“And what do I need to know about eerie life?” I counter, desperate for answers.
“That it exists, first and foremost,” he answers, waving around the room. “In Howling Rapids alone, we have a variety of shifters, witch covens, vampire clans, brigades of trolls, and a donsy of gnomes.”
“What, no fairies and unicorns?” I mumble, reeling at the literal out-of-this world list.
Ellery’s lips press together, and his eyes grow worried, before he slowly says, “Unicorns are extinct.”
My eyes go wide at the insane revelation, and I slap a hand over my mouth.
I don’t know if I want to laugh or cry.
My impending breakdown chooses hysterical amusement and, despite my efforts to trap it inside, a wild laugh erupts from my lips. Everything about this situation is so far from sane that the fact that unicorns once existed is just the cherry on top.
Who knows what else exists that I never believed in…
I dig my hands into my scalp, partially to ensure my skull doesn’t explode from the shock of it all. I was attacked by wolves. It really happened, and now I’m one of them.
It took one bite for everything I’ve ever known to shift and become entirely unrecognizable. In one blink, I went from feeling like my body was going to rip apart to being told by a literal witch doctor to get lots of rest, food, and fluids—like turning into a whole-ass wolf is the same as recovering from the flu.
Pinching my arm seems too cliche, but I’m sorely tempted to do it.
“Noah?” Ellery calls, pulling me from my spiraling thoughts.
His voice makes me blink and my senses suddenly flick back onto high alert from the muted, shocked state they’d been in. I realize I’m just standing here with my head in my hands. I look up to discover Imogen’s left, and it’s just Ellery and his dad watching me like I’m a ticking time bomb.
Shit. Am I?
“I know all of this must be a lot and you probably have a million questions,” Ellery starts. “I promise to answer each and every one of them. I know we got started on the wrong foot, but from here on out, we’ll answer anything you want to know.”
He’s leaning toward me again so he’s at my eye level even though he’s still giving me space. I stare, irritated that I still think he’s handsome, and then I remember the other hot crazies from this morning. Only they’re not crazy. And I stole their fucking car.
Fuck me.
I’m the bad guy there.
I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment because it’s all too much. I’m about to explode out of my own skin from all the questions and chaos mounting inside me. I’m beyond confused, and I can feel myself careening into a mental breakdown. All I want to do is get out of this room.
I don’t like feeling cornered. And I don’t like that something inside of me wants to soothe away the worry and discomfort I can see in the sheriff’s face. I shouldn’t want to comfort him—and why the hell does it bother me that Gannon left?
He waltzed in here with his hotness, turned into a fucking wolf, and then just peaced out like it was no biggie.
What was that? And why do I fucking care? He’s a goddamned stranger. He fucking bit me!
I groan. I don’t know how to deal with any of this. I just want to rewind, drive past this town, and eat a shitty protein bar for dinner.
“What do you need, Noah? How can we help?” Ellery asks. I open my eyes and look up at him.
What do I need?
“I need a break,” I confess. “I have questions, sooo many questions, but I need a minute to process all of this.”
Ellery’s blue eyes soften, and he nods in understanding. He looks over at his dad. “Can you stick around? I’ll get her settled over at the inn, but we need to talk about how Noah ended up in the Hunt, and you’re going to want to call the betas in for that conversation.”
His dad nods and pulls out his phone before turning to me. “I know Ellery’s already told you, but I want to reiterate how sorry I am that this happened. When you’re ready, I’d like to talk to you about the pack and your place in it. I know it won’t make sense yet, but I want you to know we’re your family now. Pack looks after each other, and that now includes you. Anything you need, we’re here. Okay?” His eyes are solemn and steady, and a warm feeling surrounds me but doesn’t invade like it did previously. No warm fuzzies fly forcefully into my mind. They just hover nearby, like a person holding their arms out for a hug, waiting for the other person to embrace them.
My eyes prick with emotion at his words and the look on his face that tells me he genuinely means it.
I’ve never had a family, not since my mom passed. When I was younger, I thought maybe I could create one with friends and co-workers and other people who mattered in my life. The problem I’d run into over and over again, was that those people weren’t like me. They had loved ones. They had that elusive thing I was so desperate for, and they didn’t need me the same way I needed them. They cared in their own way, but I was always the outsider looking in. I was always left in the cold, hand on the glass, staring through the window at the glowing love, support, and acceptance they had. I was always left wishing.
I gave up on the idea of a family a long time ago.
Morgan Arcan stares at me like he can see all of this written on the inside of my soul. I want to believe him. Despite everything that’s happened, his words tug at pieces of me I’ve ignored for so long. But I’ve been broken by this hope before.
I know all too well where desperate dreaming leads, and there are never any pots of gold or happily-ever-afters found at the end of that rainbow.
I don’t say anything as Ellery leads me out of his office. Following his steps on autopilot, I don’t really see anything as he guides me past offices, deputies at desks, and Fife—who’s once again sitting at the front of the station. I feel Fife’s eyes on me as Ellery holds the door and I walk out into the arms of the warm sun and a cool breeze.
I pull in a deep breath, immediately relieved to be out of that building.
“The inn is just a couple blocks away. You want to walk or drive?” Ellery asks.
I look toward the parking lot and grimace when I see the Jeep I stole is still parked there.
“Walking is fine,” I answer, a squeak of guilt in my tone that I hope he doesn’t notice. I’m pretty sure I have a valid excuse, but maybe it’s best not to remind the sheriff that I was living that grand theft auto life this morning.
“How long should I wait to tell him all their car keys are in the passenger seat?”
Ellery offers me a smile, and there’s a strange glint of amusement in his eyes before he turns and starts to walk down the sidewalk, pausing after a few steps and waiting for me to follow. I decide a couple of keyless hours won’t hurt anybody. Looking around, I try to take in this unfamiliar town through the eyes of an eerie. Nothing looks strange or unusual, the air doesn’t sparkle, and I’m not bowled over by scents, but everything about this place—and now my own body—feels foreign.
How can people be smiling and walking down the road with coffees in hand when my life is falling the fuck apart? But that’s how it always is, I remind myself. The worst day of one person’s life is someone else’s average Tuesday.