CHAPTER 81: THE PLANT HOUSE.

"What?!" Callum, Theo, Lucian, and Darius all shouted in unison, their eyes wide with disbelief and horror.

"Are you kidding us right now, Mother?" Theo asked, arching his eyebrows sharply. A scoff followed as he folded his arms across his chest, his voice layered with skepticism. "You can’t be serious. This has to be some kind of joke."

"That’s right, Mother," Callum added with a tense nod. "Alpha Darius and Miss Ameera came here just to visit. They should return to their house now. They can always come another time if they wish."

Victoria’s voice trembled as she choked on her words, swallowing hard. "It’s not even that late outside..."

Mrs. Ashford turned her head, her calm but pointed gaze settling on Anna, who was still holding Victoria warmly in her arms. "Are you okay with staying the night, Anna?" she asked softly. "Or would you prefer to return home with your brother?"

Anna’s face lit up with an eager smile. "Of course, Miss Ashford. I’d love to spend the night here in Victoria’s room. We could talk and catch up all night long!" she responded brightly, her tone filled with innocent excitement.

Victoria’s brow shot up. "What?" she asked, followed by a sharp scoff of disbelief.

"Do you really think she’s just here for fun?" Leo’s voice whispered directly into Victoria’s ear. He was invisible to everyone else in the room, his arms crossed and expression twisted with suspicion. "She clearly wants to do something. And that’s why she insisted on staying here and even picked your room specifically."

Victoria let out a soft breath and murmured beneath it, a knowing smile forming on her lips. "She can’t do anything. The only thing she might try is to figure out whether I remember anything from the first life."

"Anyway, I’m heading out now. I want to pay that bodyguard....Eric....a little visit," Leo whispered again, leaning closer to her ear.

Victoria blinked. "Huh? When did you start visiting him? Wait... Do you like him or something?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in amused suspicion.

"Anna’s here, so it only makes sense that I take over the body of that bodyguard to come see you tomorrow," Leo replied with a sly smirk tugging at his lips. "I couldn’t care less what Darius might do, but I do want to see Anna’s face when she runs into the guy who kissed her again."

Without waiting for Victoria’s response, Leo vanished, darting out of the mansion in a blur of motion.

"Can I sleep in your room, Victoria?" Anna asked suddenly, her voice bringing Victoria back from her whirlwind of thoughts.

Before Victoria could respond, Darius stepped forward, his expression etched with disbelief. "Oh, you can tell I’ve been quiet this whole time, sister," he began, his tone rising with incredulity. "And that’s because I’ve been hoping this was just some elaborate prank. You never even stay the night at your rich friends’ houses. You hate sleepovers. But now you want to stay in Victoria’s room? You must be absolutely out of your mind!"

"Well, I’m not kidding, Darius," Anna replied sweetly, maintaining her serene smile. "You can go back home alone if you want. I’ll find my own way tomorrow morning."

The words hit Darius like a slap. His face paled, and his jaw clenched as his hands balled into fists.

"This is insane! But then you’re joking. You should meet me outside when you’re done here." he roared before turning on his heel and storming out of the living room.

Noticing the concerned look that flickered across Mr. and Mrs. Ashford’s faces as they watched Darius leave, Anna quickly spoke up with reassurance in her tone. "Don’t worry about him. He’ll be fine and he won’t actually leave. Darius would rather die than let his sister stay somewhere without him. Just help me prepare a room for him. He’ll end up staying the night, trust me."

"Oh no, this is completely insane!" Callum suddenly shouted, his voice laced with fury. He turned sharply and marched out of the room.

Theo and Lucian exchanged glances before following suit, frustration evident in their stiff postures.

It’s not like they could change their parents mind anyways. They could only accept.

"Dinner is ready, boys!" Mrs. Ashford called after her sons, her voice rising with motherly concern. "Are you not going to eat anything?"

But none of them replied. They continued their angry retreat, ignoring her words entirely.

"Just ignore them," Mr. Ashford finally spoke, breaking the lingering tension. His voice was calm, steady. "There’s nothing wrong with Alpha Darius and Miss Anna spending the night here. It’s just one night, after all. If the boys are upset about that... then so be it. Let them cool off. They’ll come around eventually."

As he spoke, he placed a reassuring hand on Mrs. Ashford’s shoulder. She gave him a small nod of understanding, though the worry in her eyes lingered.

Victoria offered a light smile. "I want to get some fresh air outside for a bit. When it’s time to sleep, a servant can bring Miss Anna to my room."

Mrs. Ashford and Anna both nodded in approval, and Victoria gently slipped out of the living room.

The moment she stepped into the open compound, the cool breeze swept over her, brushing against her skin. It seemed to cool not just her skin...her mind, but also the hot, suffocating tension that had filled the house moments ago.

Her eyes wandered across the compound in search of her brothers, but they were nowhere in sight.

’They’ve probably retired to their rooms,’ she thought with a quiet sigh, hugging her arms around herself as she strolled further.

Her steps carried her in no particular direction until she found herself standing before the plant house. The faint scent of roses and wet soil drifted toward her, drawing her in. Without hesitation, Victoria pushed open the glass-paneled door and stepped inside.

The plant house was dimly lit, but the moonlight filtering through the glass roof gave it an ethereal glow. She reached for a blooming rose and gently plucked it from its stem. Just as she turned to leave, her eyes fell on a shadowy figure lying on the floor amidst the foliage.

’Who’s that?’ she thought, heart skipping a beat.

Curiosity got the better of her, and she began to move closer. But the fragrance of the flowers overpowered any scent that might have revealed the person’s identity. And without her wolf awakened, her senses weren’t sharp enough to pick up subtle cues.

She tried to peer at the figure, but the darkness obscured their face. "Forget it," she muttered, turning away. But just as she took a step, a strong hand gripped her wrist and yanked her backward... causing her to stumble and fall hard onto the figure lying on the floor.

"Who the hell are you?!" Victoria shouted, struggling to push herself up. But the figure had already wrapped one arm around her waist, keeping her body pinned against his.

"Why did you come to the plant house?" came a deep, masculine voice....low, rough, and laced with suspicion.

Waves of terror ran down Victoria’s spine.

It was Darius.

The moment recognition hit, he released her. She quickly scrambled to her feet, brushing dirt and petals off her dress. Darius stood up too, his expression unreadable.

"Why can’t I come to the plant house?" Victoria snapped, dusting herself off. "It’s my family’s. Or have you forgotten that this isn’t your mansion?"

She scoffed as she stepped back, glaring at him.

Darius narrowed his eyes. "Didn’t you follow me here?" he asked, folding his arms over his chest with a cold scoff. "Don’t lie, Victoria. There are dozens of places in this mansion you could’ve gone, but you chose here....exactly where I am. Clearly, you have an agenda."

Victoria’s jaw dropped at his arrogance.

"Follow you here?" she repeated, her voice sharp with disbelief. "You really do think too highly of yourself. Like I said, this is my family’s home, not yours. I can go wherever I want, whenever I want."

She turned to leave, but once again, Darius grabbed her... this time pulling her against him tightly by the waist.

"What is wrong with you?!" she yelled, her voice trembling with a mixture of anger and fear. "What do you think you’re doing? Let go of me!"

Darius’s gaze darkened. "I don’t know what my sister sees in you to be acting this way... but whatever it is, I hate it. And don’t think I don’t see through your plan," he growled, his tone bitter and accusing. "You kissed me on your very first day at the academy to get my attention. And when that didn’t work, you turned to Anna. Now she’s the one acting strange because of you."

Victoria’s eyes widened slightly, but her expression quickly shifted into one of disgusted disbelief.

"Oh my goodness..." she muttered, letting out a sharp laugh. "And to think you’re one of the four Alphas that rule the academy. But it makes sense now. You’re not rulers....you’re bullies. That’s all you are. No wonder you think like this."

Her words cut deep. Darius’s body went rigid, and a visible tremor of shock ran through him.

"How dare you?!" he barked, his voice echoing through the plant house.