THE minute Xaniyah stepped into her room, shutting the door behind her with a forceful slam, Danica at the dining twisted her lips in irritation and stabbed at her food with her fork.

“Urgh, this food isn’t even well cooked,” she muttered, pushing around the golden potato chips and tearing into a lobster roll.

“Ugh! Too salty… soggy…”

Yet her mouth never stopped chewing.

Dimitra, still seated quietly beside her, said nothing. She merely raised a brow and continued sipping from her glass of water, her silence a practiced art. She didn’t even bat an eyelash as her daughter who chewed loudly and talked over her food, completely wrecking table manners.

Danica went on, “Who made this? Tch, can’t even cook decent lobster. This whole house is falling apart.”

In her room, meanwhile, Xaniyah barged into her room like a tornado of emotions. The moment the door slammed shut, she locked it.

She didn’t even get halfway across the room before her knees gave out and she collapsed onto her bed, her face down. A muffled scream echoed into the pillow as she clutched it tight, squeezing as though the fabric could carry the weight of her anguish.

Then came the tears. It was not loud, just quiet and hot. She tossed the pillow away violently, sat up with her arms around her legs, and stared blankly at the wall.

She was tired.

Exhausted.

Sad.

Angry.

Frustrated.

And still mourning.

This wasn’t supposed to be her life. This wasn’t how things were meant to turn out, nope. She hadn't plan it this way.

She clenched her fists, pounding once at the wall beside her bed, breathing hard.

“Why now?” she whispered. “Why would you leave now? Why mom? Dad why?”

She got up and paced the room in restless agitation, dragging her fingers through her hair.

“Go to the province,” she mimicked Ermis’s voice in a mocking tone. “Begin college there. Start a new life.”

She scoffed.

“In the Black Fur Pack?”

Her fists clenched.

“What in God’s name does that even mean?!”

It was all too much. The funeral yet to come. The sudden change. The expectation to move, to adjust, to let go of everything she knew.

She picked up a book and hurled it across the room. It thudded against the door and fell.

She collapsed back on the bed, and then… her phone rang.

She groaned, dragging herself upright. Her eyes darted around the room as the ringtone continued echoing. Where did she drop it? She couldn't even remember.

So she followed the sound, under a pile of clothes near the foot of the bed, it was there. She retrieved it.

It was Thalia.

Of course, that was what she expected.

She sighed and finally answered the call.

“Hey baby, I have been calling! Why did you go off the phone like that?” Thalia’s worried voice flooded through the speaker the moment Xaniyah answered.

Xaniyah rubbed her temple and sighed, her head was already aching due to her incessant cries. Her voice was hoarse, worn, and heavy.

“I didn’t even know where I dropped the damn phone,” she mumbled. “I just… I couldn’t take it anymore, Thalia.”

“I understand dear. I was so scared. You were crying and then it just cut off. I have been freaking out!”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you worry.” Her voice trembled a little. “It is just… so much.”

“I know, baby, I know. The last thing you were saying was about your parents. It is okay to cry, Xaniyah. You have held it in too long already.”

There was a pause.

“I wish that was all I had to deal with, but no,” Xaniyah whispered, her voice now laced with frustration. “Guess who just arrived about an hour ago?”

Thalia could almost hear her rolling her eyes.

“Who?”

“My Aunt Dimitra and that Jezebel of a cousin, Danica.”

Thalia hissed.

“What the hell? What are they doing there? Their presence aren't really needed.”

“Exactly my question.” Xaniyah groaned. “They just showed up. Danica is already acting like she owns the damn place, sitting at the dining table like it is her palace, flinging insults around like she is some queen. And Aunt Dimitra? As mute as a stone. Just watching her daughter act like a brat.”

“Ugh. I hate that witch. What did she say to you?”

“She stopped me in the hallway like I’m one of her maids,” Xaniyah scoffed. “With her dumb voice: ‘Hey you!’ I didn’t even respond at first. Then she started with her annoying sarcasm, talking about my parents, that they were gone and that crying won't bring them back. I gave it right back to her, Thalia. I told her to shut the hell up, and she flinched, the astonishment in her eyes was… oh my goodness! You needed to see it.”

Thalia chuckled.

“That is my girl. You don’t take crap from anyone. Least of all Danica the Devil.”

“She is a disaster,” Xaniyah muttered. “And I just… I’m tired, Thalia. I’m not done mourning my parents, and now I have to deal with this circus. Uncle Ermis has lost his mind. He wants me to go to some stupid province and live with some unknown human pack. Black Fur Pack or whatever. Start college there. Live a ‘new life.’ Like my life wasn’t just shattered.”

“Wait, wait… What?” Thalia’s voice was alarmed now. “He wants to send you away? To the pack? Without even asking how you feel?”

“Exactly. I’m just a damn pawn in everyone’s plan now.”

Silence dropped between them for a moment.

“Xaniyah, listen to me,” Thalia said softly. “You are not alone. You hear me? I’m coming tomorrow. I'm coming with my mom. We will be there, and we are going to talk about this properly. Whatever this ‘Black Fur Pack’ nonsense is, we are not going to let anyone push you around.”

Xaniyah’s lips quivered. Her heart felt warm and heavy all at once.

“Thanks, Thalia. I really need you here.”

“Always, babe. First thing in the morning.”

They ended the call, and Xaniyah dropped the phone onto the bed.

She curled up slowly, wrapping her arms around the nearest pillow and pulling the covers halfway up. Her eyes closed as her breathing evened out. Despite the chaos and pain, Thalia’s voice had been a balm, soothing enough to let her drift.

Sleep claimed her quickly, wrapping her in a soft, needed escape from a world that suddenly felt too cruel.