Chapter 140: At Fenrir’s Home

Two fully open levels flowed seamlessly into one another, connected by wide galleries lined with pale stone balustrades and supported by elegant columns draped in jasmine, ivy, and wisteria. Long flowering vines cascaded all the way to the ground floor like living curtains, while lanterns suspended among the foliage cast a warm golden glow that made the leaves shimmer.

Nothing about the house truly felt enclosed.

Everything had been designed to let air, fragrance, and light move freely.

At the far end of the atrium stretched a pool unlike the modern rectangular basins Blanche was used to. Its gently curved shape and floor of pale sand made it resemble a natural lagoon. The water, almost impossibly clear, reflected the flames of the braziers as well as the moon shining through the vast opening above the courtyard.

A few submerged steps disappeared gradually beneath the surface, while tropical plants, giant ferns, and tall palm trees framed the water, blurring the line between architecture and nature.

The gentle lapping of the water blended with the soft murmur of the nearby fountain and the whisper of leaves stirred by the night breeze.

Everything invited you to slow down.

To breathe.

To forget the world beyond these walls.

Blanche lifted her gaze toward the galleries on the upper floor, where several arched doorways opened onto small interior balconies overflowing with flowerpots and trailing plants. Even the second floor had been designed like a suspended promenade overlooking a lush garden.

A smile tugged at her lips.

There was something profoundly alive about this house.

It didn't impress through wealth.

It captivated through its soul.

Every stone seemed to have been placed with the sole purpose of creating a sanctuary—a place where people could live, laugh, and welcome those they loved.

A familiar warmth spread through Blanche's chest.

She already adored this place.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"My home."

A waitress set down a tray before them.

Then simply remained standing there.

Blanche continued as though nothing were unusual, despite the woman openly staring at her.

"What am I doing here?"

"I needed you to know where to find me."

"You could've just given me the address."

Which, incidentally, she had already memorized.

She let out a small, contented hum as she sampled one of the honey cakes.

Fenrir smiled.

Then, with effortless familiarity, brushed a crumb from the corner of her lips with his thumb...

...before absentmindedly licking it clean.

Blanche swallowed.

Then promptly choked on her tea.

"Belle, leave us."

The waitress bowed and quietly withdrew.

"My estate is also a charity," Fenrir explained, handing Blanche a glass of water. "A refuge for women in need."

He continued,

"I look after the Shifters. Many of them become violent after the bite. Their families find shelter here. Women. Children."

"That's... incredibly generous of you."

Fenrir inclined his head.

"I have a daughter. Born a wolf. Condemned to remain in animal form."

"I'm sorry... Is that why you're always in the mood to kill someone?"

He burst into laughter.

Blanche noticed the way every woman within earshot instinctively turned toward him at the sound.

"They're all crazy about you, aren't they?"

"Wouldn't you fall in love with the man who saved your life?"

"As long as you don't take advantage of it." She shrugged, continuing to eat with remarkable composure.

"Just a little," he promised. "I swear."

Blanche never noticed the hours slipping away.

What had been meant as a brief visit gradually turned into a long night of confidences, stories, and shared laughter. Cups of tea gave way to other drinks, candles were quietly replaced by the servants as the hours passed, and outside, the garden slowly drifted into slumber beneath a sky full of stars.

They talked about everything.

The past.

The gods.

The Players.

The Drakions.

The mistakes he regretted.

The choices he still had to live with.

Sometimes Fenrir would tell an unexpectedly funny story that drew genuine laughter from Blanche.

Other times, his gaze would drift toward the fountain in the courtyard for several silent seconds, as though revisiting memories centuries old before returning to the conversation with a wistful smile.

As the night wore on, Blanche's certainties crumbled one by one.

She discovered a man infinitely more complex than the image he projected.

Behind his effortless elegance, his love of beauty, and the home where every detail radiated warmth, was someone who had loved, lost, begun again, sometimes failed, often suffered... yet had never allowed those wounds to steal his ability to welcome others with kindness.

He was neither the hero some believed him to be...

Nor the monster others insisted on seeing.

Simply a man.

With his strengths.

His flaws.

His regrets.

And his convictions.

Once again, Blanche found herself thinking the same thing.

The world was never simply black and white.

The brightest souls often carried the deepest scars, while those thought to be beyond redemption sometimes concealed a spark of humanity that no one cared to notice anymore.

When the first hints of dawn began tinting the sky blue, birdsong slowly replaced the chirping of crickets.

The lanterns that had watched over the night suddenly seemed dimmer beneath the growing daylight.

Fenrir was the first to stand.

"It's time."

Blanche nodded with a quiet sigh.

For once, she had no desire to leave.

Together, they crossed the garden, still glistening with morning dew. The roses seemed to awaken with the rising sun, while the last four-o'clocks slowly folded their petals, surrendering their place to the new day.

When they reached the gate, Fenrir simply rested a hand against it.

The heavy iron gates swung open on their own with a soft creak, revealing a curtain of silvery light gently rippling between them.

Blanche turned for one last look at the villa.

Bathed in the first rays of sunlight, it was even more beautiful.

Less mysterious than beneath the moon.

Yet every bit as welcoming.

Fenrir gave her the mischievous smile she was beginning to know so well.

Then, with a casual wave of his hand, teleported her to the entrance of her dormitory.

The transition was instantaneous.

The scent of roses and jasmine vanished, replaced by the Academy's crisp, icy morning air.

Before she had the chance to say anything, the god stepped close one last time.

With almost brotherly tenderness, he pressed a light kiss to her cheek.

"Have a wonderful day, my Queen."

Then he vanished in a shower of golden motes that faded almost immediately into the dawn, leaving Blanche standing alone before the still-silent dormitory... with the strange feeling that she had just left a place where she would always be welcome.

I'll wait for the day you kiss me of your own free will.

She rolled her eyes.

That won't be happening anytime soon.

Then she sighed as she noticed the cooldown timers on her abilities.

She was going to have to wake Eva.

"Wake up" and "Eva"...

...in the same sentence?

May any god who happened to be listening have mercy on her.