Wow, that was humiliating.
Bring on the manly savaging.
The Omega growled.
He couldn't hear my thoughts, could he? I swallowed, nervously.
The Omega dropped me onto the snow in a heap, before staring down at me. His fur glittered, and his golden claws looked sharper now that he was free from his cage. Still, he was as beautiful as I remembered.
Was this it? Had I been officially caught?
I whimpered, ducking my head. My heart pounded in my ears. Then I peeked up at the Omega. He cocked his head, nudging me with his nose, before licking my ear.
Woah, personal space. But then wolves always had a thing about licking.
I'd failed Magenta and the other Immortals. I let out a desperate gekkering. They'd relied on me in this class, and I hadn't been able to outfox a single wolf. If I wasn't going to pay for it with my life anyway, I'd have to give back my fox credentials.
Damelza would be delighted. She hated mages and believed them weak. Why did I have to prove her right?
I didn't know if the Immortals would understand that I'd never expected to experience love, friendship, acceptance, kisses, or the type of connection that I had with them.
I'd give a lifetime in the attic for just this one week. I couldn’t regret being sent to Rebel Academy because I'd spent it with my Immortals.
The Omega rolled his eyes.
Truth: I'm only playing at big, bad wolf.
Embarrassed, I stopped my mournful gekkering, twisting to peer up at the wolf. He smiled at me through a mouthful of my fur. Then he spat me out, and I landed on my ass again (which was happening way too often for my ass' liking).
If it wasn't for my Power of Confess, which told me that I had less to fear from the werewolf who loomed above me than from the snowflakes on the tip of my nose, then I'd have been sitting in a puddle by now that wasn't melted water.
I'd embarrassed myself more than enough already than to look like I needed a fox sized diaper.
All of a sudden, in spray of silver glitter, the Omega transformed into a gorgeous...naked...man with bronzed muscles and strawberry blond curls. He shot me a grin, as he crouched in the snow like his changing back into a man was all I'd need to forget that he'd been hunting me, and now I'd die.
My eyes widened. None of that mattered. This gorgeous curly haired werewolf was Glow.
So, this was how it happened. Dad had always warned me that if I did nothing but hide curled in a ball (like I had when I'd first been shut away), then I'd go crazy. He'd talk to me, ask me question after question, test me on the subjects that I'd been studying, before I’d been banned from schooling.
He’d told me that if I didn't keep my mind active, then I'd lose myself.
I thought that was why he'd taken so many risks to bring me a TV, books, and allow Aquilo to visit me. In the end, Dad had died so that I could hold onto my mind.
But now, I'd lost it.
I whined, holding my paws over my head.
"By my fur, I'm trying not to terrorize your daft behind. Calm down, wee fox." Glow patted me on the head.
How was my childhood friend comforting me in the middle of the Dead Wood, when he should be in the House of Jewels, having bows tied into his hair by Hartley?
Pan's balls, I didn't care. I was going with it. Perhaps, I'd died or was disassociating with the terror of my imminent death. Whatever, it was better than a savaging.
If I was going to pretend that this was Glow then I wanted a hug.
I transformed back into a mage, who was wearing only my thin black whipping boy outfit. Sleipnir had tried to smuggle me into his woolen coat, but Juni had insisted that I take it off because it broke the rules.
Perhaps, whipping boys were meant to turn into snowmen…?
I shivered, before hurling myself at Glow, who fell onto his back in shock. I hugged him fiercely. There was nothing like a Glow hug.
I'd missed him so much.
I only realized now how it hurt like I’d been booted in the balls that I hadn't even been able to say goodbye to him.
I rested my head on Glow’s chest with a happy sigh. Then I tensed.
Glow lay beneath me stiffly. His arms hadn't even raised to loop around me.
This was nothing like a Glow hug. It was as if the Omega beneath me had never even been hugged.
I carefully raised my head to study the Omega's confused expression. Now that I looked closely, his hair was shorter than Glow's and his face was harder like he didn't dare show the joy that came to Glow so easily, even if he could be whipped for showing it in front of mum.
Glow's joy was courageous just in itself.
The Not-Glow raised his eyebrow at me, but I couldn't quite get myself to let go. He felt too much like the wolf I knew.
"Are all mages this friendly?" His Scottish voice made me shiver because it was like hearing Glow's ghost.
"You're Not-Glow," I accused.
The Not-Glow heaved me away from him like I was still in fox form — Muscle Envy was a definite thing — as his breath caught.
Then his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You know my twin brother...?"
Twins, of course.
Wolves were sent to Omega Training Centers, before being selected by witches. They must've been separated when they were chosen, despite being twins, which was cruel even by witchy standards.
Okay, that was more likely than me being dead or crazy.
"He lives at the House of Jewels," because I didn't want to say that he was their slave, even though Not-Glow must realize that he was, "and he raised me like a big brother. He's safe." Luckily, Not-Glow didn't know that I was lying. Yet Glow wasn't stuck in the Rebel Academy with Juni, so comparatively, he was on top of the world. Not-Glow's shoulders relaxed with relief, and he shot me a grateful smile. Sometimes, white lies were all that kept people going. "I meant what I said to you at Hecate's altar. I’ll free us all, and that means Glow as well."
Not-Glow carded his fingers through my curls. "Goddess Moon! I can see why my brother likes you, single skin." I pinked. "But you can't have missed that this is a Hunt, and I've caught you."
I wet my dry lips. "Oh yeah, that."
His lips twitched. "Aye, that. But I'd rather take back a fae in my fangs. I'd never catch Glow's wee brother." I shook. Did he mean...? He edged closer to me, licking my cheek in reassurance. "There's a cottage beside the lake. Run there now and trust the Groundskeeper. Fur and fangs, he's one of the few who are kind to shifters, as well as animals. He's..." Not-Glow hesitated like he was about to admit a dangerous secret; he looked down, and his sinfully long eyelashes fluttered across his cheeks, "...my friend."
I nodded. "Run and hiding I have down. Who's this Groundskeeper then? Is he another werewolf?"
Not-Glow snorted. "Aye, right. Like they'd give a wolf that type of responsibility. Emerick was adopted by Damelza."
"She walls mages up alive but she adopts one as her son…?" I couldn't help the flinch.
"Emerick’s non-magical and strictly to be seen and not heard at all times. Nay, not seen either. That's why he has a cottage in the grounds, rather than living in the castle."
I shuddered. "You know, they went all out on their Cinders remake."
Not-Glow growled. "His name is Emerick." I shivered. Definitely both the dominant brother and not a fan of fairy tale retellings. “I'll set off a firework flare when my quarry is caught." His amber eyes flashed. I wouldn't want to be Lysander. "You, wee brother, stay hidden until then."