Chapter Thirteen
Annika
Even though we’d made it back, even though we’d saved those prisoners and managed to secure the weapons, I didn’t feel like celebrating. I watched the newly freed people around us—some smiling faintly, some crying, others simply looking dazed. They clutched the water and blankets they’d been given as if they were precious lifelines, and their relief was unmistakable.
It should’ve felt triumphant. But all I could think about was home. My mother. Her face, her voice, the way she’d gently nag me to eat or sleep more. I missed her so much it hurt.
I felt Lucas beside me, close, watching me, almost as if he could read my thoughts. I kept my eyes straight ahead, but his presence was impossible to ignore. Part of me wished he’d just leave me alone. No words or reassurances could close the aching distance between here and my mother’s small apartment, the quiet hum of her kitchen, or the creak of her favorite chair.
“Annika…” he murmured gently, his voice soft.
I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. If I did, I’d probably break down. And I didn’t want that. Not here, not now, not with people watching. Not with him.
“You don’t have to say anything,” he said, his hand lightly touching my arm. “I can’t imagine how hard this must be.”
His words only deepened the ache. I wanted to pull away, but at the same time, his presence grounded me in a way I hadn’t expected. There was something so steady about him, like he’d faced a thousand storms and could withstand one more.
Still, he couldn’t help. Nothing could. Only going back and finding her again would make any difference.
“I just…” I swallowed hard, keeping my gaze on the crowd. “I can’t stop thinking about her, about what she’s going through. I should be with her. She’s the only family I have.”
Lucas fell silent, his hand slipping away from my arm. I felt the loss of his touch, the warmth it had offered, but I kept my face set.
“If there was a way…” he started, his voice almost a whisper.
I glanced up then, catching the glint of something in his eyes. It looked like regret, maybe even sadness. He wanted to help, I could see that. But this was something he couldn’t fix. Not yet, at least.
“We’ll find a way for you to go back,” he promised me.
All I could do was nod. I inhaled deeply, wondering if his words were true. I knew he meant them. Something assured me that he would be looking for my way out of this place for the rest of his life, if I’d asked him to. But… a part of me didn’t want to burden him with that. He had enough on his mind. Enough people already depended on him. I didn’t need to add myself to those.
Still, as much as I knew that he couldn’t help, his quiet presence beside me was the only thing that managed to keep me from falling apart right then and there.
I needed air.
“Would it be… would it be alright if I went outside for just a minute?” I asked, feeling almost embarrassed for needing something so simple.
His expression darkened slightly, and he shook his head. “Annika, it’s not safe. Not out there.” He studied me for a moment longer, and I could tell he was trying to gauge how much I needed this.
I took a breath, letting my shoulders drop, and hoped he could see the weight I was carrying. Finally, he relented, though his gaze remained firm.
“Just for a few moments,” he said quietly. “Stay close to the building. And come right back in.” He fumbled inside his pocket, then extracted a whistle, which he handed to me. “And take this. If you’re in any trouble, just blow the whistle and I’ll be there.”
Relief flooded me. “Thank you. I’ll be quick, I promise.”
I slipped out into the chill air, feeling the tension drain from my shoulders the second I crossed the threshold. I hugged my arms to my chest. The coolness was a shock but somehow refreshing. The sky was a dull slate, a hint of fog lingering in the distance, and the silence out here felt different than in there. Here, it was freer, somehow… less burdened.
Then, suddenly, a soft whimper reached my ears. It was faint and fragile, but it was there.
I froze up. My heart was pounding, as I glanced over my shoulder toward the door, half-expecting Lucas to come out and pull me back inside. The noise came again, hidden somewhere in the darkness just beyond the bushes. My gut told me to ignore it, to turn around, go back inside where it was safe.
But something tugged at me. Curiosity, worry… maybe both.
Carefully, I moved toward the sound, brushing aside low branches and dried leaves, crouching down to peer through the undergrowth. There, curled in a small hollow in the dirt, was a puppy. It was hurt, shivering, its paw twisted awkwardly beneath it. Its soft eyes met mine, and my heart clenched. This tiny thing had been left out here alone, no one to care for it.
I hesitated, then reached out. My fingertips brushed its matted fur, and instantly, warmth surged through me. It was like a low, pulsing hum, moving from somewhere deep within and out through my hand, right into the pup. I pulled back, but it was too late. Right before my eyes, its paw straightened, the scrapes and wounds vanishing, leaving nothing but soft fur in their place.
My hand trembled as I yanked it away, staring at my fingers as if they’d suddenly morphed into something else. But they were just… hands. Ordinary. No glow, no mark, nothing. The puppy let out a yip, pawing at my knee, its tail wagging as if nothing had ever been wrong.
I swallowed hard, my mind racing. How was that possible?
That was when I heard a branch crack behind me. Fear gripped me. I was sure that a shifter had found me, smelled me.
“I said just a moment or two,” I heard Lucas say, his tone low and grave. I couldn’t blame him.
I turned to meet his gaze, and for a moment, I thought that he knew.
My breath caught in my throat. My heart hammered as I fought to keep my composure. All I could do was hope that he didn’t see what had happened, what I had just done.
His eyes scanned me briefly, taking in my wide gaze, the trembling fingers that I was trying desperately to hide behind my back. He seemed to sense something was off but didn’t press further.
“I—I found a puppy,” I stammered, my words coming out rushed. I bent down, scooping up the small, now-healthy animal into my arms. It wagged its tail, completely unaware of the panic swirling inside me. “It was hurt, so I brought it back… with me, I mean.”
Lucas nodded slowly, his expression unreadable. “You sure you're okay?”
I wasn’t sure of anything. “Yeah. I’m fine,” I managed, though I knew it wasn’t true. Not at all.
My mind was still reeling from what I’d just witnessed, from the way my touch had somehow… healed. He didn’t seem to notice the way my hands were shaking as I adjusted the puppy in my arms, the way my heart felt like it was about to burst from confusion and fear.
He didn’t press further, thank God, and instead nodded as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “Let’s get back inside. We’ve got work to do.”
I didn’t argue. I turned and started walking back toward the door, my thoughts a million miles away, my pulse still racing. What had just happened? Was it connected to everything else that was happening to me? Was it the transformation I’d feared?
As I stepped back inside, the door clicking shut behind us, I looked down at the puppy in my arms. It looked up at me with those trusting eyes, completely unaware of the storm raging in my mind.
Around me, the chaos of the day’s mission still hung in the air. People were moving about, talking in hushed tones, discussing the next steps. But none of that mattered to me at that moment. My mind was still reeling from what had just happened outside. I could still feel the warmth of the puppy’s body in my arms, its soft fur, and the inexplicable way I’d healed it.
I needed answers, but more than that, I needed time. Time to figure out what the hell had happened, time to figure out if it meant anything. And perhaps most importantly, time to decide whether I could trust anyone with this.
Lucas had already caught me off guard when I first arrived, his protective instincts always on edge. I knew him well enough to know that if he suspected something was wrong, he’d press me for answers, and I didn’t have any. Not yet.
“Aaaw, a puppy!” one of the women squealed in delight upon seeing the little creature in my arms. “Can I hold it?”
“Sure,” I smiled, offering it to her.A small group had already huddled around her, petting the small creature, which obviously enjoyed all the attention it was getting.
I removed myself from their circle, hiding in one of the corners of the room. It was a chance to catch my breath. It wasn’t just the puppy. It was… everything. The strange sensations, the headaches, the raw power I was now feeling crackling just beneath the surface of my skin.
How could I explain any of this to anyone?
I kept my gaze down, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. I wasn’t sure I could hide it forever, but for now, I needed to be invisible, to let the confusion settle before I faced any more questions.
I didn’t know how this would change things, but I knew I couldn’t let it slip. Not yet. So, I kept it buried inside, wrapping my thoughts tightly around it as if to cage the chaos within.
Lucas met my gaze from across the room. I was still wondering how much he had seen. If he had seen something, why didn’t he mention anything?
There were so many questions swarming inside my mind, and no answers. It was driving me insane.
I inhaled deeply, looking away first. Things were changing and I didn’t know if I could keep up with everything, with him, with… us.