Anastasia did not back away.

She stood her ground and held Liam’s intense gaze as he closed the distance between them, anger blazing in his eyes.

"I said if I knew you were here at Luna Pack, I would have come much earlier," she repeated boldly.

Liam clenched his fists in fury at her audacity after what she had done to him when he was at her pack long ago.

His jaw tightened as he angrily removed his boxing gloves.

"What you did at the combat was stupid," he spat out.

"I didn’t do anything wrong. You wanted combat and I gave you one. Good job, you won," Anastasia replied evenly, holding his fiery gaze.

Despite her outward calm, her heart pounded rapidly - his sweaty, primal scent driving her senses wild at this closeness.

"I didn’t win. You let me win on purpose!" he accused angrily.

"I didn’t. You won," she stated simply.

"Stop fucking lying!" Liam snarled, lashing out to punch the wall beside them, causing it to crack violently.

But Anastasia didn’t so much as flinch at his outburst.

After regaining his composure somewhat, he asked in a quieter tone, "Does it still hurt?"

Confused, she watched as Liam stepped even closer, placing his hand over her rapidly beating heart. "Your heart...does it still hurt?"

Realization dawned.

The pain of his rejection all those months ago.

Keeping her poker face, she answered simply, "Yes."

"Good, as it should be," he said coldly. "I hope your heart, if you even have one, keeps being in pain for the rest of your life. Like you did to mine."

With that parting shot, Liam turned and left the room without another word, leaving Anastasia alone in the cold training hall. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

___________

Anastasia stood in her bedchambers, basking in the warm glow of the flickering candlelight.

A serene smile graced her features as she waited, idly running her fingers along the fabric of her swimming suit.

She didn’t have to wait long before the door opened and Liam entered.

His chiseled features lit up at the sight of her, a matching smile spreading across his face.

They were the picture of a blissfully happy couple at that moment.

"There you are, my love," he rumbled affectionately, crossing the room in a few strides to take her in his arms.

"I missed you," Anastasia murmured, leaning into his solid embrace.

She nuzzled against the warm skin of his bare neck, breathing in his intoxicating scent.

" I missed you too" Liam replied huskily, cupping her jaw to tilt her face up towards his. "I love you, Anastasia."

"I love you too," she whispered fervently against his lips before they met in a searing, passionate kiss.

Sometime later, hand-in-hand, the couple made their way through the moonlit gardens to the secluded grotto housing the pool.

The night was balmy and still, heavy with the perfume of night-blooming jasmine.

Without preamble, they slipped out of their clothes before wading into the deliciously heated waters, sharing affectionate caresses and stealing nips of kisses between playful splashes.

Anastasia’s joyful laughter echoed through the grotto as Liam scooped her up, spinning them both around in the shallows with her legs locked around his waist.

In that perfect moment, their world was complete bliss.

Then, her laughter caught in her throat as something shifted in the depths beneath them.

The pool’s crystalline waters began turning opaque, quickly taking on a viscous, dark red hue.

"L-Liam?" she stammered in mounting trepidation, looking to him for an explanation of this unnatural phenomenon.

Rather than reassurance, the expression twisting his features into a sadistic leer chilled her blood.

Before she could fully process the situation, Liam’s hands clamped vice-like around her slender throat.

Anastasia thrashed wildly, choking and clawing at the imperviously strong arms as he abruptly wrenched her backward into the thick, bloody depths.

Where did her supernatural strength go?

The coppery liquid filled her mouth and seared her nostrils as she opened them to scream in sheer terror.

Fighting with every ounce of her strength, she managed to break the surface for a split second - only to have Liam’s crushing grip bear her straight back down.

She couldn’t breathe...she was drowning! Thick, suffocating jets of tainted liquid filled her lungs as the last pockets of precious oxygen burned away in her veins.

Panic and searing agony overwhelmed her senses as Anastasia stared upwards in abject horror through the clouding crimson haze.

There, in the watery shadows above, Liam hovered...watching her drown in the bloody pool with a sadistic smile splitting his face as her worlds went black...

Anastasia jolted awake with a start. Gasping, she quickly glanced around her dimly lit bedroom, trying to get her bearings.

The soft sheets tangled around her legs and the familiar furniture helped ground her - she was in her room at Luna’s house, safe.

Taking a few deep, calming breaths, she switched on the lamp by her bed.

The warm glow illuminated the window where the night sky was still dark - she checked the clock, it was 4 am in the middle of the night.

Her heart raced as vivid flashes of the harrowing nightmare replayed in her mind...the red water, Liam’s vicious attack, choking and drowning.

She shuddered involuntarily before realizing her throat felt parched.

Throwing off the covers, Anastasia left her room and was about to head downstairs but she froze at the door of her room.

There in the dimly lit space stood Caleb, Philip, Xavier, and even little Alex - all dressed in their pajamas and looking at her with evident worry and concern on their faces.

Well, except Liam’s expression, remained impassive as his intense gaze met hers.

Confused by the unexpected gathering, Anastasia asked in a small voice, "Why are you all up?"

She waited for an explanation, warily taking in their solemn demeanors.

A heavy tension filled the night air in the wake of whatever terrors her subconscious had dredged up mere moments ago.

Everyone remained silent, exchanging worried glances as if wondering why Anastasia would ask such an obvious question.

All except Liam, whose expression stayed carefully impassive.

It was Alex who finally broke the tense quiet.

He walked over and took Anastasia’s hand, looking up at her with clear concern. "Are you okay, Ana?" he asked softly.

Anastasia looked down at him in confusion. "Yeah, of course, I’m okay. Why wouldn’t I be?"

Philip stepped closer then. "You were screaming again, Alpha" he explained gently. "It was...louder than before. And lasted longer."

A pang of self-consciousness gripped her.

The idea of them all hearing her night terrors made Anastasia feel exposed and vulnerable.

She didn’t want any of them, especially Xavier whom she needed to ally herself with, to see her as weak.

Forcing a slight smile, she waved off their concern. "Oh, sorry for waking you all. It happens sometimes."

She turned to Caleb. "Can you please bring Alex back to his room and make sure he gets some more sleep?" Then to Philip, "And you should try to get some rest too since you both have work tomorrow."

Caleb and Philip nodded, they took Alex with them and left.

Finally, her gaze landed on Xavier who smiled softly " It’s okay to have nightmares. I hate when get them. I would not be able to sleep the night. If you need any help we can stay up with you. It’s not a big deal."

Anastasia internally sighed, thanking God that Cavier was not shallow enough to cancel their agreement of alliance just because having nightmares made her seem weak.

She grinned back at him, gratefully "This is so nice of you, Xavier. Thank you for offering the help, but really don’t worry about it. I will be able to sleep again, I’m just thirsty." Keeping her expression carefully neutral, she thanked him.

With a curt nod, Xavier spoke with the same gentle smile on her face " With pleasure, good night, alpha." then he took his leave, throwing one last worry, look over his shoulder before departing.

An awkward silence fell over the remaining trio as Xavier left.

Liam and Anastasia were now alone, holding each other’s gaze in tense quiet - no outward emotions showing but an undeniable charge crackling between them.

As Anastasia held Liam’s unwavering gaze, her chest tightened painfully - the memory of his harsh rejection six months ago slicing through her like a white-hot blade.

She could still vividly recall the desolate heartache of what she had done to him, to them.

Unable to bear the weight of his stare a moment longer, she abruptly averted her eyes and headed for the stairs without a word.

Her original intention had been to fetch a glass of water from the kitchen to soothe her parched throat after the harrowing nightmare.

But as she poured the cool liquid, that familiar alpha scent mixed with omega scent - Liam’s unmistakable faded mate’s essence - washed over her senses like a tidal wave.

Anastasia would know that scent anywhere, even as faint as it was now.

With a weary sigh, she turned to find Liam leaning against the kitchen doorframe, eyes hooded in the dim lighting as he regarded her with an unreadable expression.

Steeling herself, Anastasia took a few hesitant steps closer, prompted by the sense that he wished to speak.

Sure enough, his deep timbre broke the tense silence.

"What’s wrong with you? That screaming..." He trailed off, leaving the question unfinished.

"Night terrors," she admitted simply, unable to meet his piercing stare.

Liam didn’t react beyond a slight tilt of his head. "Since when do you have these terrors? You never used to get them."

A bitter chuckle slipped unbidden past Anastasia’s lips as she muttered, "After you left."

The faint ember of cruel amusement that flickered in Liam’s eyes at her obvious suffering fanned the flames of her own simmering resentment.

"I see you enjoy watching me in turmoil," she stated flatly, jaw clenched.

Rather than deny it, Liam’s grin only deepened as he confirmed in a hushed rasp, "I do love seeing you suffer."

White-hot anger flared within Anastasia at his callous admission. "Well good for you, Snow. I can hardly get one night’s sleep without dreaming of you killing me," she spat acidly.

To her surprise, the spiteful smile stretching Liam’s lips morphed into something more akin to wistful longing as he murmured, "I wish I could do that in real life."

Anastasia locked eyes with him defiantly. "Then let me make it easy for you - go ahead and do it if we survive these attacks. I’ll let you."

The vicious smile instantly dissolved from Liam’s features, leaving sheer shock in its wake as he stared at her, uncomprehending.

But Anastasia didn’t wait for a response, simply turning on her heel and leaving him standing there stunned in the dim kitchen.