In the morning, I felt… better. I was hungry, yes, but it was obvious from my bedhead and the impressions on my arms that I had a good sleep. When I waddled downstairs, yawning and stretching, with dreary eyes and popping joints, Cedar was sitting at the table, head down, brown-red hair messy. His breathing was deep and shaky. Alpha Rose was making bacon.

“Good morning, Raine,” she smiled. “You’re looking much better.”

“I feel much better,” I sat next to Cedar. “I called Eli again and tried to explain things in more detail. I…. I don’t know if he believes me. How’s Amber?”

“What do you care?” Cedar mumbled.

“Hm?” I tilted my head, not sure I had heard him correctly.

He looked up at me, eyes red from crying. I felt my heart break a bit. “It’s your fault he got hurt. You brought that hunter here.” He sat up, fresh tears in his eyes. “It’s one of your old customers, right? He came here looking for you.”

“Cedar,” Alpha Rose said in a warning yet gentle tone. “We talked about this,” she touched his arm, giving me a plate of waffles. “Raine has no control over what other people do. He’s worried about Amber, just like us.” She looked at me. “Dr. Crane said that he’s stable. Still unconscious and will be quite weak for some time, but it looks like he’ll pull through.” She pet Cedar’s head for a moment before returning to the stove.

“Um… Cloud’s taking care of it,” I softly said to Cedar. “He’s going to take care of the hunter. I-I’m sorry.”

He didn’t reply, just turned away from me. I sighed and looked down, eating the waffles. The familiar feeling of guilt settled in my chest and stomach. And to think that I had just gotten rid of it.

When I was silent for too long, Amelia prompted, “You said you called Eli? What’s your relationship with him, again?”

“Oh, he works at the orphanage I lived in,” I replied, eager to move on to a new topic. “He’s a Demi-human. His power is…. Well, he describes it as hyper-activity. Like, he can stay awake for hours and only has to sleep a few hours every other night.”

“I suppose that makes him the go-to adult if anyone has a nightmare,” Amelia gently laughed, sitting down next to Cedar, who had barely moved. “You’re sure we can trust him not to tell anyone about this place?”

“...The first time I told him, he thought I was high,” I said. “Even if he did tell anyone--which, I don’t think he will--it’s unlikely they’d believe him. Besides, who could find a town this small, surrounded by forest and constantly stormy?”

“George Hendrick did,” Cedar mumbled. My throat closed at the name.

“By all indications,” Amelia said, “he simply stumbled across Ivory Tower. He must’ve seen Amber practicing his transformations. Hopefully your “Cloud” will take care of him before any more of my people get hurt.”

“He told me that they’re getting closer,” I promised, mostly to Cedar. “He’ll take care of it.” I felt like I needed to do more to comfort Cedar, try to right this wrong, but nothing came to mind. Instead, I hesitantly asked Amelia, “Can I see Amber?”

She thought for a moment, “Maybe. I’m not sure if, one: you should leave the house since that hunter probably does want to get to you, especially if he has the chance, and, two: if Amber wants to see you.”

“He won’t,” Cedar mumbled, standing up. “It’s your fault he’s in the hospital to begin with. You’re the reason they had to cut off his arm.” He harshly shoved my chair, making me grab the table, before he sulked off up the stairs.

“Cedar--” Amelia was going to say something, but he was gone.

“It’s okay,” I sighed. “He’s got a point.”

“He’s grieving,” she replied. “You can’t control other people’s actions.” She leaned forward. “I’ll call Dr. Crane, see if Amber’s awake yet and if he’d be okay seeing you. I doubt he’ll blame you for anything. He’s very understanding.” When I didn’t reply, she leaned closer. “Raine, none of this is your fault.”

“Part of me knows you’re right,” I sighed, leaning on my hand. “I guess, just…. I don’t know. I just want this to be over. I came here to get away from drama and people constantly hating me and blaming me for everything. Now I’m deeper than ever.”

I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I fumbled to pull it out, looking at the message from Cloud: It’s done. He’s gone.

“Raine?” Amelia questioned. “What is it?”

I tried to open my mouth to say something, but no sound came out. I let out a light breath, a smile coming to my face. I finally said, “He did it. No more hunter. He’ll never hurt anyone ever again.”

She gently smiled, then her smile faltered, “Good. But… I have to ask: what about the others? The other men you were trafficked to?”

“Trafficked?” I tilted my head. “N-no, I was a prostitute.”

“Were you willing in it?”

“Well, no. But I got money for it.”

“...That’s rape. You were trafficked. Just because you got money from it doesn’t mean it was prostitution. You weren’t willing, Raine,” her expression was sympathetic and wise, contrasting her young years by more than I thought possible. “Those men deserve prison, at the very least. Would you maybe feel comfortable writing down their names? I can get them arrested.”

I felt like I had been hit with a boulder from one of those medieval catapults. “I…. I don’t know what to say. I know they deserve prison but…. Even thinking about them…,” I hugged myself, stomach twisting.

“I know,” Amelia gently said. “You don’t have to right now, or even a month from now, but I do want those names someday, sooner rather than later.”

“Okay,” I took a deep breath.

“They can’t hurt you now, Raine,” she told me. “I doubt Cloud will let any of them anywhere near you. After all, he’s protected this town for centuries. He’ll protect you, too. I know he can.”

I was silent for a moment, looking down at the message. “What’s gonna happen to me now?”

“Well, I assume, if you’re supposed to be Cloud’s partner, he’ll have you live with him,” Amelia shrugged. “But, if not, you’re welcome to stay here. Killian mentioned how he was willing to teach you, and the shop pays surprisingly good money. You’ve survived this long, Raine, I’m sure you can go a bit longer.”