The room was silent and dark. Snow and hail pattered the window. Thunder rolled in the distance. Was Cloud really out in this? Just… hunting the one who was hunting the werewolves in this town…. I hoped he was okay. I stayed still on the bed, still clinging to the pillow. My chest felt tight and my palms sweaty.

There was a knock at the door, “Raine? Someone left something at the front door for you. Looks like some sort of present.”

I reluctantly got up off the bed and opened the door. The guard was holding a small wooden box tied with twine. Under the twine, there was a note. I slid it out from under the twine and unfolded the small slip of paper. The wooden box clattered to the floor. My hands were shaking.

“Raine? What is it?”

“I-it’s him,” I whispered. “H-he’s back. It’s really him.” I took a few steps back, dropping the note. The guard picked both objects up from the floor, obviously concerned. “K-keep that thing away from me.”

“Raine, you know who sent this?” The guard asked.

“J-just keep it away from me,” I fell onto the bed, pulling my legs up. “I-I don’t want to know what’s in it. Get it away.” I wrapped my arms around myself, visibly shaking despite how I tried to withhold the tremors.

“Who’s George?” She was looking at the note.

“Get it away!” I cried, tears in my eyes. My voice softened, wrecked by barely-restrained sobs, “Please. Just keep that thing away from me. I don’t want to know what’s inside.”

“Okay,” she gently said. “I’ll come check on you later.” She closed the door.

I fell backwards onto the mattress, curled up tight, trying and failing to keep my breathing steady. My hands were shaking. I tried to think about anything other than George. The waffles that Cedar and I had made. Abraham’s large black wings. Killian’s telekinetic abilities and long black tail. The maze of ice and stone that Cloud had made me walk through. How his lips felt on my cheek. The way he held me.

“You’re okay, you’re okay,” I kept repeating to myself. “Cloud’s going to take care of it. You’re okay, Raine. It’s okay. You’re safe here. It’s okay.”

“Raine?” The guard had returned. “I have Alpha Rose on the phone, she wants to talk to you. About the… gift, and about Amber.”

I sat up, rubbing my eyes and nodding. She handed me the phone, then stood outside the bedroom to give me some privacy.

“You know the hunter, don’t you?” Amelia immediately asked.

“...Yeah,” I whispered. “He was one of my… customers…. He was obsessed with different types of creatures. With killing them, that is.”

“...What do you suggest we do?”

“You’re asking me?”

“You know him best.”

Tell her about us, little one. It’s okay.

“I…. I have someone taking care of him,” I whispered.

“Who?” Amelia asked.

I took a deep breath, “The God of Ivory Tower. He’s taking care of it.”

Amelia was silent for a moment, then whispered, “What?”

I deeply breathed again, “The…. The God of Ivory Tower. He’s been… talking to me, from time to time. Talking in my head. Remember when I got lost in the forest? Yeah, that was him. I saw him that day. He’s been… popping in. H-he only wants me because… he’s lonely. I’m safe with him.”

“You’re sure?” Amelia softly asked. “Are you sure that the God of Ivory Tower can take care of this hunter?”

“I know he can,” I replied. “He’s watched over this town for centuries, he’s not about to let it fall to some pedophile werewolf hunter.”

“...You okay?” Amelia questioned. “If this hunter was one of your customers, it must be pretty scary for him to be here. And I was told that you got a little present from him. What was it?”

“I… I didn’t look,” I whispered.

“Understandable,” she said. I could practically hear the nod. “I gotta go check on Cedar and Amber. Either I’ll be home tonight or I’ll have a guard bring you here. We’ll talk about the God of Ivory Tower later. Just stay inside and stay safe.”

“Don’t worry,” I managed a smile. “He already put me on house arrest.”

I soon hung up and handed the phone back to the guard.

She put it in her pocket, “You sure you don’t want to see the box? Or at least know what’s in it?”

“That man raped me,” I whispered, voice a deadly low. “If there’s anything I want from him, it’s his blood staining the snow.”