Chapter 12 #2
Viol’s expression tightened as if in pain. After a second, the creases around his tight expression softened. “I know, Poppy,” he mumbled. “You’re a fuckin’ gem, that’s why.”
He crawled over to the chest and undid the latch with a grimace. While half hidden behind the lid, he pulled out a large dragon-shaped plushie.
“You want one, too?” he asked gruffly.
I smiled at his offer. “Sure.”
He rummaged for a second one before surfacing with a cute baby seal. He plopped it onto the bed, then shut the lid and crawled back to his couch cushions.
“There,” Viol mumbled.
“This guy is really cute,” I said, ogling the big-eyed fluffy seal plush. I squeezed him to my chest.
Viol’s sour look faded. He almost looked happy. “He suits you.”
I flashed him a smile. “What about yours? That’s an intricate design for a plushie.”
Viol scratched the back of his head. “Actually, Taylor made it.”
“He did?” I asked, surprised. “Wow... I knew he could quilt, but I didn’t know he could sew plushies, too.”
“Your friend’s pretty talented,” Viol remarked. “Pretty fuckin’ nice too. He didn’t have to go out of his way like that.”
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 could come 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 fell asleep 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. “It is weird. 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.
Right now, Violet was offering me a single lifeline. I owed him everything. The least I could do was accept his offer.
“All right,” I conceded.
Violet grinned and petted my fur. It felt nice. I leaned into his touch, letting his warmth flow over my back, enjoying it for as long as possible before reality forced me back to face it.
“Don’t worry, Poppy, we’ll figure this out together,” he promised.
His confidence was a ray of warmth shining on my ice-addled heart. Maybe his hope was enough to overcome my despair.
Violet marched ahead without a care in the world. But the closer we got to the clan grounds, the harder anxiety gnawed at my heart. It chipped away at me piece by piece. I had never seen Konrad interact with a stranger before, but I doubted he’d be welcoming.
As we stepped into clan territory, Violet wrinkled his nose. “What is that smell?”
“Um... polar bear urine. It’s the boundary marker,” I explained.
“Great,” Viol muttered. Noticing my distress, he grinned. “Hey, chin up.”
I flashed him the weakest smile ever, which made him chuckle.
“C’mon, I know you can do better than—”
A deep, booming roar split the air. Seconds later, a massive polar bear charged towards us. It was Konrad—and he was not happy.
Instinctively, I flattened to the ground. My body was already trembling.
But Violet didn’t move. He stood firm, not budging an inch even when Konrad barrelled towards him like a stampede. Viol’s only motion was to step in front of me in a smooth, subtle gesture so that I cowered behind his legs.
What is he doing? I thought, suddenly terrified. If he gets hurt because of me...!
Konrad ground to a halt. Each angry breath came out in a grunt. Spittle dripped from his lips. He bared his teeth at Violet, who stood motionless, facing off against the bear without a hint of fear.
“Who goes there?” Konrad snarled. “Who are you, outsider, and why do you have possession of my omega?”
I couldn’t see Violet’s face from my angle, but I saw the way his body stiffened.
“Your omega?” Violet said, low and unimpressed.
“Yes, mine,” Konrad snapped. “He belongs to my clan. Therefore, he belongs to me.”
Every hair on my pelt shook. This was a terrible idea. I should’ve known Konrad would react poorly. Were they going to fight? Gods, I hoped I didn’t get Violet into trouble...
But then Violet laughed. “Okay, big guy. You can believe whatever you want, but Poppy ain’t yours. Got that?”
I raised my head, shocked.
Violet was standing up for me?
My chest swirled like I was being sucked into a whirlpool. Violet’s kind words were a direct challenge to Konrad—and nobody ever dared to challenge him.
Konrad thrust his boxy muzzle closer to Violet’s face and growled, “Who are you, intruder? Give me one good reason I shouldn’t smack the head off your shoulders.”
By now, the whole clan was alerted to the commotion. They edged closer, drawn by morbid curiosity. I shivered in fear beneath their myriad gazes. This felt all too similar to my humiliating experience last week, except this time I’d put Violet in danger. If he got hurt, I’d never forgive myself.
Violet let out a smug laugh. “You can try it, buddy. Just know it won’t end well for you.”
I heard the clan’s audible gasp. Konrad was so utterly shocked by Violet’s comment that he didn’t react. Nobody had ever spoken to him that way.
Violet seized the silence to keep talking. “But I’m not here to fight you. I’m here for Poppy’s sake, to patch things up.”
He said that, but his voice had turned terse. Now that he’d actually met Konrad, did he feel differently about fixing my relationship with the clan alpha?
I fixed my wide-eyed stare on Konrad. To my surprise, he didn’t swipe at Violet or try to bite his head off. He wasn’t stupid—he must’ve known Violet had the strength to back up his bravado, but he still didn’t know Violet was a dragon. Maybe Konrad thought he was another polar bear shifter?
But when Violet mentioned my name, Konrad’s furious glare pinned on me. A shiver shot down my spine. He was not happy.
“Where have you been?” the clan alpha demanded.
I was too scared to speak. “I...”
“He was with me,” Violet interjected firmly.
Konrad focused on him again. He sniffed the air, but came up empty. He couldn’t place the dragon’s unfamiliar scent. His lip curled into a snarl. “Tell me who you are.”
“Violet. I’m an alpha, too.” Violet crossed his arms. “And you know what? I don’t like the way you’ve treated Poppy since our conversation started.”
The bottom of my stomach fell out. Was Viol actually standing up for me?
Konrad threw his head back and released a harsh laugh. “You don’t know who I am, do you, outsider?”
“I know,” Violet stated calmly. “You’re Konrad the polar bear. The so-called clan alpha. Apparently, that means you own Poppy. But that’s bullshit. He’s his own fucking person. He doesn’t belong to anybody.”