I stood completely still, lost in my reflection. What. The. f**k. Is. Going. On.
My eyes snapped over to Daniel in the mirror when he cleared his throat.
He turned to Lena and they shared a look.
She nodded composing herself.
"Girls, why don't we go outside for a minute ok?" she said herding them towards the door.
He must have mind linked her.
Once they were outside Daniel came up behind me.
I whipped around to face him. "Daniel what the f**k is happening to me!" I yelled my voice cracking at the end.
Daniel took my face in his hands. "I'm not entirely sure but before we continue I need you to listen to me, ok?"
I nodded.
"Right now no one deserves to freak out more than you do. I know you're scared but for your sisters' sake I need you to take a deep breath and calm down." he whispered.
I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. He's right. My sisters are too young to be caught up in all of this. I just need to come up with something to explain this until we figure out what's wrong.
"Alright....Now, how are you feeling? Are you in any kind of pain?" his voice was calm but worry was evident in his eyes.
"No, that's the scary part. I feel fine......better than fine. For the first time it feels like I can breath." I replied before adding "Does that make any sense?"
He contemplated what I said for a moment. "Are you sure you're only human?" he said slowly.
"Why do you say that?"
"I'm only asking because what you are describing sounds very similar to what happens to witches who become unbound."
My eyes went wide.
"Did your parents mention anything about witches being anywhere in your ancestry?"
"No!.... Both sets of my grandparents were wolves and their parents before them. Do you think I might be a witch? How could that be possible......" I trailed off when a thought occurred to me. "Wait, witches have a distinct smell. Do I smell like one?"
Growing up, one of the things my parents had taught me was that everyone and every species have a distinct scent. Werewolves and bloodsuckers are the only ones who are able to pick it up. Witches can't but they can sense if you're not human.
Realization hit Daniel as he pulled me to him. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. I felt him shudder slightly. He pulled back and looked down at me.
"You're no witch" he bit out the last word. Witches were known to be one of the cruelest species in the supernatural world. If there was anything that a werewolf hated more than a vampire it was a witch. Now there were some good witches who would offer their services during times of trouble. They were, however, few and far between.
I breathed out in relief. "Have you heard of this happening before?"
He shook his head. "Did your mother ever give you a specific reason or a clue as to what would happen when you cut your hair?"
"Never, she would always tell me that I was pretty the way I was and I should leave things the way they were." I said looking down.
Daniel tilted my chin up. "Hey....don't worry. We will figure this out. I won't let anything happen to you." he promised.
I could feel the truth in his words and relaxed a little more. I'm so grateful to have him for a mate.
"Look! You're eyes stopped glowing!" he smiled pointing to the mirror.
"They have! That's a good sign right?" I exclaimed. A smile started to make its way on my lips.
"I would say so." he said cupping my cheek. His eyes glazed over.
"What?"
"You're so beautiful" he voice was barely a whisper.
I could feel the heat spread across my cheeks. "Um we should probably go check on Lena and the girls." I turned away trying to ease the tension building between us. Now was not the time.
Daniel lightly chuckled. "Yeah you seem fine. Let's get you out of here."
"Wait what about my eyes?"
"Lena won't say a word. She promised. There is an eye doctor at the pack hospital. I'll see if he's able to fit you with colored contacts to hide them for now."
I nodded. That seemed like a good plan to me. Werewolves weren't too keen on anything that was unheard of. I didn't want to freak anyone out until I knew what was happening.
We walked outside and thanked Lena before we left.
"Hey princesses can you keep a secret?" Daniel asked the girls on the way back.
"Yes" they all replied.
"Good. I need you all to not tell anyone about Liddy's eyes ok?"
"Why?" asked Olivia.
"Because we have to protect her, ok?" he spoke softly but firm.
"Why did they change color?" Elizabeth spoke up. s**t. She was always a curious little thing.
An idea came to me. "Do you remember how I told you all that we were coming here to see the faeries?"
They all nodded in anticipation. I could see the excitement building inside of them.
"Well faeries are said to play tricks on those looking for them. I bet they turned my eyes blue so we would have to find them and make them change it back." I smiled.
I could see the amusement on Daniel's face. I know I couldn't keep this faerie bit up for much longer. I needed as much time as I could get.
"Yay faeries!" Olivia and Chloe giggled, clapping happily. Elizabeth beamed.
"Ok, so will you keep this a secret for now?"
They all smiled and agreed. The car fell silent for the rest of the ride home. The girls were exhausted and I decided to let my thoughts run wild.
Why did my eyes turn blue/white? A better question would be did my mother know this would happen this whole time? What other secrets did they keep from me? Am I not human?
Sensing my growing panic, Daniel gently covered my hand with his. I looked up and he gave me a reassuring smile.
~~~~~~~~~
We arrived at the pack house where Sarah was waiting for the girls. Before I got out Daniel handed me a pair of sunglasses.
"Here, wear these for now."
"Ok" I took them and put them on.
I unbuckled all of the girls. We all hugged and I told them that I would see them again soon. Once Sarah had them, Daniel and I got back into the vehicle and drove to the pack hospital.
Daniel pulled up and turned the engine off. I took off my sunglasses to check myself in the mirror. Maybe they changed back. It was a slim chance but it couldn't hurt to look. They were still frosty blue. Damn.
Daniel laughed at the annoyed look on my face. "You know, with that color it kinda makes you look like a pissed off little doll." His laughter growing louder.
"Ha.!...Ha! Move along sir!" I replied sarcastically as I shoved him playfully towards the entrance.
I put my sunglasses back on before we entered the building. The eye doctor was on the first floor at the end of the hall to the left.
Inside of the little office the doctor was waiting for us. "Alpha" the doctor bowed.
"Doctor Abell, this is my mate Lydia Grove" Daniel said wrapping a protective arm around my shoulders.
"Miss Grove" Dr. Abell nodded towards me. "Let's discuss things further in the examination room." he gestured towards the door behind his desk.
Doctor Abell was an older man with handsome features. He had dark skin and rich dark brown eyes that smiled when he talked. His stature was shorter than Daniel with an average build.
The examination room was smaller than the office. The walls were white with navy carpet underneath. The room was filled with all kinds of machines. A chair was placed in the middle.
"What seems to be the issue?" Dr. Abell spoke up getting right to the point. Daniel made sure before we continued that nothing we discussed would leave this room. No questions about my condition were allowed either.
The doctor nodded and I removed my sunglasses.
His eyes widened slightly before he turned to Daniel.
"Are you able to fit her with contacts to cover the color?" Daniel asked.
"Preferably green" I interjected.
Dr. Abell nodded. "That's not a problem........But before I begin I would like to thoroughly examine your eyes to check for other abnormalities."
"Absolutely" I agreed. I was also curious to see if anything else about my eyes had changed.
The doctor grabbed a few instruments. He looked back at Daniel who nodded signalling him to move forward with the examination.
~~~~~~~~~~
The exam took about an hour. Dr Abell was clearly an expert at his job. He checked me on every machine, sometimes twice, taking his time.
My vision had not been compromised in any way from the sudden change in eye color. Daniel and I were both relieved.
The doctor did inform us that my vision was quite remarkable. I was able to pick up on things that even some wolves couldn't. Whatever had happened to me it was for the better he assured us.
Once he fit me with the contacts best suited for me I was able to leave. They were a little uncomfortable at first. After a few minutes they were unnoticeable.
"That color is very close to the original." Daniel said appearing to admire the familiarity.
After we were outside I decided to see if my eyes were indeed better. I looked around and to my surprise the doctor was right.
I could see the veins in the leaves hanging from the trees. Little specs were floating in the air around me. A small gasp escaped me.
"How did I not notice this earlier?"
"It could be happening gradually. Make sure to let me know if you notice any other changes." Daniel was looking at me seriously.
"Daniel, I'm fine I swear! ........This is amazing." I exclaimed spinning around slowly.
Everything had become more vivid. The colors around me were rich and bright. I couldn't get enough of this. The world surrounding me looked magical.
I let out a laugh, content with this moment.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Daniel looking at me affectionately.
"What?" I sent him a goofy smile.
"You're glowing"
"What?!" I froze. "I thought the contacts would work!"
"No, I mean you are glowing from happiness. It's the first time I've seen you this way." he laughed softly.
"Oh..." I blushed.
With a chuckle, Daniel escorted me back to the vehicle.
We got back to the pack house just in time for dinner.
"Oh my god I love your hair!" Miriam exclaimed when she saw me.
A few others had noticed my new look and responded with smiles. I noticed the triplets were staring at me with wide eyes and I wrinkled my nose at them playfully.
"Thanks! Yeah Daniel surprised me." I responded, running my fingers through the side.
"Aw, he can be such a softy sometimes.That cut really looks amazing on you." I blushed at the compliment.
"Thanks girl, do you need help after dinner?" I asked.
"Nope, Daniel's orders remember?" she nudged me teasingly. I rolled my eyes. I'm perfectly capable to pick up a few dishes. It's not like I'm made of glass.
"Alright well then I'm going to head upstairs after. When you're done do you want to come watch the sunset with me?"
Miriam happily agreed and I went to go sit down by Daniel who was eyeing me curiously. I told him about our conversation and our plans after dinner.
He nodded "You ladies enjoy yourself. I will be in the office for a little while before I come up."
Dinner was more enjoyable this time. A few of the warrior wolves were exchanging war stories which I found to be quite intriguing.
Daniel seemed a bit too preoccupied with himself to listen, which caught my attention. I wonder what's bothering him? Before I had the chance to ask, he got up and left the room. I shrugged it off. 'I'll just ask him later' I thought.
~~~~~~~~~~
I was sitting on the balcony with a cup of tea when I heard the elevator open. I walked back inside to find Miriam gaping. I think her jaw hit the floor.
"Wow...." she trailed off.
"Haven't you been in here before to clean?" I asked.
"Nope. Tara is the only one ever allowed to clean in here. She refused to tell us what it looked like. Julia never saw it either. It pissed her off but Daniel put his foot down when it came to this room. I can see why now.......holy s**t!" she explained while walking around stopping at the closet. "This is your closet?!"
"Yeah, it's pretty epic isn't it."
"You lucky bitch.... and I say that with all the love in the world." she said sarcastically causing us both to burst out laughing.
"Come on you've gotta see this sunset! Do you want some tea?" I asked as we walked outside.
"Nah I'm fine thanks" she smiled.
We sat for a while after the sun went down chatting happily. We talked about my outing with Daniel and the few intimate moments we had shared so far.
"So how long are you going to wait before you mate with him?" she asked frankly. I choked on my tea.
It took me a minute before I was able to answer. "Um....don't you think it's a bit too soon to be talking about that?"
"Oh give me a break Lydia! You grew up in a pack. You know how those things go." her eyes narrowing as she smirked.
She was right. When wolves found their mates they didn't waste any time getting down to it. I might have grown up with wolves but I was still only human. The mate pull didn't affect me in the same way. My mind shifted to Daniel. I can only imagine how difficult it must be for him to control himself. He's been waiting for me for years. Male wolves were notorious s****l deviants. It became even worse after they met their mates. He did have Julia up until I came....wait.....no don't go there.
"Lydia!"......."Lydia!" Miriam called snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Hm? What?"
She laughed at me shaking her head. "You're not still a virgin are you?"
Her question caught me off guard. I tried switching the subject to no avail. I finally admitted that I was new to the whole relationship thing. When I told her Daniel was my first kiss she almost fell out of her chair. I can't believe she's surprised. I had known a few girls in my old pack who were saving themselves for their mates. It was more common for female wolves to remain chaste than it was for men. Was it widely practiced nowadays?.....hell no. It was my personal my decision plus I have only known Daniel for few days. I was nowhere near ready.
Miriam stayed for a little while longer before heading to bed. We both agreed that we needed to make this a regular thing.
After she left I decided to pick out a book from the built in bookshelf that was next to the breakfast nook. I saw one that caught my eye "Knights of Selene: The Complete History". I had heard stories about the Knights of Selene in the past.
The Knights of Selene was an ancient society. They were devout followers of the Goddess or Mother Selene. Many of the original werewolves were rumored to have been knights but no one knows for certain. They were known radicals that murdered other species, including their own, in the name of the Goddess. Threatening the werewolf existence, they were eradicated centuries ago. The truth of who they really were is still debated to this day. Some call them heroes.
I always found it to be a fascinating subject. Learning about them was frowned upon especially by my parents. The Alpha's didn't want anyone getting any ideas of trying to resurrect the society so books written about them were destroyed about thirty years ago. The only evidence left of their existence were stories that had been handed down by word of mouth.....'everyone knows how reliable that can be' I sarcastically laughed to myself.
I wonder how Daniel got a hold of this book. More importantly why does he have it? Whatever reason it was I would find out when he comes to bed.
Pulling the book out, I hurried to my bed. I was overcome with excitement at my discovery. I have yet to receive any answers about the past few days but at least I might get some answers to the questions I have had since I was a little girl. I guess that's something to be optimistic about right?
After reading for an hour I was left disappointed. This book basically contained all of the information I had gathered from the stories I had heard. The only new information I found was how the knights were identified. Every knight had an intricate crescent moon tattoo on their right shoulder that was only visible during a full moon. That was pretty cool. I wonder how that was even possible. Before I had time to imagine how it was done, the elevator door opened and Daniel was walking towards me.
Eager about the book I jumped off the bed.
"Hey! How did you ge-" my feet suddenly tangled beneath me as I fell launching the book into the air. 'Ow! Son of a b***h!' I cursed to myself. I stood up brushing myself off. Kind of shocked that Daniel hadn't reacted yet.
I looked up to find the reason.
Daniel was frozen in place and the book...........was stuck in mid-air.
Time was at a standstill........