Get Down Here!

Amira’s POV

My eyes were still glowing when I caught sight of my reflection. Pure gold stared back at me, so bright and unnatural that I barely recognized the girl looking through the mirror. “Oh, fuck.” I gasped. Not believing what I was seeing.

I released Lena’s wrists and stumbled backward. Her mouth opened, but whatever she intended to say never came out. For once, Lena had nothing to throw at me, no cruel remark ready to make everyone laugh at my expense. She simply stood there, rubbing her wrists and staring at me as though I had turned into something she couldn’t understand. Maybe I had. But I couldn’t stand around there and let everyone gawk and stare. They have seen enough. I turned and bolted for the stairs.

“Amira!” Valerie called behind me.

I barely heard her. My heart was pounding, and I could feel the weight of dozens of eyes following me as I hurried up the steps. I didn’t stop until I reached my bedroom. I pushed through the door, intending to slam it shut, but I sensed Valerie slipping inside behind me. I kept moving toward the bathroom.

“Amira, wait!” She called out. But I didn’t answer.

I shut the bathroom door and leaned against it, trying to catch my breath. My hands were shaking. I stared down at them, turning them over as if I expected to find something different about them. They looked normal, but I knew what had happened. I had grabbed Lena, and I had been strong enough to hold her still when she tried to pull away. And my eyes had turned gold. Gold. Fuck.

I slid down the door until I was sitting on the floor, my legs stretched in front of me. I stared at the opposite wall, struggling to make sense of what had happened downstairs.

What have I become? What did I do? I hadn’t meant to hurt Lena. I hadn’t even thought about hurting her. I’d only wanted to stop her from hitting Valerie. But when I’d grabbed her wrists, something inside me had surged forward, and I hadn’t understood how much force I was using until I saw the look on Lena’s face.

Fear. Nothing but fear. Lena had looked at me with fear in her eyes.

Part of me should have been satisfied. After years of being the person she pushed around, the one she humiliated whenever she felt like it, I’d finally made her afraid of me. But I couldn’t enjoy it when I didn’t understand what had happened.

‘You’re overthinking this.’ Aurelia said calmly.

I closed my eyes. “Please don’t start.”

‘I’m not starting anything. I’m telling you the truth.’ She kept the same calm, matter of fact voice.

“Then tell me what the hell is happening to me!” I closed my eyes and held them closed tightly.

Aurelia fell silent for a moment. I waited, my fingers curling against my palms. ‘You stood up for yourself.’

I opened my eyes and stared at the wall. “I grabbed her so hard she couldn’t move.”

‘She was about to hit Valerie. You stopped her.’ She pointed out.

“But I could have hurt her.” I sighed a long breath.

‘And you didn’t.’ She sounded bored now.

“You don’t know that!” I rose my voice slightly.

‘I know what happened, Amira. You didn’t attack her. You didn’t walk into that room looking for a fight. You stepped in when she tried to hurt someone you care about.’ She explained as her voice rose a bit.

I swallowed hard, but the tightness in my throat refused to ease.

‘You’re tired of taking her shit. That’s what happened. You finally stood up for yourself, and she wasn’t expecting it. Don’t you dare feel sorry for her. This has been years in the making, and she brought this on herself.’ She continued to point out the obvious.

I pressed the heels of my hands against my eyes. “You make it sound so simple.”

‘Because that part is simple. She doesn’t get to hurt people just because she’s used to getting her way.’

I lowered my hands. Aurelia was right about one thing, Lena had been the one to start it. She’d shoved me, grabbed my dress, and tried to tear it off me in front of half the pack. When Valerie stepped in, Lena had turned on her instead. I hadn’t planned to do anything. I’d simply reacted. But the strength I’d felt in that moment still frightened me. “Aurelia, I didn’t even know I could do that. I grabbed her, and it was like she weighed nothing. I couldn’t believe how easily I stopped her.”

‘Because you’re stronger than you realize.’

I shook my head. “That doesn’t explain my eyes.”

‘No, it doesn’t explain everything. You’re asking me for answers we haven’t discovered yet.’

I frowned. “You’re my wolf. Aren’t you supposed to know these things?”

‘I’m your wolf, not an encyclopedia.’

Despite everything, a short laugh escaped me. “You really are impossible.”

‘And you’re welcome.’

I rolled my eyes, then let my head rest against the door. The humor faded as quickly as it had come. “What if I can’t control it? What if I hurt somebody without meaning to?”

‘Then we learn control. We don’t assume the worst before we’ve even begun.’ Her voice softened, but there was no uncertainty in it. ‘Your first shift was only the beginning, Amira. Your body is changing, and there are things about yourself you haven’t discovered yet. You’re going to have to learn what you can do and how to use it. That takes time.’

I thought about my golden fur, the strange feeling of moving on four paws, and the way my reflection had looked so different from the girl I’d always known. Then I remembered the gold in my eyes. “And what if being different makes me dangerous?”

‘Being different doesn’t make you dangerous. What matters is what you choose to do with your strength.’

I sat quietly, letting her words settle. For most of my life, I’d been the person everyone could pick on without consequence. Lena had made sure I knew where I stood, and Edward had never given me a reason to believe anything would change. I’d learned to keep my head down, avoid trouble, and make myself as unnoticeable as possible.

But today, I’d stopped. I’d stepped between Lena and Valerie without thinking about what it might cost me. I’d refused to let her hurt my friend. Maybe that didn’t make me fearless. I was still scared, and I still had no idea what was happening to me. But perhaps I didn’t have to be fearless to stop letting other people decide what I could endure.

I drew in a slow breath, held it for a moment, and let it out. Then I did it again, forcing my heartbeat to settle. “Okay,” I whispered. “Okay. We’ll figure this out.”

‘Of course we will.’ She sounded sure of herself.

I planted my hands against the floor and pushed myself to my feet. My legs felt steadier now, although I still wasn’t sure what I’d find when I looked in the mirror. I turned toward the bathroom door, took one final breath, and opened it.

Valerie stood on the other side. The moment she saw me, her expression softened. She didn’t ask about my eyes or demand to know what I’d done to Lena. Instead, she held both arms out toward me. “That’s my girl. Bring it in.”

Something inside my chest loosened. I stepped into her embrace and rested my head against her shoulder. Valerie wrapped her arms around me, one hand settling between my shoulder blades as she patted my back gently. I closed my eyes and let myself lean on her. For once, I didn’t feel the need to pretend I was fine.

We stood there in silence, her arms around me and my cheek pressed against her shoulder. She didn’t ask questions, and I didn’t offer explanations. I wasn’t ready to tell her about Aurelia, the golden fur, or the impossible words that had turned my world upside down.

Valerie seemed to understand that I needed a moment before I could talk about anything at all.

I tightened my arms around her and breathed in slowly. Downstairs, the celebration continued, although the distant music and voices sounded muffled from where we stood. I knew I couldn’t hide in my room forever. Eventually, I’d have to face what had happened, and I’d have to figure out how to keep my eyes from revealing something I wasn’t ready to explain.

But for those few seconds, I didn’t have to solve anything. I could simply stand there with my best friend.

Then a voice thundered up the staircase, loud enough to shatter the quiet between us. “AMIRA, GET YOUR FUCKING ASS DOWN HERE RIGHT FUCKING NOW!”