Page 19 of Savage Torment

A witch.

Mywitch.

My Silver.

My foot taps vigorously, my knee bouncing with the movement as I try with all of my strength to remain level-headed, but the more time that passes, the harder it gets.

The double doors at the end of the hall that lead toward the exit swing open with force and Minnie waltzes into the room with an extra pep in her step. It wasn’t there when she left to use the bathroom, but as she nears and a smile spreads across her face, I know she knows something I’m not yet privy to.

She bounces closer and I inch to the edge of my seat, spine stiffening as I brace my hands on my knees. “She's okay.”

Two simple words and the weight of the world crushing down on my shoulders evaporates.

I still, surprised at her words, but before I can quiz her further, Wylder beats me to it.

“How do you know?” He’s as frozen in place as I am, Tatum and Lincoln too, as we look to one another for a silent push of strength.

“She called,” Minnie offers, eyes wide with joy, but we’re all waiting for something… more. That can’t be all she knows or has to share.

Wylder claps his hands together as he rises from his seat. “Perfect, then they can let us in,” he states, taking one step toward the doors that lead back to the patient area, but the moment he does, Minnie’s facial expression drops, confirming that it’s not going to be that simple.

“It's not going to work like that, is it?” It comes out as a question, a hint of hope in my words, but deep down I knowit’s true. She offers me a tight smile as she shakes her head, confirming my worries.

“Blaze ended the call,” she states, and Lincoln huffs from his seat across from me.

“She's not safe,” he snarls, the first words to come from his mouth since we entered the waiting room.

Minnie clears her throat, distracting from her brother's outburst as she curls a loose tendril of hair behind her ear. “I’d say she is, actually.”

My eyebrows crinkle in confusion. She can't be saying this right now.

“Surely not,” Tatum mutters, shaking his head as he leans forward in his seat to my left, but Minnie nods insistently.

“She's safe.”

The concern I spy in Tatum's eyes reflects the worry building inside of me.

“You don't know that,” I add, the worry trying to morph into rage, but I fight it down as she shrugs.

“I know that look in his eyes,” she offers, like it’s supposed to make any sense, but as I glance at my brothers, I can see they’re all as confused as I am.

“What look?” I grumble, and she presses her lips together, analyzing the four of us individually before her eyes settle back on me.

“The same look I see in all of your eyes.”

Lincoln scoffs, rising from his seat as he wipes a hand down his face in frustration. “You don't know what you're talking about,” he mutters, but as much as I want to agree with him, I know different. So do the others.

He turns away from us, pacing back and forth, the usual stance our alpha takes when he can't process how he's feeling. Unfortunately for him, it doesn’t look like Minnie is going to let him hide from any of this.

When he turns toward us, continuing his pacing, she cuts the short distance to stop right in front of him. As she folds her arms over her chest, a challenging look flickering in her eyes, he snarls, slapping his hands down at his sides.

“I’m not dealing with this,” he grunts, turning for the exit.

There's no one here to see his downfall but us. That fact does nothing to stop him storming across the room to the exit. His vulnerabilities are creeping to the surface, a feeling he normally runs from as fast as he can, but if his intention is for Minnie to stop her pursuit, he’s mistaken.

“I hope Polaris doesn't choose to deal with you if you can't pull your head out of your ass and admit how you feel.” There’s fire to her words, and to my surprise, Lincoln pauses a step from the double doors, whirling around to face his sister with rage in his eyes.

“You don't know what you're talking about.”