Heart of Ice

Chapter Thirty-Two

Song: Half a Heart- One Direction

Two weeks have passed since the last time I saw any traces of Hunter in the house. If he was there, he did his very best to avoid me, and in some ways, I was grateful for it, because I wasn't sure if I could handle talking to him or even seeing him after I saw him with Blair. Bennett tried to keep my mood up by keeping me entertained, whether that be watching shows with me, trying to make me laugh, or just sitting with me in the quiet of my moments where all I could think about was this loss that I had no idea how to fathom. It was nice having support, but I wanted it to be him. As it turned out, that was impossible when he was the reason I was in the slumps for something I didn't do.

Mom and dad work tirelessly to figure out who fabricated the story that Hunter witnessed, but so far, all they are running into is dead ends. They have their suspicions, but all we know for sure is that Demetrius had a hand in it. There's no way he didn't after the nightmare I had the night before it all happened. I have my own suspicion too-- that Blair is somehow involved, but I can't share that with anyone yet because, although they believe me and are on my side, there's no way they would believe that a human is the main character in the plot of what Hunter believes happened. But still, even though I can't pinpoint it, there's something off about her newfound personality. It's just a matter of time before I figure out her role in the scheme of things.

Everyone in the pack has been so focused on piecing together what happened that nobody trains, which means I also don't train. If it had been any other time, dad would've been livid at me for not maintaining my training, and I would've just laughed at his overreaction because it wasn't like a lot was lost over a few missed days of training. But I finally understood why he got bent out of shape over it. I haven't trained in two weeks and can barely get out of bed in the morning. My scar from our last fight with Bloodbound is developing a deep purple ring around it again, and no matter how hard I try, no matter how hard I focus, I can't conjure up any of my powers. I can't even let my eyes turn gold, and my fangs barely puncture my gums when I try to morph. With dad so focused on investigating, he hasn't said a word about the lack of training. For once, I wish he would.

Everyday, I've just been going through the motions. I try to help mom and dad, but each time I do, it gets too emotional and overwhelming for me, and they kindly, but sternly, push me out of the room and call in Brett and Cleo as my replacement. Which is where Bennett comes in-- he sits with me, day in and day out, and talks about anything beside Hunter. I've gotten to know him pretty well these days. I learned that he got into the vampire world because his sister had been attacked by a pack on their walk home from the playground when he was 12 years old, and Brett had rescued them and kept them from dying or getting turned into newborns, which was how he and Hunter ended up becoming friends. He wasn't interested in becoming a vampire and actually wanted a pretty simple life. He was a football star in high school and played college football at the University of Chicago, but had to quit when he had a knee injury that basically ended his career. He graduated with a degree in math and planned to become a teacher, but was taking a gap year before he started job hunting. Everything I learned about him made me realize that maybe he isn't so bad after all. Maybe the influence he had four years ago when Hunter and I became enemies was nothing more than a stupid teenage boy tactic.

One morning when everyone else is busy working, I find Bennett in the kitchen, eating a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch as he watches TikToks on his phone. I plop down on the chair beside him, snatching a piece of cereal out of his bowl. He raises an eyebrow, looking at me out of the side of his eye. "Would you like some cereal, Alaska?"

I cheekily grin. "Well, if you're offering..."

He rolls his eyes but smiles anyway before getting up and pouring me a bowl of cereal. I eat it contently before carrying both of our dishes to the sink, and then I face him, my fingers drumming against the counter. "You were an athlete."