Page 46 of Savage Hope

I nod, letting her pull me to my feet, and before I can take a single step toward the exit, she wraps me in her arms, pinning my chest against hers as she whispers in my ear. “I’ve seen the pain my siblings walk with every day. The reality of taking a life is that it's a dog-eat-dog world, and if we don't take theirs, they'll take ours. And after tonight. I know which I would rather. What about you?”

19

POLARIS

My alarm goes off, obnoxiously blaring through the air as I bolt upright in bed. My heart races from the sudden sound, but when my bedroom comes into focus, my panic calms a little as I take in the furnishings that are slowly becoming my new normal.

Brushing my hair back off my face, I adjust my pillow and lean back against the headboard. A sigh trickles through me, parting my lips as I accept the time. At least I managed to get two hours of sleep. Given the circumstances from last night, that seems to be a miracle in itself.

Now I have an extra issue to lie awake at night thinking about. On top of the new surroundings and lifestyle I’ve been given and the knowledge of all the lies that have been fed to me up to this point, I now have the disastrous first few days here at Trinity Falls, along with the weight of Veronica’s death, on my mind. Even the thought of her name makes the vision of last night flash along the back of my eyelids as I try to squeeze them shut tight, my fingers clenched, nails biting into my palms as I will the nausea churning inside of me to subside.

A fleeting thought of Lincoln comes to mind, along with a sprinkling of the cute guy behind the bar, and the nausea burnsmore fiercely. It's hard to remember that yesterday held more than just pain. Pressing my fingers to my lips, I replay the touch of Lincoln’s lips against mine as I recall the kiss from the hot wolf. The wolf who didn't recognize me from the first time I met him. That single reminder should leave me disappointed, but it was somewhat…refreshing.

I kissed someone that wasn’t Terence. I kissed someone because I really wanted to. I kissed someone, and I melted. My body felt things I didn’t know were possible.

Stretching my arms over my head, I sigh again, the sound morphing into a yawn before I try to pep talk myself out of my sheets. Yesterday was yesterday, in all of its pain and glory, but now I need to get up and start getting ready for the day.

I exhale a withering breath, the tremble only reinforcing the fact that I have no idea how I’m supposed to survive any of this. As if sensing my inner turmoil, a knock comes from the door. Pursing my lips, I consider my choices: to ignore or not to ignore. The next knock that rattles the door frame tells me I don't have a choice.

Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I tiptoe across the distance between me and the banging, aware that I’m only in a t-shirt and panties, but there’s not enough time for me to rectify that. I pry the door open just an inch to reveal Bryony on the other side, and I exhale with relief. She knocks the door open wider, bustling inside, leaving me at the threshold, gaping at her.

She takes over the space like a whirlwind as I shut the door behind her. We don’t speak as I watch her pace back and forth across the width of my room a few times until she slams to a halt. With her hands on her hips and her head cocked to one side, she finally acknowledges my presence. In my own room.

“I wanted to check in on you after last night,” she states, hiking her chin up an inch as she continues to assess me.

“Check in on me? I'm fine,” I insist, trying to brush off the subject. I spent long enough lost to the turmoil last night; I was hoping to avoid it today.

Bryony, however, doesn't look that fine at all, and maybe that's why she's here. Although, the pointed look she’s offering tells me she’s aware of my bullshit.

I expect her to call me out on it, but instead, she scurries toward my bed, looking out the window as she folds her arms over her chest. She runs her tongue over her bottom lip before she glances back at me, and a frown takes over her face.

“I thought you liked your hair.”

Confused, I scrunch my nose. “I do.”

Her eyebrows only draw tighter. “Then why…I'm confused,” she admits, rocking back on her heels as she continues to stare at me with a strange look in her eyes.

“Right back at you,” I retort, completely bewildered by what's going on when she stomps towards me, unfolding her arms to grab my upper arm and tug me toward the armoire.

She forcefully swings the door open, leaving me to look at my reflection, and understanding quickly washes over me. Although I may understand her confusion, it doesn’t mean I have the answer.

My gut clenches as I gape at the silver hair that frames my face.

Silver.

Not black.

The new version of myself that we created last night is long gone.

I’m just me: silver locks and all.

“I didn't touch it,” I blurt, tentatively running my fingers through the ends to confirm what I see. When I’m sure it’s not a figment of my imagination, my gaze whirls to Bryony. “How? How could this happen?”

Bryony shrugs, seemingly as lost as I am. “I don't know,” she admits, rubbing her lips together as she stares at me. “Mine doesn't do that,” she adds, fueling the confusion and irritation inside of me.

Turning away from the reflection to avoid the silver glaring back at me, I focus all of my attention on Bryony. “All I did was sleep. Well, mostly tossed and turned, but that's beside the point. I didn't do a single thing. I wouldn’t have known how, even if I had wanted to.” Lacing my fingers together, I look down at them with a hint of defeat burning in my gut. “I really liked it,” I admit, my shoulders slumping with disappointment.

As Bryony stares at me, she mindlessly taps her fingertip against her lips. The smallest crinkle forms between her eyes, a flicker of uncertainty before she clears her throat. “It could be your magic,” she breathes, and I freeze, feeling the color drain from my face as I turn to her.

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