Four Mates & A Tribrid

Chapter 39

I could feel the guys' eyes glued to me as we made our way to the car again. Only this time, as I got in, I felt like my life had been turned upside down. Silence engulfed the car as Caspian shut his door and stuck the keys in the ignition.

I didn't want to pop the quiet bubble, but I couldn't hold it in any longer. "What the fuck is wrong with me?"

It was silent for a beat and then- "Well, for starters, the fact that you hate mac & cheese," Daxon said, disbanding the awful tension settling in my chest.

The beginning of a smile twitched my lips as I turned halfway in my seat to look at him. I expected to see him grinning from his relaxed position in the middle seat, but a slight frown marred his brows instead.

My gaze tracked to each of the guys to see matching worrying looks. "What?"

Caspian lightly grasped my chin as he tilted my face enough to look at me straight on. "Shortcake."

I swallowed around the tight lump in my throat. "What?"

Caspian's gaze bore into my own before he pecked his lips lightly against mine. "Point the way to the guest house."

Emotion clogged my chest as I gave him the directions. The guest house was small, located by the slightly bigger lake located on my parents' property. I used to come out here when I had sleepovers with my friends. Conveniently, it's also located on the opposite side of pack land as the house that I burned down.

We got out of the car, Caspian and Colt immediately went around the back of the car to retrieve our bags. We figured it was better safe than sorry, so we each brought an overnight bag with us. We didn't know how things were going to go. And if we had known how bad, we probably would have brought more.

My eyes snagged on the serine scene in front of me, the lake beckoning me over. My legs traveled on their own accord as I made my way over to the clear water. My reflection gazed back at me and if I wasn't so numb to everything, I might have been startled.

My eyes were dull, my mouth turned into a permanent grimace. But it was my hair that made me want to scream. A silvery-white that I once loved and cherished now made me want to vomit. Because...it looked like hers.

I touched the strands, calling forth my magic. With a pass-through of my fingers, the strands turned into a pale pink shade. It wouldn't last long, but it was much needed at the moment.

A dark shadow fell over my shoulder, wings and a sharp gaze looked at me through the reflection of the water. "Beautiful," Harley mumbled, surprising me. His smile turned a little sadder. "Sorry, didn't mean to sneak up on you."

I ducked my head, looking back at my reflection. I didn't feel beautiful.

Before he could say anything else, I kicked my shoes off, closely followed by every piece of clothing I had on. I didn't look back to see if the others had come out yet. I waded through the clear water, allowing my limbs to submerge.

I tilted my head, watching as a flock of birds took flight, soaring through the darkening blue sky. I wish that could be me, I thought.

I took a big breath and submerged my head, blocking out any outside noise, allowing myself this moment of peacefulness...and loneliness.

I don't know how long I repeated the process, but the sky was nearly black as I rose out of the water. Droplets fell off my naked body as I walked to the shore where my clothes were still laid discarded. Four tall figures stood at the edge of the lake, waiting, watching.

I could feel their eyes on me as I walked past my clothes and towards the small guest house. No one spoke a single word as we walked quietly through the side door. I stood, looking at myself in the mirror located on the hallway wall. And for once, I truly saw myself.