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He nods while I walk over to him. “Do you have a picture of Poppy?” I ask.
Alpha approaches the wall behind his bed and points to a picture. I lean over, looking at Livvy and a young girl, maybe about five years old. I smile, looking at this gorgeous child, but a flashback slams into my mind and I really take in her features.
“What’s your name?” I ask her.
She grins. “Poppy.”
I exhale, shaking my head. “What’s rule number one, little bird?”
Her eyes droop, flooding with tears, her hands rushing to her face. “I’m never going to pass! I just want to go home.”
I know I shouldn’t.
It breaks every fundamental rule.
But I step forward and pull Poppy into a tight embrace. She clings to me as the tears fall down her face. My fingers slide through her blonde locks. “It’s going to be okay, little bird. Do you know how I know?”
She sniffles, pulling back, and she looks up at me hopeful. “How?”
I sit on the edge of her bed, pulling her with me, and I wrap my arm around her shoulders. “Because I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t think you were worthy of it.”
She scrunches her face in confusion. “Do what?”
“A hummingbird is a messenger of joy, love, and goodluck. It’s also associated with healing and transformation. It is considered to be magic because of its speed and agility. I believe you’re capable of transformation. I’ve seen you out on the track. I know you’re a pocket rocket. I know you run faster than everyone in your squad. You have the physical ability, little bird. You just need to get out of your own head. You know the information… believe in yourself. And now that you’re a hummingbird, you also have good luck on your side.”
Her eyes brighten like a lightbulb has turned on inside, illuminating her. “You’ve given me a designation?” her voice is almost a whisper.
“Yes, Hummingbird. Now, don’t let it go to waste. You’re a fully-fledged bird in The Nest now. You need to prove to Vulture you can do this.”
She stands taller, puffing out her chest. “I can do this!”
My breath is knocked from me, my head swirling, my heart beating so fucking fast I can hardly think straight. Trying to control my emotions, I turn to Alpha’s family portrait again, taking another good look at his daughter, Poppy, and witness the same blonde hair, the same gorgeous face, theexactsame girl from my memory flash.
Poppy isn’t dead.
She’s a bird in The Nest.
And I’m the one who gave her the designation ofHummingbird.
Holy-fucking-shit.
I don’t know what to do.
I’m stunned to the spot.
I can’t move.
I can’t breathe.
I can’t even think.
“Haven?” Alpha whispers, gently touching my arm like he’strying not to shock me, but it does, and I jerk back from him, finally gasping for air. I pant rapidly, my hand racing to my chest as I try to calm down. He furrows his brow like he has no fucking clue what the hell is going on.
Can’t blame him.
I must look like a real goddamn freak in this moment.
“You okay?” he asks.
