35. Claire: Resolve
*CLAIRE*
As I step into my apartment, the familiar scent of home surrounds me, but everything feels different somehow. The air is heavy with the weight of recent events, casting a shadow over the once-familiar space. Felix's presence, his relentless pursuit, hangs over me like a dark cloud, threatening to consume me whole. I’ve been numb since we left the cabins, and right now, all I want to do is grasp onto any sense of normalcy I can.
Everything feels like it’s changed somehow, like the aftermath of a storm that’s swept through and left destruction in its wake. My apartment looks the same—the cozy living room with its overstuffed couch, the library books left scattered on the kitchen table—but everything feels different, charged with an undercurrent of tension and uncertainty.
Vivian steps into my apartment behind me, her presence a comforting anchor in the midst of the swirling chaos. We’re accompanied by another woman I’ve just met, a Shifter named Rachel, who met up with us in my apartment building’s lobby at Nik’s request. From what I gathered on the car ride back here, she and Vivian are acting as my protection detail for the foreseeable future. Her presence is a constant reminder of Nik's new overprotective streak.
Stepping into my silent apartment, Vivian locks the apartment door behind us while Rachel does a quick sweep of the place. My thoughts feel so chaotic right now that I barely notice as they work through the space.
*Felix is here. He tracked me down. Followed me all the way here to the Blood Moon Pack.*
*He’s never going to stop.*
The pit in my stomach mixed with a growing sense of dread make it impossible for me to think about anything else.
And Nik's glaringly obvious absence only amplifies the unease settling in my bones. After spending so much time with him the past few days, it feels *unnatural* to be separated from him. Like a piece of me is missing. He's out there, somewhere beyond the safety of the Pack’s borders, hunting down Felix’s trail. But there's been no word yet, no sign of his capture, and the uncertainty gnaws at me, a constant reminder of the danger lurking just beyond my reach.
What I need right now is to shake off this gnawing sense of foreboding and make a plan.
When Rachel finishes checking the apartment and Vivian suggests that I go take a shower, I cling onto the idea like a lifeline. I need something to do, something to keep my hands busy so that I can get my panic under control.
In the shower, I go through the motions of washing, the hot water against my skin bringing life back into me. When my mind is clear enough, I realize that I only have two real options going forward. With Felix now hunting me down, I can either stay afraid and hide away in my apartment or…I can stop letting my fear control me.
I’m not alone like I was in the Ember Claw Pack. I have people I can rely on now. And I’m not the same person I was back then either. I’m a Shifter now— no longer helpless. I refuse to let someone like Felix dictate how I live my life any longer. I may not have asked for this, for the constant threat of danger looming over my head, but I won't let it be the deciding factor in how I live. Tomorrow, I'll return to work, where I can lose myself in the comfort of my routine. I refuse to cower in fear, to hide away while constantly looking over my shoulder.
With that decision finally made, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my chest and I can finally breathe again.
Out of the shower, I find the comfiest set of pajamas I own and slip into them. By the time I’ve finished blow drying my hair into smooth waves down my back, I finally feel like myself again. Calm.
Out in the living room, lounging on my couch, Vivian and Rachel are waiting for me when I emerge from my room.
“Feeling any better?” Vivian asks.
“Much better,” I nod, “Thank you again for being here with me. Both of you.” They wave it off like it’s not a big deal.
“Are either of you hungry?” I ask. If they’re going to be spending their night here helping me, the least I can do is make sure they’re well fed.
“Sure,” Rachel calls out, tucking a strand of her chin length brown hair behind her ear, “I could eat.”
“I’ll make us dinner.” I say. Chewing on my bottom lip, I consider what I can make with the ingredients in my fridge. “Is spaghetti bolognese okay?”
“Sounds good.” Rachel says, turning back to her cell phone, “Thank you!”
Vivian gets to her feet, “I’ll help.”
“You don’t have to.” I tell her. “I don’t mind.”
She rolls her eyes good-naturedly, following behind me into the kitchen, “I know I don’t have to. I want to.”
I slowly work my way through the kitchen pulling out the ingredients I need and setting them on the kitchen island. Vivian leans casually against the counter, quietly observing me.
“Any news yet?” I ask.
She shakes her head, her dark hair is pulled up in a high ponytail and it swings with the motion, “Not yet, but that’s not unusual. Most everyone will be in their Shifted forms during the search. When that happens, cell phones get left behind.”
I blink. Right. I forgot about that. “Oh, yeah. That makes sense.”
I pull out a pot, filling it with water, and set it onto the stove to get it boiling.
“You sure you’re doing okay?” Vivian finally asks me, voice gentle, “A lot’s been happening the past few days. Enough for anyone to be overwhelmed.”
I pause what I’m doing, considering, “It *has* been a lot, but I’m alright now. Promise.”
I meet her gaze and whatever she sees in my eyes has her own eyes softening, “Good, because none of us are going to let anything happen to you. You’re not alone anymore, Claire. You’re ours now. And in case you couldn’t tell, no one in Blood Moon takes well to those we love being threatened.” Her lips curve into a small smile, but there’s an underlying ruthlessness to it that gives me pause.
I cross the small space between us and pull her into a hug. She easily returns it, patting me gently on the back, “Thank you, Viv.”
When I finally pull away, her smile has softened.
We spend the next hour or so in the kitchen making dinner and when we’re finished we turn on a movie to watch on the couch while we eat.
I must have been even more exhausted than I’d realized because at some point during the movie, tucked between the two of them on the couch, I drift off to sleep.