Evaline:
Physically, I was fine.
That''s what they kept telling themselves. That''s what I kept telling them. But apparently, being "fine" didn''t mean I was allowed to do anything on my own.
I wasn''t allowed to walk too much, wasn''t allowed to train, not even wander too far within the mansion without at least one of them hovering close enough to catch me if I so much as stumbled.
At first, I had tried to protest, lightly, half-heartedly. But thatsted all of five minutes before I realized something, none of them was going to budge. Not even a little.
And honestly…
I didn''t try very hard after that.
Because if being forced to rest meant being wrapped in warm arms, buried against steady heartbeats, and kissed like they needed to remind themselves I was real... then maybe I didn''t mind it so much.
River was always the quiet one during those moments. He didn''t say much. Didn''t ask questions. He just held me like he was anchoring himself to me as much as I was to him.
Sometimes, I would wake up and find him already there, his arms wrapped around me, his face buried in my hair like he hadn''t moved all night.
And I would just stay there and let him hold me as much as he needed.
Kieran was different. He hovered, watched, constantly checked on me without making it obvious.
His fingers would brush against my wrist, my cheek, my hair... little touches that said more than words ever could.
And when he kissed me, it was always soft, careful... like he was afraid I might disappear if he held me too tightly.
As for Oscar, he didn''t even try to hide it. He needed me close.
Always.
Whether it was sitting beside me, pulling me into hisp, or simply holding my hand like letting go wasn''t an option anymore.
And the way he looked at me, it was like he still needed to constantly convince himself I was here... alive and safe.
I made sure to give back as much as they gave me. Through soft touches, reassuring smiles, lingering kisses, or cuddles.
Because I knew... they needed it just as much as I did.
-
And then there was Lioren.
My heart softened just thinking about him. The moment I saw him after waking up, something inside me broke and healed all at once.
He was growing fast. Almost too fast. And I had missed a lot of it. Fortunately, the holidays gave me the chance to witness as he started taking his first small steps.
I knew I would be away from him again once holidays ended, so I wanted to make the most out of the remaining few days I had before I needed to return to the academy.
Every chance I got, I was with him. In his nursery, in the dining hall, in the garden when sun was out, or in living room.
Even just sitting and watching him as he tried to stand and walk on his tiny, unsteady legs.
That soft, innocent sounds of his giggles and babbling were kind of healing magic on their own.
But my sweet, little boy and my mates weren''t the only ones who filled my heart with warmth and helped me walk out of the shadows of those nights. There were my friends too.
All six of them arrived the very next morning of the night when I woke up.
I had barely stepped into the living room when they saw me. And then... it wasplete chaos.
"Eva!"
"Are you okay?!"
"Oh my stars-"
Before I could even respond, I was surrounded and pulled into a group hug so tight it almost knocked the breath out of me.
And then I heard the soft sounds of sniffles and sobs. I froze, my chest tightening as I slowly pulled back to look at them.
They were crying, nearly all of them, or at least trying not to.
"I''m okay," I said quickly, my voice softer than I intended as I reached out to touch one of them, then another. "Hey… I''m okay…"
"You disappeared," Mallory choked out, wiping her tears angrily. "Do you have any idea how scared we were?"
My throat tightened. "I''m sorry," I whispered, and I meant it.
I always knew that somehow I had been lucky enough to find a great friend circle at Silver Moon, but it wasn''t until this very moment that it hit me... they were not just people who were there to be part of my happiness, but they were ready to be part of my sorrow too.
They all loved me and cared about me... deeply, genuinely. And it was the kind of care I had never known growing up. The kind that felt overwhelming in the best way possible.
They hugged me again. Softer this time, almost careful like I might break.
And I held them just as tightly, because I needed them too.
But the list of visitors didn''t end with my friends.
Elder Ren and Healer Cao were my regr visitors. And though Healer Cao stoppeding after he confirmed all my physical wounds had healed, Elder Ren continued his visits every evening to work on my emotional and mental well-being.
For which I was really grateful. Hispany had been always able to lift my spirits because I got to learn a lot from his experience of being a healer for over five long decades.
Then there''s Elion. He visited me a day after I woke up, announcing he wouldn''t hold me ountable for missing my job the previous weekend and I could have theing one off too.
It was only then that I got to know just how big of a help he had been to my mates during the time I was being held captive.
Just one look at my men''s faces and I could tell their opinions on Elion had came a far way over the past week. They had grown to both trust and respect him.
And thenst but not least was the staff at the mansion.
It turned out a few of them, more specifically - Sera, Madam Elira, Vanessa, and Barbara - had witnessed my injured state the day I was brought back, and all of them freaked out from worry.
And though I had recovered now, they didn''t seem to calm down or stop taking care of me, especially Sera and Madam Elira.
But just like I weed the care and love of everyone else around me, I did the same with them.
It was… overwhelming.
All of it.
The love. The care. The concern.
For someone who had grown up with nothing but pain, neglect, and shame... it felt unreal. Like I had stepped into a life that wasn''t meant for me.
But it was.
It was mine now.
And I held onto it... and gave back the same love and care to all of them as much as I could.