-Asher-
The storm's been building for weeks, rolling under my skin, restless, relentless.
Every time I see her, it gets worse.
The way she flinches when she thinks no one's looking. The way the vines twitch at her feet, like they're waiting for something. The way the bond - unmarked, but there - tugs at me, warm, then cold, then warm again, like it can't decide what it is.
Like I can't decide what it is.
And the way the others look at her - Finn's blind devotion, Soren's quiet protectiveness, Jasper's torn eyes - it's all going to break.
And when it doesn't, it's going to break all of us.
I'm in the old music room, pacing, the warped floor creaking under my boots, when the door slams open.
Jasper barrels in, coin clutched so hard in his fist it leaves imprints, shadows snapping around his boots.
"Asher," he says, breathless, "it happened."
My stomach drops. "What happened?"
He runs a hand through his hair, pacing. "She lost control, Ash. The vines - her chaos - she blew up a training dummy. It was -" He stops, eyes wild. "She wasn't even trying. It just snapped."
The wolf under my skin snarls, claws scraping, ready to run, ready to fight.
Or ready to protect.
"She's losing control," I mutter, the words tasting like blood.
"She's scared," Jasper says, but it's weak, even to him.
I turn, gripping the edge of the piano, the wood groaning under my hands. "This is exactly what I've been saying. It's getting worse. She's getting worse."
"She didn't mean to," Jasper whispers, but his eyes are haunted, remembering the blast, the vines, the fear on her face. "She was pissed that I wasn't answering her questions."
"It doesn't matter," I say quietly. "What happens when she does it in a hallway? When she hurts someone? When the Council finds out she's out of control?"
Jasper flinches, looking away.
"We don't get to wait for that," I continue, cold, steady, like the blade of a knife. "If we do, it's going to be too late. For her. For us."
Jasper sinks onto the broken bench, head in his hands. "I don't want to do this."
"I don't either," I snapped. "You think I want this? You think I want to watch her fall apart? You think I want to hand her over?"
He doesn't answer.
I close my eyes, seeing her face, the way she looks at me, confused, hurt, desperate for me to say it's going to be okay.
It's not okay.
She's dangerous.
We're all pretending she's not, but she is.
And if I don't do something now, it's going to destroy all of us.
I kneel in front of Jasper, gripping his shoulder, forcing him to look at me.
"We take her to the Council," I say, low. "We tell them she needs help controlling it. That she's a threat to herself if she doesn't. They can chain it, contain it - she'll be safe. We'll be safe."
Jasper's eyes shine, a tear slipping down his cheek. "What about Finn and Soren? You think they'll just let us drag her to the Council? They'll fight you, Ash. You know they will."
I swallow hard, jaw tightening. "They'll understand. Eventually."
Jasper shakes his head, voice cracking. "She'll never forgive us."
"I can live with that," I whisper. "If it keeps her alive."
We sit there in silence, the shadows shifting around us, the bonds between us and her humming softly, like they know what we're planning.
Like they're warning us.
When Jasper leaves, I stay, staring at the cracked keys of the piano, memories of her laughter, her stubbornness, the way her eyes spark when she's teasing Finn, the way she flinches when the chaos stirs under her skin.
The way she looks at me, like she wants to trust me, like she thinks I'm worth trusting.
I press a hand to my chest, over the bond that isn't complete, but exists all the same.
"I'm sorry," I whisper to the empty room.
The wolf paces, restless, but I stand, jaw set.
If this is what it takes to protect them-
To protect her-
Even if it means she hates me for the rest of her life-
I'll do it.