<h4>Chapter 259: A Busy Week</h4>


    <strong>Evaline:</strong>


    As soon as Monday rolled around, the rhythm of my days changed.


    The quiet mornings andzy evenings from the past weeks were gone. Now, everything was a blur of books, lectures, and the sharp scratch of my pen against paper or my fingers over keyboard.


    The teachers had officially dropped the "gentle reminders" and reced them with piles of assignments, extra practice sessions, and pointed mentions of the uing exams.


    It felt like they were suddenly in a hurry to cram every piece of knowledge possible into our already crowded brains.


    My rm went off at six every morning without mercy. I would drag myself out of bed, rub the sleep from my eyes, and spend the first two hours doing my morning stretches and exercises before getting ready. Breakfast was quick but filling. And by nine, sses began, and from then until three-thirty in the afternoon, we barely had time to breathe.


    After sses, we didn’t even think about going back to my dorm. Every free hour before dinner was spent in the study hall or the library, either buried in notes or working on projects. It wasn’t easy keeping my focus, especially when my brain liked to wander to certain people far too often, but I forced myself to stay on track.


    I wasn’t the only one living in this whirlwind of busyness.


    Draven, being a second-year student, was just as swamped with preparations for his own exams. And yet... he still made time for me. Every single evening, like clockwork, he would find me during his evening shift at the library. He would join me in our secluded little corner on the second floor - our quiet spot away from prying eyes.


    We didn’t talk much. Sometimes, not at all. But there was something oddlyforting about his silent presence. Just knowing he was there, sitting across from me, was enough. And without fail, he kept sneaking in healthy evening snacks, making sure that I, and the baby, didn’t go hungry. I didn’t say it out loud, but it meant more to me than he probably realized.


    Oscar was another story entirely.


    As an Instructor, his workload had doubled - no, tripled -tely. Not only did he have to conduct trials for the second and third years students at Silver Moon, but he and Senior Instructor Mara were preparing for joint trials of final years students of Silver Moon with Nevermore Academy and Crescent Peak Academy. It meant long hours, endless nning, and little time for us to actually meet in person.


    Most of our connection now was through messages and phone calls. Still, without fail, his good morning text was the first thing I saw when I woke up, and his good night message was thest thing before I closed my eyes. Every other day, we would speak on the phone, even if just for a few minutes.


    And then there was River. Or rather, there wasn’t River.


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    No messages. No calls. No unexpected appearances. And honestly? I was grateful for that. Thest thing I needed was the distraction of a new mate when my brain was already drowning in deadlines and exams.


    But my thoughts didn’t stop with these three.


    Because Kieran...


    He had been on my mind for reasons I couldn’t ignore, no matter how much I tried to push it aside.


    He was absent during our Monday ss, which wasn’t unusual in itself. He was busy, after all, especiallytely - handling Rogue pack business while River was tied up with the Nightshade Pack.


    But when he showed up on Tuesday, I noticed it immediately. He was paler than usual, like the color had been drained from his skin.


    At first, I chalked it up to exhaustion. He had been working non-stop for days, and the kind of pressure he handled wasn’t light. But as the week went on, I kept catching that slightest falter in his otherwise perfect facade - on Wednesday, on Thursday - and that faint weakness never seemed to fade.


    It wasn’t something most people would notice. But I did.


    Because I had seen him like that before. The faint loss of control, the subtle edge to his movements... it usually came when the full moon was near. Only, this time, the full moon was more than a week away.


    That left me with an ufortable, gnawing feeling in my chest. Something wasn’t right.


    I told myself it wasn’t my business. I told myself I had enough on my te and that I shouldn’t stick my nose where it didn’t belong. But those arguments didn’t work for long.


    By Friday evening, I was sitting in the study hall, staring down a particrly difficult Chapter on potion-making, and realizing I had read the same sentence at least five times. My concentration was gone.


    I closed the book with a snap and exhaled slowly.


    Before I could change my mind, or talk myself out of it, I gathered my notes,ptop, and books, stuffed them into my bag, and walked over to the row of lockers in the study hall. I stored everything safely inside, slung my coat over my shoulders, and made my way toward the administrative wing.


    The closer I got to Kieran’s office, the more I questioned my decision.


    When I reached his door, I paused. My hand hovered over the wood for a few seconds before I finally knocked.


    "Come in," his voice called from inside.


    I pushed the door open, stepped in, and closed it behind me.


    He was sitting behind his desk, though he wasn’t facing me. His chair was turned toward therge window, where snow was clinging to the ss in thick, swirling patterns. His back was to me, broad shoulders silhouetted against the pale winter light.


    The room was dim, the only real lighting from the firece crackling quietly on the far wall, and the air smelled faintly of burning cedarwood.


    Now that I was here... I didn’t know what to say.


    He didn’t turn around. Didn’t even nce over his shoulder to see who had entered. The silence stretched on until I started feeling almost... unwee.


    Finally, I cleared my throat. "Good evening, Professor."


    He didn’t respond, so I continued, my voice a little hesitant. "I... came to check on you. You haven’t been looking well these past few days."


    Silence again.


    I felt my fingers twitch at my sides. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe I should just leave before-


    "How do you know that?"