Chapter 99 They know
Ira’s POV
My hand moves before my brain catches up, and by the time I realize what I’m doing, my fingers are already tangled in my hair.
I pull a lock forward, right into my face, and it slips through my grip like silk.
Why does it feel too smooth?
My chest tightens even before I really look, because I already know…
White
It's not pale pink, not faded rose, just white. So wrongfully white, glowing under the lamp like the moon's first kiss to the earth.
“No,” I whisper as my breath leaves me in a rush. “N…n..no,” my lips tremble. “This isn’t possible.”
This shouldn't be possible!
I clutch the strand harder, as if squeezing it might force the color back in. I stare at it, desperately needing the red to return, because it has to.
FUCK NO!
“No…” I gasp when it doesn't change, my stomach dropping so fast that I become sick.
Cold panic spreads through my body, crawling up my spine and into my chest. My lungs tighten as I suck in air, but it feels wrong, like I cannot get enough no matter how hard I try.
Dear goddess, no.
“I didn’t do this,” I stutter, tears making my vision blurry. “I swear it was r..red. I fell asleep and… I didn’t wash it out… I didn’t touch it… .”
I clench my hands, trying to stop them from shaking. Cold sweat breaks out along my scalp, sliding down my neck, leaving my skin prickling.
I shove myself off the bed barely seeing my way. But I know I need to move, I need to convince them, I need to fix this. I need to escape.
I need to run.
But my knees give out. I crumble to the floor before I can even take a second step.
But then it all happens at once.
Everything moves and Sia strides toward the door.
“Sia, no,” I cry, and fear claws up my spine as I reach for her. “Please.”
She reaches the door anyway, but instead of opening it, she turns the lock. The click echoes in my head.
When she turns back, her face is pale, yet her jaw is set like she is just as scared as I am.
Before I can even blink, Cath is beside me. She drops to her knees, slides an arm under mine, and lifts me with ease. Her hands are warm and steady, and the way she holds me makes my chest tighten..
“Ira,” she says quietly. “Look at me.”
I try, even though my eyes keep jumping between them. Sia who's still standing by the door and Cath who's trying to hold me together.
My heart pounds so hard it hurts.
They saw it
They know
Dear goddess I'm doom…
“Breathe,” Cath says, cupping my face and wiping my tears away with her thumbs. “Just breathe with me.”
I try again, but my breathing is uneven and every intake hurts.
“It’s not what you think,” I say, my voice cracking as the words barely make it out of my throat. “Please. I swear.”
Cath’s eyes soften, and something heavy settles in them. She looks sad, like she understands more than she wants to. I watch fearfully as she slowly shakes her head..
“It’s not about what we think anymore,” she says gently. “We can see it, Ira. You’re a stray.”
“I’m not,” I raise my voice but quickly caution myself. “I just have white hair, that’s all.”
Is today the day I finally die? After all these years of hiding and running.
Sia steps closer, her brows pulled together. “Then why hide it?” she asks. “Why dye it if it means nothing?”
My throat burns, and the tears come faster.
“Because in Vahl, the strongest in the pack kill strays,” I say. “They don’t ask questions, and they don’t listen. You’ve seen it. You know what happens. No one would believe me.”
Cath exhales slowly and sinks fully to the floor, pulling me against her side. Her arm wraps around my shoulders, and I cling to her shirt feeling the need.
“That’s because you are one,” she says quietly.
“I’m not,” I shout, my chest heaving. “If I were, I’d have power. I’d have felt it. I’ve been a w…werewolf since I was b..born and nothing else. If I had another ability, do you think I would have let myself get captured?
Do you think I would have lived like this… scared all the time?”
The image from my dream flashes in my mind again. That was me right? I'd controlled the wind?
Cath looks at Sia, and Sia glances toward the door before they both turn back to me.
“Please,” I whisper, my hands shaking in my lap. “You’re my friends. I would never hurt you. I swear it. I’m not dangerous. I'm Ira, I'm not a stray.”
Sia crouches in front of me, her voice calm and gentle. “Even if you were a sempyr,” she says, “I wouldn’t tell anyone.”
Cath’s arm tightens around me. “You’re my sister,” she adds. “I would never hurt you. Never.”
Sia tilts her head and squints at Cath. “And me?”
Cath blinks. “What?”
“If she’s your sister,” Sia says, pointing at me, “what am I?”
Cath hesitates. “Our friend?”
Sia gasps. “What?”
“What,” Cath repeats, flustered. “You’re annoying and nosy and…”
Sia points a finger her. “And you’re stubborn and overprotective and imp….”
I cut in with a hug… a tight hug. For a moment, no one speaks.
Then I tighten my arms around both of them, pulling them close with everything I have. They freeze for a heartbeat before hugging me back just as tightly.
Cath presses a soft kiss into my hair and I break into a sob.
We stay like that on the floor, tangled together and breathing each other in.
After a while, Sia pulls back slightly, her eyes searching my face. “Why did the dye disappear?” she asks quietly. “It was fine yesterday.”
“I don’t know,” I admit, exhaustion settling deep in my bones. “I went to sleep, and when I woke up, it was gone. Like it was never there.”
Sia stands and exhales. “I’ll uh, I'll get more dye.”
Cath looks up at her. “What if someone comes?”
“Say Ira is sick,” Sia replies. “Say you’re watching her.”
I swallow hard. “If they force the door… just give me up. S…say I held you hostage or someth…”
Both of them glare at me at the same time.
“Don’t ever say that again,” Cath snaps.
Sia shakes her head before leaving. Cath locks the door again and closes the curtain, blocking out every light from outside.
The dim lamp barely covers some corners of the room.
“You don’t have to explain anything,” Cath whispers, tenderly placing my hand in hers. “We’ve got your back either way.”
I nod into her shoulder, crying even harder. Not just because my secret has been exposed but also because I know for a certain, I'm something I don't want to be.