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I close my eyes for a moment then open them again. “I hope so.” I rub my eyes before saying, “Is there anything you want to tell me about yourself?”
“N-No,” he stutters. “I’m completely norm. . . uh fine,” he corrects himself.
“Ezra, your sister and I are completely normal except for having supernatural abilities. Nothing has changed.” But really everything has. It won’t be the same, but there is no need to worry him; he’s had enough of a scare to last a lifetime.
We say our goodbyes, but when I get up, I fall back down. My body is too tired to move. If I could sleep here, I would, but I need a shower. It’s only been a day, but it feels like I’ve been this dirty for days. The guys wait for me to ask for help, but I won’t. I need to feel like I’m still in control, like my life isn’t a frazzled mess, and that’s why I need to pick myself up.
This time, I manage to pull my body weight all the way up, but when I stumble back a step, there’s a steady hand preventing me from falling again. I allow the kind gesture because I know when to be stubborn and when to accept help.
Before I cross to the other side of the door, someone jogs up behind me. Suddenly there’s more adrenaline, and my fight-or-flight instinct returns.
“I got your phone, Luna,” The nameLunastartles me for a second. I want to ask about the odd name but think better of it. Future Kat can worry about that later. My body eases again. Joseph, one of the betas, walks over and hands me the phone.
“Thanks,” I tell him gratefully. I grab it and awkwardly try to slide it into my pocket, but then I remember how dirty I am and hold it out away from my body.
In the bathroom, I let the door close gently behind me and nearly scream when I finally face the mirror. I look like the joker from Batman. I’m surprised no one ran away from me. I wonder if that’s why the other shifters kept their heads down. I would too if I saw some crazy lady looking the way I do.
I peel off my clothes slowly, inspecting the remnants of healing bruises all over my body in various stages of purple and yellow. Leaning closer to the mirror, I tilt my chin up and gently run my hands across my throat. Ash’s fingerprints are faint but still there, a sordid reminder of how he nearly choked me to death.
I walk away from the mirror and start the shower, making sure it’s scorching hot. Maybe it’ll help me wash off the events of today.
After I shower, I find Ash in my bed. He’s cleaned up and wearing nothing but boxers. Beads of water still drip from the tendrils of his platinum hair, and my heart races when I think of those boys alone with Ava while she’s so vulnerable.
Before I can even ask what he’s doing here, he leans toward me on one elbow and says, “Don’t worry, Benji and Tyler are with her now. She’s stable.”
Sighing in relief, I move toward the bed, but when I get a closer look at the emotion filling his soft blue eyes, he turns his head from me to hide his expression. He has so much to get off his chest, but I’m not in the right state of mind to listen. I’ve had all I can handle for now. Tomorrow is a different day, and right now, all I want to do is sleep.
I shake my head before saying, “Not tonight, Ash.”
He clears his throat and nods. “I had Benji and Tyler send the boys home tonight. They fought them over it, but in the end, they used their alpha voices and the kids couldn’t oppose them. Ava needs her rest.”
My body sags in relief. I don’t know what’s going on. I feel like my life is spiraling out of control, and there’s no way for me to stop it. It’s even worse because I’m bringing my kids along for the ride.
This is not how I envisioned my life going.
“Do you hate it?”my wolf asks sadly.
“No, of course I don’t.”That’s the truth. I’m happier now than I’ve ever been, but everything seems to be coming all at once. Before I have time to process one thing, another thing shows up, and it’s always harder than the last.“I just. . .I just wished everything worked out differently.”I admit.
“I want to go see her.” I dry my long purple strands with my towel, once I’m done, I hang it behind the bathroom door.
I go to my drawer to pick out a pair of sweats and a shirt before bringing them up to my nose and sniffing. They smell like Ash, and I smile at the thought of him stuffing his clothes in my drawers. I don’t have to steal—I mean borrow—their belongings anymore.
“How about we call her instead?” Ash asks, I turn back toward him. My face must give away the irritation.
“Her pain has passed and she needs time to process everything. Let her be. She’s tired, you’re tired. We know she’s alive and taken care of. We need the rest. I don’t know why, but I have a gut feeling that things will be getting a lot worse.”
I agree, but only because my eyelids are so heavy. I think I’m past the point of exhaustion.
Ash looks at his phone and dials a number, setting it on speaker so that I can hear. “Hey, Tyler. Kat wants to talk to Ava.”
“Sure thing.” I hear some shuffling.
I finish getting dressed quickly and meet Ash in my bed. He places the call on video chat and hands me the phone so that I can see her.
“Hey, Mom,” she says, looking as exhausted as I feel. Her voice is raspy and weak. I’m relieved to know that the shifting phase is over. I wonder what her fur color is? But that’s a question for another time. I want to make sure she’s okay.
“Hey, mija. How are you feeling?” I grip the phone tighter. Fuck what Ash said, I should go visit her.
