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"We both know there's nothing that can change a korra," he said, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling. "So, maybe you need to accept that it's always been a part of you instead."
The human me — the Hunter, recoiled at that.
I didn't need to accept this shit. The wolf wasn't a part of me. He was just an intruder that threatened to ruin my life.
The solution was to get rid of him!
"Your eyes have always been so cold," he said. "Almost empty."
My brows drew together, and I glared at him, growl rumbling in my chest.
My eyes were no such thing …
He held his hand up to stop me saying anything.
"BUT —" His mouth widened into a smirk. "Back in those Giant ruins? That wolf version of you was a badass. And honestly, it was the most alive I've ever seen you. I mean, fuck — your eyes were glowing, Tye."
The wolf huffed his agreement, growing stronger by the second.
But he was wrong. He had to be. My whole life couldn't be a lie!
"I've been tested." I ground out. "Dozens of times."
And I'd tried shifting in the forest on my own. It hadn't worked.
Jaiel messed with the rings in his pointed ear and looked away. "But wouldn't it be possible that a certain lady, or someone similar, has been hiding your abilities from you and the rest of the world … just as they have with Kaiya?"
Rage exploded within my chest and I surged to my feet.
"I knew it! I fucking knew it." I strode to the door, glaring at it as though it were Frexin and the kings. "They knew Kaiya was a mage all along, and yet they let me ruin my entire career — let me think I was going mad?! And for what? So they could keep their fucking secret?!" I turned back to face him, skin burning and nails aching. "I'd have preferred they collar me and tell me the fucking truth!"
'"Yeah, but what would the Empire be if not full of liars, thieves, and hypocrites?"
My stomach clenched, and I rubbed my hands over my face, focusing on the feel of the stubble against my fingertips.
Despite all my misgivings, I had to admit that it was plausible.
While the kiss had been the catalyst, I couldn't deny how familiar the wolf had felt when I shifted — like it had always been there with me, locked just beneath the surface.
But if that were true …
I slumped back onto the bed beside Jaiel.
… if I truly was a Forsaken — one of those vile creatures responsible for the deaths of thousand — the destroyers of all that was good and happy in the world. Then how the fuck was I supposed to continue on?
Dropping my head into my hands, I imagined myself on the other end of a hunt — locked up in the detainment camps, tattoo emblazoned on my cheek, a collar on my neck — just waiting for the day it failed and I turned into a deadly wraith.
The thought of people hurt by my hands made my blood boil.
"I won't become a wraith, Jaiel," I said. "I'll turn both myself and Kaiya in before that."
A warm hand gripped my shoulder. "There are ways to avoid it."
An image of Finn and all the other happy, healthy body mages flitted through my mind.
They were different somehow.
I looked down at the potion the old woman had made me. These people had found a way to stay untainted by the void.
