Sophia Bloom adored being a teacher. Although, living in the busy city of Manhattan wasn't her ideal choice. But after a long month, she had gotten used to the chaos and eventually found the charm in it, probably because she found her own routine that was comfortable.

Waking up in the house that her parents gifted her, she rubbed her eyes and felt as if she hadn't slept at all. The dream that kept her occupied all night was quite intriguing. This was the third time this week she had dreamt of a dark forest that was acres long and she wore her mother's white dress, walking through the terrain barefoot. She awed the vivid night sky that showered with glittering stars and the massive moon above her. She had never felt fear in this forest, only comfort and protection, like it was a haven from all evil. However, at the end of the dream, she always met a massive golden wolf. A beast that prowled to her... but just as she reached her hand to it, she'd wake up in bed feeling hot and angst all over. She didn't know how to explain it, except that her mind wasn't her own and neither was her body.

Sophia rolled over her bed taking the warm duvet with her. She could've slept a little longer, but now that her eyes opened, drowsiness was long gone. The sun beamed through the thin curtains on the window by her bed. She got up and parted the curtains letting the fresh light in without any obstruction. It had been raining for so many days, so she was happy to welcome some warm sunshine.

Quickly tidying the tousled sheets of the bed, she then went to the bathroom and freshened up. After a shower, brushing her teeth and blow drying her hair, she wrapped herself in a robe and went to eat breakfast. The kitchen was the cozy centre of the house with just enough room to fit a round table near the arched window overlooking the small backyard. The counter framed the stove, sink and fridge which created an easy space for her to cook and clean. This was her home and she loved it.

Buttering some toast and slicing an apple, she finished off breakfast just in time to get dressed for work. Today was her first official day as an elementary teacher at East Side Private School. She was both excited and about to be sick. But she had been preparing for months and visited the school repeatedly to learn about its nature and etiquette. She was glad the school wasn't gloomy or rigid like her last workplace. She almost killed the principal at her last school for treating kids like they were in the army and not pre-school.

Ignoring thoughts of her horrible employment, she went to her closet and pulled out the brilliant yellow dress that was long enough to reach her ankles. She curled her dark brown hair that was from her father's side since her mom had blonde hair. But she did get mom's blue eyes which always reminded Sophia of home and her parents. Her hand instinctively went to the pendant around her neck, it was a small opal that her father gifted to her before he passed away. He had told her that she had made him proud and wished for her to live her life freely.

Fifteen years passed since that day, she never forgot it. After her father passed away, her mother moved back to Cotswold with her sisters. Sophia lived with her mother for a few years before moving back to Manhattan for work and to explore the big city for herself.

Before leaving the house, she grabbed her purse and tote bag that had all her things inside. Sophia locked the door behind her and made her way down the street of sunshine meadow. She had a few stops to make before she made her way to school. Coffee, flowers and lunch, she listed mindfully.

She crossed her way through the streets, making her way to grab fresh flowers for her classroom. After a brisk fifteen-minute walk, she arrived at the flower shop. She picked the bright and shiny periwinkle flowers today and let Madam Wilton wrap them for her. After that, she quickly ran into line for coffee, which was handled with skill by the quick employees who knew that the morning rush had to be done with care but tremendous speed.

"What can I get you?" The young boy asked her.

"One toasted-vanilla latte please," she recited, quickly paid and walked out with her coffee in hand.

She was making her way over to Bobby's restaurant for a sandwich that she could have for lunch later. She would never compromise this over anything. Bobby was a strapping man with a big white beard and a hair. She didn't say it out loud but he was Santa of the kitchen.

"Have a great day!" shouted Bobby as he wiped his hands on his white apron.

"You too!" she waved back.

She strolled the rest of the way to school, which didn't take long. She noticed that being in a car took longer because she had to wait in traffic and parking was a nightmare here. She was faster on foot, and on such a sweet sunny morning, it was a pleasure to be outside.

Still a half an hour early, she made her way through the private school that was run by Principal Leonard Bradford. He was a polite man in his fifties who had done her interview for the job. He had asked her simple questions of how she would behave during certain circumstances involving kids and other teachers. She answered to the best of her ability and was sure that her direct, honest answers might have costed her the job. However, he hired her and told her to start as soon as she could.

She went through the long, spacious hallways of the school that was clean and tidy. The walls were a bright white that had row upon row of windows letting bountiful light inside reflecting off the white. She adored that the school which was surrounded with trees no matter where one looked outside. There was a large playground as well for the kids. No one would think that they were in the middle of Manhattan. She finally found her way to the classroom, which would be hers for the rest of the year.

She unlocked the door with the key that Linda had given her. Flicking on the lights, she found herself in a medium-sized room with small desks arranged in rows, but enough space through them to let her walk around. The back wall had a row of hooks for the kids to put their bags. She set her coffee and the flower on the empty desk before going around to open a few windows and air out the room.

Sophia then took the flower bouquet to the sink in the corner and filled a bubble-bee jar with water before plopping the periwinkles into it. She arranged the flowers on her desk and smiled at her work. She pulled out her laptop and put it on the desk when she saw the long note with Linda's name written at the bottom. She had promptly left Sophia's log-in for the school website, which was the heart of this school. All the curriculum was on it and it would help Sophia navigate over what the kids learned and still had to go over. Everything was online now, which was convenient. Setting up the schedule, most of the day the kids were in the classroom with her until lunch. Linda explained that the kids already knew the procedure of what notebooks to have for what subject. The baskets to collect homework was set up at the front by the door.

While finishing off all the preparations, the first bell went off, she noticed that the halls were filling up with more teachers and kids. The day was about to begin and she drew in a calm breath to ready herself. Before she got out of her seat, she heard the sweet chatter outside the door. The kids for this class must already have lined up by the wall.

She stood up, straightened her dress and walked out the door seeing a group of kids looking up at her with keen interest and surprise on their faces. She couldn't help but smile, all of them were so cute.

"Are you our new teacher?" A boy in the back asked with his big brown eyes and ruffled brown hair.

"I am," she answered him. "Why don't all of you come on in and put your bags away and then I'll introduce myself."

Their small feet shuffled into the room and went to the back hanging their raincoats and bags on the hooks under their names. They already knew to take out their notebooks before sitting down and facing her. All the desks had been occupied so she knew that everyone had arrived. She closed the door and walked up in front of them.

Their eyes peered up at her. "Good morning, everyone. My name is Ms. Bloom and I'll be your teacher for the rest of the year," she said. "I'm sure Mrs. Parks explained it to you before she left, right?" They nodded their little heads answering her. "We'll start with attendance. Who usually takes the attendance down to the office?" she asked them.

"Vivian," they all answered.

"Vivian," Sophia called out to find a face for the name.

"That's me, Ms. Bloom," a soft-spoken girl lifted her hand in the air.

Immediately, Sophia recognized the little girl. The one from the bakery yesterday. It was obvious that the girl recognized Sophia too. What a small world, she thought.

"It's nice to meet you, Vivian," she said.

Vivian smiled timidly and lowered her arm.

Sophia took attendance matching names to their faces, but it wasn't exactly easy. So, she had to get them name tags to help her out. Just as she finished off the attendance, she looked up at Vivian.

"Would you like to take it to the office for me?" she asked her.

Vivian rose from her chair and walked up to her. She was polite with a genteel manner for a young child. Dressed in a light-pink frock, her wavy blonde hair was braided behind her revealing her beautiful green eyes. She grabbed the slip of paper and left the room to take it to the office.

"Since I need to learn all your names, we're going to make name-tags to put on your desks," she said and went to the large cupboard with all the supplies.

Sophia was quick to cut large pieces of white Bristol paper into small sheets for them to fold and write on. She picked a few kids to help her distribute the paper and markers. The quiet morning turned quite rowdy as they all got ideas on how to decorate their name-tags with glitter and stickers too. Vivian returned and sat down finding the paper on her desk.

Sophia went up to her, leaning down by her desk. "We're making name-tags," she said to her. "You can draw and colour it however you like."

Vivian's green eyes gleamed with a hint of joy that they were doing something artful. She had her pencil-case full of markers and crayons to use.

"Do you remember me?" Sophia asked.

"Yes, I do," said Vivian. "The cupcakes and umbrella."

"I hope you got home nice and dry," she smiled at her.

"We did," Vivian said. "Thank you for the cupcakes. Evelyn was very happy."

"Is she your sister?" Sophia asked.

Vivian shook her head. "Cousin," she said. "She goes to this school too. She's in grade one."

"Then I hope to meet her again," she said.

Sophia rose with a smile before she went around the room and monitored the other kids. She helped whoever needed it, even if it was with helping them draw an apple or glue on a pom-pom to their tag. After they were all satisfied with their work, she helped some of them rinse their hands of glue and tidy up their desks. By the end of the commotion, all of them had tags propped on the desk and they liked her. So, it's a mission accomplished in her book.

The bell went off for second period and they were off to their next class, which was science in the labs today. Sophia guided them all down the hall to the science room where Mr. Finnegan wowed the kids with colour changing experiments, even though they are supposed to learn about the animal kingdom. Sophia found it most amusing to see how other teachers made the most of their day for the kids.

She stayed to watch the experiment, and then, left when Mr. Finnegan showed a presentation of various prey and predator species in the wild.

Sophia finished off her coffee while organizing the worksheets for math later today. She arranged a sheet on each desk and put their textbook next to it too. She wouldn't assign homework today since it was her first day.

As Sophia laid a textbook on Vivian's desk, she paused in her track and awed in the coincidence. Yesterday, in a bakery by her house, she had met Vivian and another little girl who was a lot more boisterous in her opinion over a dinosaur cupcake. Sophia had already purchased her cupcakes for lunch and didn't mind helping the little girl to get the treat she desired. However, helping a kid wasn't new to her or giving an umbrella up for someone who needed it. Her mother always taught her to keep an extra umbrella just in case someone needed help. Except, Sophia never expected that a day would come that she would give her umbrella to a man who made her lose her breath... her thoughts... her restraint and even her virtue.

The air in the bakery she visited often had changed completely with the command this man carried himself with. Every instinct in Sophia told her that he was dangerous in a way that she could never imagine. His lethal eyes as green and cold like that of a beast, his brows furrowed and his mouth held in a stern line. She drew the lines of his hard jaw that toughened with the shape of his beard in her mind, and she couldn't overlook the way the tattoos surrounded his corded neck. He stood powerfully tall and broad as the leather of his rugged jacket stretched over his muscular arms and back resting at his hips. The black refined attire on him contrasted against his golden hair that shined furiously as amber and rested around his tough shoulders; it was tousled by his strong hands that donned a few rings.

A raw masculinity exuded from him, the rich enticing fragrance of his cologne was still vibrantly remembered by her. She couldn't understand how that was even remotely possible. The dark tones of his scent had captured her into a deep mesmerizing pull, that didn't expose whether he was a gentleman or someone who had mastered control over himself.

Yet, this dangerously mysterious man stood with two little girls in a bakery getting a bunch of cupcakes. The thought of them made her smile while standing here alone.

The bell rang abruptly and she left to get her class so they could enjoy lunchtime. All the kids crowded the room as they sat with their friends to eat and later play outside. Sophia enjoyed her sandwich as she read her book and occasionally looked up at the kids. Most of the boys had already finished off their lunches and ran out the doors to go to the playground. Some girls were sitting at their tables and eventually left too. Vivian was the only one left sitting alone. She had a book in front of her, her pencil-case propped open, she was colouring attentively.

Sophia rose from her seat as she grabbed her book and was going to head to the school's library to return it. However, she couldn't leave her student alone.

"Do you know where the library is?" Sophia asked Vivian.

Vivian's little blonde head rose. "Yes, I do," she said promptly.

"Could you show me the way?" she asked.

Vivian got up with ease, not clambering like other kids. She softly tucked her chair in and joined Sophia. She closed the door behind Vivian and they walked down the hall together.

Sophia realized two things about Vivian. First that she never filled silence with words if she was uncomfortable or even at ease, which made it quite difficult to know what she was thinking. The second was that Vivian's eyes held a solemn barrier that guarded her from everything around her. What could this kid have gone through to guard her heart and diminish her spirit? Sophia wondered about this all the way to the library, which she already knew the directions of.

She dropped off the book into the 'return slot' and rejoined Vivian by the door. "Thank you for showing me the way, Vivian," said Sophia. "You've been very kind."

"You're welcome," she muttered. "The school is big. Evelyn forgets the way a lot too."

"You and Evelyn must be very close," said Sophia.

Vivian didn't answer, but her tender eyes had.

They walked down the corridor with the open windows letting they view the giant playground. A door was open letting the fresh and sparkling spring fragrance through the hall.

"Do you love art?" Sophia asked her.

"Not as much as ballet," Vivian answered.

Sophia gaped at the kid. "You practice ballet?" she asked and didn't need an answer because it made sense. Vivian's gracefulness and gentle manner derived from the art of ballet.

"Yes. My aunt is a ballerina," she said.

Before Sophia could asked about her aunt, Vivian's sweet smile diminished and her summer-field green eyes widened with alarm. "Evelyn!" she yelled.

Sophia turned quickly and saw what alarmed Vivian. A little girl in a black frock was punching a boy who had been pushed to the ground.

"Oh my god!" Sophia yelled and ran to the kids.

Sophia thought fast when Evelyn hadn't stopped from Vivian's voice alone. She swiftly lifted Evelyn off the boy, but she was still kicking and growling at him. This was not the same kid from the bakery. What had happened? Sophia thought in haste.

"It's okay, calm down, relax," she said as she moved Evelyn away.

Sophia quickly hunched to her knees near the boy and saw that he only had a bloody nose, nothing else. He was crying out, but by then all other teachers came to aid then as well.

As the teacher's tended to the boy. Sophia went to Evelyn. "Are you okay?" she asked as she examined her and saw a loose braid and a bruise on her small arm, her knees were scrapped raw too. "What happened, Evelyn?" she asked softly.

"I'll tell you!" Joey yelled from the ground with tears running down his cheek. "She's a monster just like her dad!"

Sophia frowned at the kid and looked back at Evelyn who chose not to speak. No matter what or who spoke to her that being a teacher or even the principle, Evelyn didn't say a word. She was a determined little girl, anyone could see that. However, violence wasn't the best way to show one's determination. Sophia grabbed the small black velvet bow that Evelyn must had tied her braid with.

As Joey sat in the principal's office with ice on his nose, Mrs. Presley, Joey's mother, was fretting over him with Mr. Presley who stood sternly next to them. Evelyn stood on the opposite end of the room with Vivian and Sophia joined the girls. Evelyn was scowling at the boy, like she was imagining herself pouring acid on him.

"I want her expelled," Mrs. Presley demanded bitterly.

Sophia panicked. "That's far too harsh. Please, especially since we didn't learn Evelyn's side of the story," she said quickly.

"Who cares what happened," the mother snapped. "My child is bleeding."

"Evelyn is bleeding and has bruises as well," Sophia pointed out. "Expelling a kid shouldn't be the first course of action-"

The door swung open quieting the commotion all together.

A rigorously tall man stepped into the room dressed in a gentleman's suit yet it didn't mask his threatening mood. He was covered in tattoos and had fierce grey eyes that matched Evelyn's, they had the same black hair as well. Behind him was a woman dressed a blue Chanel suit and matching heels. Sophia had never laid eyes on a couple so formidable and perfect.

"Mr. and Mrs. Iron," principal Bradford greeted.

Parents, she thought. Sophia inched towards the kids as if this man was capable enough to kill every single person in this room. Even Joey's parents moved back and stiffened with alarm.

"Sorry to call you on such unfortunate circumstances," said principal Bradford. "But a fight broke out with your child involved. The action I must take-"

"We want her expelled," said Mrs. Presley.

Mr. Iron stepped between his child and the other family. Sophia felt a chill crawl down her back the moment he had faced the mother. Sophia had never seen anyone clamp their mouth shut at the sight of another with simply a look. Yet, here stood this man who scared the life out of everyone here and hadn't even said a word yet.

He turned and looked at his daughter who wasn't the least bit fazed by his dark demeanour. His lethal gaze hardened at the sight of her open hair and the bruise on her arm. He gritted his teeth and she heard it.

"What happened, Evelyn?" Those were his first words and it resonated around the room.

"I was playing during recess when Joey and his friends started pulling on my hair," she spoke with an even tone, and it surprised Sophia that now Evelyn chose to share her side. "I told him three times to stop. I warned him after that I would hit him if he didn't. He pulled my hair again and I punched him in the nose."

"You warned him before hitting him?" Sophia was baffled.

"Just like my dad taught me," she said.

Mr. Iron believed every word she said and so did Sophia. He turned to Bradford. "I don't think my child needs to be expelled," he said. "He, on the other hand, should be."

Bradford shared a concerned look with the parents and undoubtedly agreed. "Bullying is not tolerated at East Side, Mr. and Mrs. Presley," he said.

"This isn't true," said Mrs. Presley.

"This isn't the first time either, dad," Evelyn said. "Joey bothers everyone here."

Mr. Iron gave a murderous look to the parents. "I'm taking Evelyn home for the day. And Bradford, I know you can handle the rest concerning this matter."

"Come on, girls," Mrs. Iron put her hands over their shoulders and guided them out of the room.

The Iron family departed.

The Presley's were arguing to Principal Bradford and it could be heard even when the door closed behind Sophia when she left.

"Evelyn," she called out.

The little girl and the family turned.

"I have your bow," she said gently.

Evelyn walked up to her. "Thanks," she said grumpily.

"I'm sorry this happened," she whispered. "If you want to talk about it later, I'm here."

Evelyn's face softened just a bit and she nodded, when her face hinted with recognition of who Sophia was. She must have remembered but was interrupted.

"Are you the teacher that found them?" Mrs. Iron smiled at Sophia gently and beamed a stunning radiance. The woman was gorgeous with big blue eyes and shiny blonde hair, nothing was out of place.

"Yes, I stopped the fight after Vivian saw them," she said.

Mrs. Iron nodded. "Thank you, it could've gotten a lot worse," she said.

"Mom, she was the one that gave us the dinosaur cupcakes and umbrella," said Evelyn.

"Really," Mrs. Iron's eyes widened.

"I was really surprised to see them here myself," said Sophia. "Vivian is my student now as well."

"Oh, that's wonderful news," she said. "I'm Ashley, Evelyn's mom and that's my husband Isaiah."

"Sophia," she put out her hand and Ashley accepted it.

"Thanks for helping the kids," Ashley said. "I'm sure we'll meet loads now with Evelyn and Vivian under your care."

"Hopefully, next time it's not like this," said Sophia.

Ashley chuckled. "I agree."

"I have to stay," Vivian whispered to Mr. Iron. "Please, just take Evelyn home."

"Are you sure?" Mr. Iron asked.

Vivian nodded.

Ashley returned and kissed Vivian's cheek before they left with their daughter. Sophia felt a smile on her face. They were so kind and friendly, yet the air of mystery hadn't gone unnoticed either. Now that she thought about it, the man she met at the bakery, he must be related to Mr. and Mrs. Iron. She couldn't fathom how she met so many of the Iron family in one day. It was only her first day here and she already stopped a fight and met a scary family. What else was she going to find here? she thought as they returned to class.

Math was as always, the most dreadful time for the kids.

Sophia was glad when the class was over and they moved onto music, which definitely lifted their spirits. She took them to the music room and Mrs. Webber brightened their moods before the bell rang for the end of the day.

Sophia took all the kids back to class, so they could get their bags and head off for the day. She guided them to the front door of the school where their parents or guardians would pick them up. The cars gathered outside where slowly moving along the circle road, it could get pretty dangerous so she made sure each of her students got to their car safely.

"Do you see your car, Vivian?" Sophia asked her since she was the last one standing on the sidewalk.

"Yeah," Vivian answered her.

Sophia turned back holding the door for other students who were walking out too. The kids thanked her and went on their way. She let the door go and looked back to see Vivian who had vanished from where she stood earlier.

"Vivian?" Sophia called out amongst the crowd.

Her eyes searching everywhere until she had spotted that blonde head walking towards the road. Sophia hurried to her student who was crossing the road to a black mustang but hadn't noticed the rushing car driving down.

Swiftly, she reached Vivian just before she had stepped off the ledge of the sidewalk. She pulled her into her arms and the car zoomed out of the crossway and left. Who the hell drives so fast in a school zone? she cursed a stream of profanities to that fellow.

"Are you okay?" Sophia asked.

"I'm fine," Vivian said dazedly. She hadn't even realized that there was a car.

"Where's your car?" Sophia asked as she straightened and held Vivian close to her.

They both had just turned and Sophia hadn't noticed that someone was near her. She slammed into a hard surface, a pair of arms captured her keeping her steady on her feet.

"I'm so sorry-" she looked up and froze.

The man from the bakery stood before her, but she was in his arms and his face was above hers, his gaze locked onto her that she didn't dare move, it was almost impossible to even breath. His tough arm that had braced around her waist used a bit of strength and guided her back from the edge of the cross-walk. Vivian was with him too.

"Are you okay?" His voice made her heart flutter, it was deep and commanding.

She tried to move back, but he hadn't let her. His arm loosened but only so he could press them closely together; the hardness of his body lushly molded to her curves. She didn't want to let her mind wander, but when the metal piece of his belt pressed into her stomach and she sensed his rigid muscles imprinting into her body, she couldn't help herself.

"I'm okay, thank you," she managed to speak. "Vivian!" She searched for the little girl and wriggled out of his arms and bent down. "You're not hurt, right?"

"I'm fine," Vivian said. "I'm sorry, uncle Zar. I know I should've checked before crossing."

"I also told you to never cross the road without an adult," he said.

"I thought it'd be fine," she mumbled.

He put his hand on her small head. "Don't ever do that again, kid," he said.

"It really was the car's fault," Sophia said wanting to lighten the tension. "The driver was at a ridiculous speed."

The man's fatal eyes fastened onto her, the green brightened under the sun's light and showed her the glint of gold flecked into the blaze of green, it was breathtakingly striking.

"You said you were a teacher, right?" he asked.

Sophia was surprised that he remembered what she told him at the bakery.

"Uncle Zar, this is my teacher, Ms. Bloom," Vivian introduced to him.

She straightened and tried to compose herself. "Hi, I'm Sophia," she said while trying her hardest to remove her gaze from his, but he held it with the command he had.

"Lazarus," he told her.

Oh my god, even his name suited him, she thought dazedly.

However, the sensation that bloomed inside her was also wary of this dominating force this man carried himself with. There was a past in that gaze, a history of great weight. No one looks the way Lazarus does without some influence. The hardness in his expression was enough to make her understand that he wasn't civilized simply from being a nice man. He measured everything around him, even the way people felt about him. She could sense her own strings being pulled and she didn't like it. Although, as she felt his heavy gaze on her, she thought that maybe his influence on her wasn't something to overlook.

"I hope you have a great night," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow, Vivian."

"Yes, Ms. Bloom. Bye," she said.

Sophia meant to leave first, but she couldn't move. He had grabbed Vivian's little hand and they walked down the road to his car, then drove off. She lingered outside hoping the fresh breeze would cool her down after all that. Except, it didn't help at all. She returned to the school with hundreds of questions about the Iron family.

Sophia cleaned up the classroom for tomorrow. She packed her bags and walked home with sore limbs and sleep swimming in her eyes.

Unlocking her front door, she went inside and kicked off her sandals. She put her bags on the couch and went to the bathroom to freshen up before preparing dinner.

Nothing felt as good as a warm soak in the tub, she eased into the water letting it lull all the tension inside from her away. She hadn't planned to dwell in the water but sitting in the steamy tub and with the fresh breeze streaming in through the open window above her, she happily lingered.

Except, her thoughts were invaded by those sensational green eyes. Her own reaction to him was abnormal, she never felt that way about anyone before. No one ever occupied her before. She never in her life daydreamed about a man either, it wasn't what she focused on. Yet, here she was, in her sanctum at ease wondering how his rough tattooed hands would feel on her naked and soaking wet body. An uncomfortable heat filled her, it was raw and overwhelming like her skin had caught flame and her body enjoyed its caress.

Sophia couldn't bare it any longer. She stood out of the tub and wrapped her robe over her body letting the material soak the water from her.

She went into her room and pulled out a nightgown, it was white and had ruffled sleeves with a lace trim that fell just to her ankles. Walking into her kitchen, she whipped up a quick sandwich and sat in the living-room to eat with a glass of wine. She was going to put on a movie, but her laptop on the couch called to her.

She wasn't going to reach for it, but curiosity got the better of her. She finished off the last bit of her sandwich and put the plate down. Flipping the screen up, she went online and searched Lazarus Iron hoping to find nothing. Yet, the moment she hit enter, the feed filled with hundreds of headlines claiming all sorts of things about the Iron brothers and their family. She scrolled and scrolled seeing multiple pictures of them on the street or at events. They lead a glamorous life from what she could see, it was like a fairy-tail. These pictures weren't anything compared to how she felt when she met them today.

There were many headlines and she clicked on a few, but everything was vague with nothing concrete. Most of the articles only explained that Isaiah Iron did business with a lot of influential people here in New York and around the world.

"Family with a dark past," she read a headline wondering what that meant.

She lingered on it, until finally clicking it, but the page had been blocked and she couldn't access it. She returned to the homepage before shutting the screen.

Sophia never liked gossip online. They posted anything about anyone and it wasn't exactly reliable. She didn't really understand the stigma behind this family, but it wasn't her business. And frankly from what she saw today, they cared about each other, that's all that mattered. Vivian was her own student and she saw how well-mannered that child was. There was nothing but good influence behind that. Despite, Isaiah Iron's prestigious name and pedigree, he came himself to get his daughter. Ashley Iron had been nothing but kind. Lazarus Iron, on the other hand, as dangerous as he felt to her wasn't a threat if he cared about his niece to pick her up from school.

Sophia rose from the couch and washed the dishes. After closing all the lights, she slipped into bed with a book in her hand, resting on a fluffy pillow under the white canopy draped over the bed, she read until sleep claimed her and so did that dream.

Lazarus did everything he possibly could to forget about Sophia Bloom. He did the chores, cooked and trained, he even took multiple laps around the entire compound to exhaust himself. Yet, the thought of her was a thorn in his side. He couldn't forget anything about her; the feel of her body in his arms had engraved in his mind; her soft fragrance was enough to make his control weakened against her.

He never thought in a million years that she would be a teacher at East Side and she was Vivian's homeroom teacher of all things. He was going to reject all that he felt the first time he saw her, except seeing her at the school today made him lose his goal.

However, it was easy to forget these annoying emotions that were duplicating like rabbits because the mood in the house was enough to choke anyone.

The Iron pack sat around the kitchen table with tension simmering in the room. Evelyn wasn't eating, just pushing her spoon around in circles in the broth of tonight's soup. After what happened today at school, it was fair to say all of them were concerned because Evelyn never caused a fight no matter how determined she was about her opinion.

Isaiah told Lazarus that a kid picked on Evelyn and pulled her hair, that's why she fought him. He didn't see a problem in that. However, why was Evelyn sad? he thought as he watched his niece across the table.

"I am literally choking on this tension," Zeiden broke the silence. "Is it so wrong that Evelyn beat up a kid?"

Of course, Zeiden would say that, thought Lazarus.

"It's not that, Zeiden," said Ashley. "Evelyn never fought like this before."

"Maybe, it's the Iron blood that has finally awakened inside her," jested Ronin making Marcello and Zeiden laugh.

"It's not funny," said Ashley. "She could've gotten hurt or expelled."

Lazarus noted that Evelyn hadn't looked up from her plate and Isaiah was watching his daughter too.

"But Ms. Bloom helped from getting her expelled," said Vivian. "Even though Joey's parents really wanted it."

Lazarus's stomach flipped at the mention of Sophia Bloom.

"What do you mean, Vivian?" Zeiden asked.

"Ms. Bloom stood up for Evelyn," said Vivian.

"Is she your new teacher, Vivian?" Rosalie asked.

"Yes, aunt Rosa," the pup answered.

Evelyn sighed and got off the chair. "I'm not really hungry," she said and was going to leave.

"Honey," Ashley called out.

Evelyn was already by the stairs when Isaiah got to his feet and followed her. "What really happened, Evelyn?" Isaiah asked her.

"Nothing," pouted Evelyn and crossed her little arms.

Lazarus wanted stop his brother from berating her. She'd talk when she was ready. They all got out of their seats and joined them.

"Evelyn, I won't ask again," said Isaiah sternly.

"He called you a monster!" she yelled back up at her father. "Joey called my family a bunch of monsters!"

Isaiah wasn't fazed neither was Lazarus, unlike the others.

It was going to happen sometime, he thought grimly.

Many rumours circled about their family and Lazarus was used to it and so were the pack. However, it wasn't the case for Evelyn. She was Isaiah's heir but unaware how her father had gotten the throne as an alpha for a pack. There was much to learn, but to hear about her family from others wasn't ideal. Nonetheless, they couldn't prevent that.

Evelyn started to cry, which she never did, startling all of them. "I hated that he called my dad a monster," she cried out. "You're not! You're just my dad!"

Isaiah bent in front of her. "I'm sorry," he hugged his child in his protective arms, thinking he could keep her safe from the world but he forgot the blood on his own hands.

Lazarus watched his brother hold his little girl in his arms, unable to protect her from outsiders. They had been living in a civilized household for a while now that they forgot what pain their past brought them still. He hoped that Evelyn was a little older before they had to tell her the legacy of this family.

"Shhh, baby," Isaiah told his daughter. "Don't cry. Nothing is worth your tears." He lifted his baby in his arms and took her to her room, Ashley followed behind them with the same grief on her face.

Everyone else that lingered downstairs were angered by what happened. Evelyn was a tough kid who never shed a tear even when she fell off her skateboard or got caught bedazzling Zeiden's favourite jacket with pink rhinestones, he was furious with her that day. So, to see her now, a state so vulnerable made all of their hearts' ache.

Lazarus was pissed though. He didn't want to have to kill this Joey kid but damn was the urge vicious in him. His wolf was close enough to emerge and fulfill that desire too.

A while passed and everyone's appetite had died off. They all cleaned off the table and headed upstairs to bed. Isaiah had just walked out of Evelyn's room meeting Lazarus by the door.

"How is she?" he whispered.

"She stopped crying and went to sleep," said Isaiah.

"I hate seeing her cry," growled Ronin. "I want to kill that kid and his parents."

"You can say that again," added Adrik.

"What did Principal Bradford say about this situation?" asked Zeiden. "Will Evelyn really get expelled?"

"No," answered Isaiah, as he crossed his arms. "She's safe from expulsion since that boy had a history of violence at school. He'll probably get expelled or transferred."

"That's good," said Ronin.

"Is it?" Marcello asked and he was faced with their chilling silence. "How many kids will you transfer because they said something about you?"

"That wasn't the intention," said Isaiah.

Marcello's gaze stayed indifferent. "This was bound to happen with your colourful past," he said. "Evelyn will just have to learn to deal, like you all did." Zeiden gaped at his mate.

"Why do you have to be such a jerk all the time?" Ronin chided. "This is why no one likes your stupid ass."

Marcello shrugged a shoulder and leaned on the wall behind them.

"He's not wrong," Lazarus hated to admit it, since it physically hurt him to agree with Marcello. "We knew this day would come sooner or later."

"Are you seriously agreeing with me?" Marcello astounded.

Lazarus rolled his eyes.

"I just fucking hate for her to have found out this way," Adrik added.

The group went quiet then.

"What are you going to do?" Zeiden asked Isaiah.

"I have to tell her about the Petrov name and our past," Isaiah admitted.

Ronin looked at Adrik. "How come Vivian didn't freak out about all this?" he asked.

Adrik's sapphire blue eyes softened despite the harsh scar across his eye. "I already told her everything about our past," he said.

The men gaped at him.

"How'd that go?" asked Lazarus.

"Vivian wasn't fazed at all," said Adrik. "She just told me that she understood why we did it and then went back to reading her book."

"That kid," Ronin sighed, "she's scarier than you sometimes."

"I thought that we'd protect them from all this bullshit," Isaiah grumbled. "But it seems that they're living in our pasts too."

"You can't beat yourself up," said Lazarus.

The front door opened and it was clear that Justin returned from work. He made his way up the stairs and found them gathered in front of the door. He knew right away from their expressions what happened, and that they texted him earlier about the incident.

"Hey," he looked at each of them. "I'm sorry what happened, Isaiah. Is Evelyn okay?"

"I don't know," he sighed.

"She's a tough kid, Isaiah," Justin said with a reassuring smile. "Is she injured anywhere?"

"A few bruises and cuts," said Lazarus.

"I'll take a look," he offered and went into the room where Ashley sat with her daughter.

Rosalie appeared from her room and joined them. "Is Evelyn asleep?" she asked, her warm honeyed eyes softened with concern.

"Yeah," Adrik answered her. "Where's Vivian? Is she in bed too?"

"She is," Rosalie told him before looking at all of their faces. "Why are all of you looking worse than Evelyn?" None of them could really find an answer justify their grim mood. "Is this about what that boy said to Evelyn?" she asked them.

"That and the truth behind it," said Isaiah.

"Why are you concerned about that?" Rosalie asked them. "That kid was wrong." The others looked blankly at her and didn't understand. "None of you are monsters. The real monster was the Petrov pack. They deserve the hate... I can't believe I'm explaining this to you."

"We were monsters, Rosalie," said Isaiah. "You don't know-"

"Exactly, Isaiah. You were monsters in the past when circumstances called for it," she said. "You guys aren't like that anymore. All of you are protectors now and you love greatly."

"She's right," Ashley's voice joined in. "None of you need to worry about what the kids will think about you. We all love you."

They all felt the severity of that confession.

Justin walked out of the room then. "Her bruises aren't bad and I cleaned her scraped knees again for you," he said. "What was the damage of the kid she fought with?"

"She gave him a nosebleed," said Ronin with obvious amusement.

"Ouch," Justin winced. "Remind me not to get in a fight with her. Who taught her to even punch like that?"

"I can think of a few names," bemused Rosalie as she looked at Zeiden, Ronin and Isaiah.

"It wasn't me," said Ronin.

"Not me either," said Zeiden next.

Isaiah looked at them with a smug expression. "She's going to learn a lot more as she gets older," he stated.

Ashley chuckled at him. "Alright everyone, no more brooding. You're too scary like that. Let's all go to bed and I want you all to wake up jolly and sweet," she said as she pushed her husband out of the way and to their room.

"Jolly and sweet," remarked Marcello. "Does she even know us?"

"I think that's her way of saying to move on," said Zeiden as they left together.

Everyone dispersed after that.

Lazarus went to his room, the cool draft from the open windows was rich with the scent of fresh pine and moonlight, it soaked the room with its fragrance. He went over and closed the doors shut.

This day had been dreadfully long but he wasn't the least bit tired. He stripped out of his clothes and walked into the shower. Under the heavy rain of warm water, he let his hair soak before the water cascaded down his shoulders and back. He closed his eyes trying to push every single thought of Sophia Bloom out of his head.

Damn, damn her for smiling at him, he thought intensely.

He had closed his eyes, but he could still see her clearly. She was stunning in a sunshine yellow dress, her brown hair curled and left open. His hand still recalled how soft it was when it skimmed him. He shouldn't think about her, but when his arms were around her body, it felt so right. She was half his size, but the allure she had over him and his body was enough to bring him to his knees.

This was dangerous, the connection between them. What was he going to do? he wondered. Not being able to come up with the answer he agreed on. He shut the shower off and towelled himself dry before getting in bed. The thin silk sheet rested over his hips only, he rested his head on his arm and stared up at the dark mahogany molding on the ceiling.

Killing the entire Petrov pack was easier than facing that woman. He didn't know what came over him today either. He knew that she wasn't in any real danger when helping Vivian, but the wolf in him possessed his restraint and he was holding her in his arms, not being able to find the strength to let her go. His wolf clearly didn't want to.

Except, she was human. She didn't know anything about the shifter world and the dangers that came with it. Did he have the right to reveal the truth to her? Could he trust her enough to tell her and not go running to tell everyone? There were so many things he couldn't answer. He wasn't one to take chances either. He was built on control but right now he was slipping.

As a beta of a pack, he had to ensure that anything the pack or himself did does not lead to endangering themselves. So, how was he supposed to bring a human to the pack and expect her to understand their way of life?

Lazarus closed his eyes when the sweet smile she gave him appeared in front of his eyes. His body revved itself up with a fire so dark and dangerous that he dug his nails into his palms to feel anything but that.

With great difficulty, he fell asleep that night.