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Betas will be reliant upon their alpha’s sufferance for their share of the coupons.
That part didn’t sit well with me. Of course, we’ll be fine at Cypress House, but what about the betas in town. I think of Min, the chatty beta who works at Arabica. Who even is her alpha? The manager of the coffee shop?
I shake off my worry, setting the tea tray down on a low table in front of Elizabeth. “No, they didn’t say anything useful. We collected the coupons, though.”
She hums. “I can’t say I’m surprised, but I’m glad you got the coupons. Who knows? Maybe they’ll come in handy.”
“Maybe they will,” I mutter under my breath. “Is there anything I can do for you? If not, I can go downstairs. I’m sure there’s something —”
“Sit,” she interrupts, motioning toward a velvet chair next to the window seat. “We haven’t had a chance to catch up lately.”
Delicately, I sit in the low chair and cross my hands over my lap. I don’t want to talk to her, but after everything she’s done for me, I can’t very well deny her. She picks up a glass of tea and looks me up and down.
“I like your hair down,” she surprises me by saying. “I’ve known you for so many years, but you always wore it covered … even when we were girls.”
I shrug and finger the end of my braid. “Gran always insisted I keep it covered.”
“I wonder why?” She scrunches her nose. “The other betas don’t cover theirs, and it’s not in the Order.”
“I–I don’t know,” I reply with an awkward shrug.
There’s a pause as she stares at me some more. I groan inwardly, shifting in my seat. I wish she would let me go—she’s acting so strange, and I’m not in the mood for whatever this is.
“Did you see Noah?” she asks suddenly, taking a ladylike sip from her glass. “In town?”
I nod and stare down at my lap. “He looked terrible.”
She clicks her tongue. “I’ve heard he’s stressed. What about Isolde? Did you see her?”
“No.” My eyes dart up to find her watching me, her head tilted, eyes narrowed. “I haven’t seen her since the blackout.”
“But you’ve heard the rumors about her?” she presses, rubbing her forefinger over the smooth glass.
I scoff gently. “How could I avoid them?”
The first time I heard that Isolde killed my grandmother was from Min, ironically. It was during that first week after the blackout when she rushed toward me on Dogwood Street, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and sobbing.
“I’m so happy you’re okay!” she wailed, her tears wetting my uniform. “I thought for sure you’d be next!”
I was shocked. How could she show so much emotion? And right in the middle of Dogwood Street? Blackout or no, that was unacceptable behavior for a beta. Several passing alphas and omegas openly glared at us with disapproval as they passed.
“I’m fine,” I told her nervously, pulling away. “Nancy is with the boys at Wyatt’s, and Cleo, Beth, and I are at Cypress House. None of us got the sickness.”
Her face paled and her eyes widened. “You don’t know then?”
“Know what?”
Roughly, Min pulled me close again, her head next to mine, her hands gripping my shoulders. “Hetty, your grandmother didn’t die of the sickness,” she rasped. “She was poisoned by that … that witch, Isolde Sage. Why else do you think this is happening? We’re being punished for her bad deeds. All of them!”
I can’t remember how I responded that day. Disbelief? Dismay? I wish I could say that was the last time I heard anyone say that Isolde was a witch and that she was responsible for Goldenrod’s troubles, but it was the first of many, many whispered rumors, unfortunately.
“I still believe what I told you the night of the blackout.” Elizabeth’s voice interrupts my memories, and I look up to see her watching me curiously. “I don’t think your grandmother was poisoned. By Isolde or anyone else.”
My pulse quickens. Do I believe that? I’m not really sure. The night of the blackout, I was so confident Gran was poisoned. But as the weeks have passed, that confidence has wavered. I just don’t know…
“What does Noah think?” I blurt out suddenly before I can stop myself. “Does he think Isolde killed my grandmother? And the blackout happened because she’s … a witch?”
I stare at the floor, my heart pounding a steady drumbeat as I wait for her to answer. That’s the first time I’ve said his name out loud in weeks. And now, it’s like I’m summoning something in doing so—like Elizabeth will be able to see it all on my face. She’ll know what happened.
