Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Consciousness returned to me slowly, like swimming up from the depths of a dark ocean. My head felt heavy, stuffed with cotton, and every muscle in my body ached as though I'd been hit by a truck. I blinked several times, trying to focus on my surroundings.

I was back in the beautiful room Miriam had shown us—lying on the soft bed with its luxurious linens, sunlight streaming through the windows that overlooked the eastern gardens. The familiar tapestries on the walls and the scent of jasmine drifting in from outside confirmed I was safe, but I had no memory of how I'd gotten here.

The room was empty except for me. No Edward, no his mother, no Miriam—just blessed silence and the distant sounds of life continuing in the castle complex below. I tried to sit up, wincing as my head throbbed in protest, and noticed a small bottle of water and several white pills on the bedside table.

A note was propped against the water bottle, written in neat handwriting I didn't recognize:

Take these for the headaches. Rest as much as you need. You're safe here. —M

Miriam, I realized. Even in my confused state, the simple kindness of the gesture made my chest tight with emotion. When was the last time someone had cared for me without expecting anything in return? The thought brought unexpected tears to my eyes.

I was grateful beyond words for their thoughtfulness, for the way they'd taken me in without question and tended to me in my moment of crisis. The warmth of their acceptance, so different from the cold politics of pack life I was used to, made me feel like I might actually have found a place where I could belong.

Carefully, I reached for the pills and water, swallowing the medication and hoping it would ease the persistent pounding in my skull. As I set the glass back down, fragments of memory began to surface—the welcome ceremony, all those kind faces, the feeling of being truly welcomed for the first time in years.

And then... something else. Something that made my blood run cold.

I remembered staring at my reflection and seeing a stranger looking back—a woman with hair like flames and eyes that glowed like embers. The memory was so vivid, so terrifying, that I had to see for myself whether it had been real.

My legs were unsteady as I made my way to the large mirror mounted on the opposite wall. Heart hammering, I forced myself to look at my reflection, half-expecting to see that otherworldly creature again.

But the woman staring back at me was just... me. Ordinary brown hair, slightly tangled from sleep. Regular brown eyes, a bit red-rimmed from exhaustion but otherwise normal. Pale skin that looked like it needed more sun, not the ethereal glow I remembered.

I reached up to touch my hair, running my fingers through the familiar brown strands. It felt real, looked real. Had I imagined the whole thing? Had the toxins in my system caused hallucinations?

The more I stared at my perfectly normal reflection, the more confused I became. The memory felt so real, so vivid. I could still recall the gasps from the crowd, the way conversations had stopped mid-sentence, the horror in people's eyes as they stared at me.

But here I was, looking exactly as I always had.

"Maybe it was a dream," I murmured to my reflection, but even as I said it, I didn't believe it. Dreams didn't feel that real, that intense.

A soft knock at the door interrupted my confused examination of myself. "Come in," I called, quickly moving away from the mirror.

Edward entered, carrying a tray that smelled heavenly—fresh bread, some kind of soup, and what looked like honey cakes. His face broke into a relieved smile when he saw me awake and upright.

"You're finally awake," he said, setting the tray on a small table by the window. "How are you feeling?"

"Confused," I admitted, settling into one of the chairs. "What happened after I... after I collapsed at the welcome ceremony? And how long have I been unconscious?"

Edward's expression grew serious as he took the chair across from me. "You've been sleeping for three days," he said gently.

"Three days?" I stared at him in shock. "I've been unconscious for three entire days?"

He nodded. "Miriam and some of the other healers have been checking on you regularly. They said your body was fighting off the last of whatever Harry injected you with, and that the stress of everything you've been through finally caught up with you. They weren't worried—they said it was actually a good sign that your body was healing itself."

Three days. I could barely wrap my mind around it. No wonder I felt so disoriented.

"But what about..." I hesitated, unsure how to ask about what I remembered without sounding completely insane. "What about what happened before I collapsed? Did something... strange happen?"

Edward's pause was telling. He looked uncomfortable, like he was choosing his words carefully.

"You mean the change in your appearance?" he asked finally.

So it hadn't been a hallucination. Relief and terror warred in my chest. "Yes. My hair, my eyes—they turned red, didn't they? That really happened?"

"It did," Edward confirmed. "Everyone saw it. One moment you were sitting quietly in the corner, and the next..." He shrugged helplessly. "You looked completely different. Powerful. Almost... otherworldly."

I touched my hair again, still struggling to reconcile his words with my normal reflection. "But I look normal now. What does it mean?"

"I'm not the right person to explain that," Edward said, his tone gentle but firm. "But the elders here—they said your situation is normal. Well, not normal exactly, but not unheard of."

"Normal?" I repeated, feeling anything but. "How can any of this be normal?"

Edward leaned forward, his expression earnest. "Look, I know you're confused and probably scared. I would be too. But Miriam and the other elders, they've seen things like this before. They understand what's happening to you better than I ever could."

I felt a mix of nervousness and curiosity. If there were others who had experienced something similar, if there were answers to be had, then maybe I wasn't going completely insane.

"Are you sure they can explain it?" I asked, needing the reassurance.

"I'm sure," Edward said firmly. "But they want you to take care of yourself first. You've been through a tremendous ordeal—the betrayal, the escape, the poison, the stress of everything. Your body and mind need time to recover."

He gestured to the tray he'd brought. "So please, eat something. Take a bath if you want—there's a private bathing chamber through that door. Rest if you need to. The elders will explain everything once you're feeling stronger."