What Matters Most
1419 Words
Anana didn't answer immediately.
She simply looked at her daughter… Really looked at her.
Past the frustration, the confusion… the hurt she'd been carrying since the moment she stepped into the academy.
She saw the uncertainty hidden behind those familiar blue eyes.
The quiet fear Anastasia hadn't fully voiced…
The fear that one day she would disappear beneath the weight of her surname.
Slowly, Anana reached up and brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
The gesture was gentle, patient and loving.
The same gesture she'd used when Anastasia was a toddler struggling to say her first words.
Then she smiled… A small smile. The very kind that somehow always made the world feel lighter.
"My little wolf..."
Anastasia's gaze remained fixed on her.
Anana took one of her hands and squeezed it softly.
"Do you know what I see when I look at you?"
Anastasia blinked.
"What?"
"I don't see Lucien."
The answer came immediately. Without hesitation or doubt.
"I don't see the Alpha God of War."
Her thumb brushed lightly across Anastasia's knuckles.
"I don't see a legacy."
A pause…
"I don't see expectations."
Anastasia frowned slightly.
The answer genuinely surprised her.
"You don't?"
Anana shook her head.
"No."
Her smile deepened… Not because the question was silly but because she wished Anastasia could see herself the way she did.
"I see the little girl who used to bring injured birds into my room because she thought every broken thing deserved help."
Immediately, Anastasia's cheeks turned pink.
"Mom..."
The protest lacked conviction because they both knew it was true.
Anana's eyes softened at the memory.
"I see the child who cried for an entire afternoon because she accidentally stepped on a flower."
Anastasia looked scandalized.
"It was a nice flower."
A soft laugh escaped Anana…
"It was."
The memory lingered between them.
Then Anana's expression softened once more.
Her gaze never leaving Anastasia.
"I see the girl who still believes people are worth helping even after they disappoint her."
Anastasia fell quiet…
The playful complaints and dramatic gestures that had filled the room moments ago faded away.
What remained was the question she'd been carrying all day.
Anana squeezed her hand gently…
A simple gesture. Yet somehow it always made everything feel a little less overwhelming.
"That's who I see."
The room grew still.
The fire crackled softly nearby. Outside, evening settled over the Crimson Blood Pack.
But neither of them noticed.
Anana's gaze never left her daughter's.
"The world will spend a long time telling you who they think you are."
Her voice was calm and certain.
"Some will see your father's name."
A pause…
"Some will see power."
"Some will see expectations."
"Some will see their fears."
Each word settled carefully between them.
Then Anana lifted her hand and gently cupped Anastasia's cheek.
Immediately, Anastasia leaned into the touch… A habit she'd never outgrown.
"But none of those things are you."
The words settled gently between them.
Anastasia felt something inside her chest tighten.
Then loosen.
"You are not responsible for the stories people create in their heads."
Anastasia's eyes widened slightly.
"You aren't?"
"No."
Anana shook her head gently.
"No, my little wolf."
Her thumb brushed softly against Anastasia's cheek.
"You cannot control what people assume."
"You cannot control what they fear."
"And you certainly cannot spend your life trying to convince everyone to like you."
A small laugh escaped Anastasia.
That sounded exhausting.
Anana noticed the laugh and smiled.
"Exactly."
Then she leaned forward slightly.
"The only thing you can control..."
She gently tapped Anastasia's chest.
"...is who you choose to be."
The words landed differently… Deeper.
"Every single day."
Anastasia listened carefully.
Then her brows furrowed slightly.
"So what if they're scared of me?"
Anana tilted her head.
A small smile tugged at her lips.
"Then let them be scared."
Anastasia blinked… The answer surprised her.
Anana chuckled softly.
"Not because you've done anything wrong."
Her eyes softened.
"But because fear is something they must overcome themselves."
A pause…
"You don't owe anyone a smaller version of yourself just to make them comfortable."
Something in Anastasia's expression shifted… Just slightly.
"But what if they never get to know me?"
Anana smiled.
"Some won't."
The honesty caught her off guard.
For a moment, she simply stared. Because she'd expected reassurance, expected promises.
Instead, she got the plain truth.
"Some people will decide who you are before you speak."
"Some will never change their minds."
"Some will never look past your surname."
Then she gently tapped Anastasia's chest.
"But the right people will."
The gesture made Anastasia glance down.
"The people worth keeping in your life will eventually see what's here."
Another tap.
"Not what's written after your name."
For a moment, Anastasia thought about the frightened boy.
The way he'd looked at her… The way he'd run.
Then her thoughts drifted elsewhere.
To a clearing hidden behind the academy… To Kaden.
The strange boy who couldn't seem to care less who her father was.
A tiny smile threatened to appear.
Anana noticed immediately… Of course she did. Nothing ever escaped her for long.
But she said nothing.
She simply watched the expression flicker across her daughter's face before continuing.
"You know something your father never understood when he was young?"
Anastasia looked up… Immediately curious.
"What?"
Anana's smile became softer.
"He spent years trying to prove himself to everyone."
The answer caught Anastasia completely off guard.
Her eyes widened.
"Father did?"
The idea sounded impossible.
Lucien Kael… The Alpha God of War.
Trying to prove himself?
Anana laughed softly at the disbelief written all over her daughter's face.
"Oh yes."
Her eyes sparkled with amusement.
"You'd be surprised."
Anastasia frowned.
"I don't believe that."
"You should."
Anana chuckled.
"He hated being judged before people knew him."
Anastasia blinked…
The words hit unexpectedly hard. Because they sounded familiar… Painfully familiar.
Almost like hearing someone describe her own day.
Anana noticed the realization settling across her face.
Her smile deepened.
"He eventually learned something important."
Anastasia found herself leaning forward slightly.
"What?"
Anana's voice softened.
"The people who matter stay."
The room fell quiet…
"The people who matter always stay long enough to know the real you."
Anastasia felt her mother's hand squeeze hers.
"And anyone who leaves before then?"
Anana gave a small shrug… The simplest gesture in the world yet somehow it carried years of wisdom.
"They were never your people to begin with."
Silence followed…
Something warm settled inside Anastasia's chest… The knot she'd been carrying all day slowly began to loosen.
Then loosen a little more.
Until suddenly… Breathing felt easier.
Anana watched the change happen… Saw the tension slowly leave her daughter's shoulders.
She couldn't help but smile… A smile filled with so much pride and love.
"Besides."
Anastasia looked up.
The corners of Anana's lips curved into a knowing smile.
"You've only been there one day."
For a second, Anastasia simply stared at her.
Then a laugh escaped before she could stop it.
One day… Just one.
When put that way, all the drama and frustration she'd been doing suddenly felt a little ridiculous…
Anana nodded, amused by the realization spreading across her daughter's face.
"One day is far too short a time for people to know who Anastasia Kael really is."
The smile finally appeared… Small at first. Then larger.
"And tomorrow?"
Anana asked softly.
Anastasia thought about it.
Then her shoulders straightened… Just a little.
"I'll go back."
Anana's smile warmed.
"Good."
"And maybe make friends."
"Good."
A tiny spark of determination had returned to Anastasia's eyes now.
The fear was still there… The uncertainty too. But neither felt quite as overwhelming as before.
Then she added…
"And maybe not yell at trees."
Anana blinked.
Anastasia immediately regretted saying it. The realization hit her a second too late.
Her eyes widened.
Anana's lips twitched.
"My little wolf..."
Anastasia pointed defensively.
"I yelled at one tree."
One eyebrow slowly rose… The look alone said she wasn't convinced.
Anastasia hesitated.
"...Maybe three."
That was it!
Anana laughed… Not the polite kind. A genuine laugh that filled the room and instantly chased away whatever heaviness remained.
Anastasia groaned and buried her face in her hands.
"Mom."
"You yelled at trees."
"I was having a difficult day."
"You argued with trees."
"They weren't helping."
That only made Anana laugh harder.
The sound was contagious… Despite her best efforts, Anastasia felt a smile tugging at her lips.
Then another…
Until finally she gave up and a laugh escaped her too.
- Writer
