A warm feeling floated in my chest. “Taylor’s really nice. He was the first real friend I made after...” I cleared my throat, not sure how to word it. “After I moved to the human city.”
Viol went deathly silent for a moment. When he spoke, it sounded genuine. “I’m glad he was there for you.”
There was a hidden statement at the end of his sentence:I’m glad he was there for you when I wasn’t.
At least, that’s what I assumed was going through Viol’s mind. He was so quick to shame himself when he’d done nothing wrong. I considered bringing it up to help smooth things over, but I was exhausted, and Viol was too. Nothing productive couldcome of a late-night feelings talk. Better to sleep it off and discuss it later.
Viol must’ve felt the same way because he got up to turn off the lights, then climbed into his makeshift bed. As the darkness spilled over the room, I stared up at the ceiling. Usually when I slept at the hotel, this was when I started overthinking. But in Viol’s bed, my mind didn’t race. There was no onslaught of random worries and contrived anxieties. I just felt calm.
I sighed, hugging the baby seal closer to my chest. “Goodnight, Viol.”
Down on the floor, I heard him shuffle. I wondered if he was hugging his plushie, too. “Night, Poppy.”
As I drifted off, enveloped by Viol’s scent on all sides, I couldn’t stop smiling.
Although I fellasleep in a good mood, my brain wouldn’t let me off the hook so easily. Even though I knew my next visions were part of a dream, that didn’t stop the dread at being forced to watch them.
It opened with a hazy image of Violet and I walking towards my clan grounds—him in human form, and me as a wolf. The uneasy atmosphere was a holdover from our last conversation about the duty assignment ceremony.
Me, assigned a hunter.
And Sorrel, assigned a child-bearer.
“It’s not you, Poppy,” Violet muttered as we picked our way down the slope. “Itisweird. If your alpha leader or whatever wants Sorrel to do that, why not just wait?”
Although I valued his opinion, it didn’t change anything. My reality—Sorrel’s reality—was still the same. The bog sucking me down was as unyielding as ever.
“And on that note, why the hell is he picking people’s roles, anyway?” Violet went on angrily. “What gives him the right to do that?”
“He’s our clan alpha,” I explained quietly.
“So?”
I couldn’t comprehend his confusion. “He makes the big decisions for the sake of the clan. It’s a huge responsibility to carry.”
“Fuck that,” Violet snapped. He was visibly agitated. “One guy calls all the shots? Sorry, but that’s bullshit.”
His fury confused me. “Is it... different where you’re from?” I asked.
“Yes!” Violet cried. “My brothers and I make decisions together. I’ve got two older brothers, so we respect their input as our elders, but they don’t force us to do shit we don’t want to.” He paused. In a more casual tone, he added, “Except eating vegetables.”
I was too exhausted to smile at his joke. My head fell forward as I stared at the dirt.
“I’m sorry. I can’t imagine that,” I murmured.
“Poppy. Can’t you talk to the guy?” Violet demanded.
My legs went stiff. The awful memory of the humiliating meeting crashed into me, making my knees tremble.
“I already did that,” I said pitifully. “I’m too cowardly to try again...”
Violet shot me a sympathetic look. “Not even if I come with you?”
“I... I don’t know. I’m not as brave as you.”
Violet snorted. “I’m not brave. I just do dumb shit first and ask questions later.” He put his hand on my shoulders. “It won’t be as bad as you think, I promise.”
I wanted to believe him, but doubt crystallized over my heart like ice. I didn’t know what to do, or how to get out of this. I felt trapped and lost. The only thing keeping me afloat was Viol’s generous companionship.
