now, he was the King. Surely, that had to give him some superpower or extra strength - anything to prove how superior he was. Right?

“Oh, the three firecrackers left the palace yesterday. They're out to get my grandson. I swear, that boy is natural to get himself buried neck-deep in shit he caused himself. When he was younger, the things he did, woosh, back then, I thought that my hair would turn gray as soon as I'd dare to turn my back on that boy. And Dominic? He's not a bit better, trust me. Letting those two together was a vivid nightmare happening right before my eyes. Oh, all those times when I had to drag their asses out of trouble. Don't get me started about the rebels those two became as soon as their parents separated them from each other. If I didn't know better, I would guess that those two crawled out of one hole from hell,” Anastasia laughed out loud, throwing her head back.

Her laugh was melodic and calming - every movement of the woman felt like the most natural thing ever, as if she was born to be perfect.

Seth furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. This was too much. The last thing she heard was the news about his death, and even though she still refused to accept it, Anastasia acted as if it wasn't a big deal.

As a grandmother, wasn't she supposed to cry over the loss of her grandchild?

Although clearly a little crazy, surely a free spirit, Anastasia still didn’t look like a woman, who would dismiss a relative, especially this close, as easily. Or perhaps she was going crazy because of the worry and this was how she coped?

“Excuse me, but what do you mean with them leaving to get Luciano? I can not seem to follow where you are coming from.”

“Darling, when an older shifter speaks, all of their words are chosen with intention. I mentioned Dominic because those two shared a special bond as friends since early childhood. Yes, they might have had to face separation, but that made their bond stronger, even with the hatred they used to feel for each other. You see, real friendship is nearly impossible to slaughter if those involved don't want to lose what they used to have. Both Luciano and Dominic kept living their lives, shielding themselves from the outside world by building barriers around their hearts and minds. Even when everyone thought that they truly despised each other - they didn't. Both of them silently hoped that one day, they could put their differences aside and be best friends as they used to.” Closing her eyes, Anastasia let herself let her guard down for a few seconds.

She could picture the two boys running around her backyard and playing tag. All of them would get in the car and drive to the local shop to get some ice cream later on. It was like an unwritten law in her house, especially when Luciano and Dominic came to visit.

Anastasia failed to notice the look in Seth's eyes, still somewhat overtaken by the sudden gush of memories. When Seth cleared her throat, Anastasia finally forced her attention back to the petite puma shifter.

“I- I still don't understand,” Seth stuttered under her breath, eyeing the older woman.

Anastasia might have more knowledge about the boys than anyone else, but Seth wanted to know more than what the older woman was willing to give. She spoke in riddles, beating around the bush and avoiding the main issue that their conversation revolved around.

“The bond they shared as friends is often stronger than one shared by men and their chosen ones. Dominic knows way more about Luciano than you might think. He will find my grandson and bring him back to safety. Don't worry, I don't believe that he is dead either; it's not as easy to kill an Alpha King as everyone could think it might be. There are a lot of things one should learn to execute someone as powerful as my grandson. You can trust me on this one - I've lived a long life. The last time someone managed to kill the King was more than five hundred years ago. And even for that, they needed a dozen witches, each of them an older generation, perfectly knowing their craft. Nowadays, we don't have such powerful witches, especially the ones who practice black magic. There are many white witches out there, but many of them couldn't do more than one spell. Now, rest, you'll need some energy when those little shits come back,” the older woman laughed again, standing up from the chair and stretching her body.

Before marching straight at the door, she turned around and announced: “I'll go downstairs to the cafeteria to get some coffee and cupcakes. Would you like anything, darling?” She politely offered, once again, looking at Seth with that loving smile on her lips.

“No, thank you,” Seth politely declined the offer.

Honestly, she wanted some fried chicken; the thought of the smell alone nearly drove Seth insane. However, taking in Anastasia's age and she slightly bent back, she couldn't bring herself to ask for anything. Luciano's grandmother needed some more rest or perhaps alone time along the way.

“Suit yourself,” the older woman giggled and left the room, leaving Seth alone.

As Seth watched Anastasia leave and close the door behind her, she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Hopelessly staring at the ceiling, Seth whispered: “I hope you'll come home soon.”