Page 16 of The Heart of Winter

My whole body had been tense, but it eased slightly in his embrace. I closed my eyes for a second and let myself feel his calming, loving energy. But nothing could really heal my heart, so I stepped back.

"It’s fine, Dad. Really."

I schooled my face to look normal. But he was peering at me like he could see right through it, straight past the mask.

"It really is!" I choked out.

"Winnie… it’s really not, is it?"

Something tightened in my throat under the weight of his gentle gaze. The air felt heavy in my lungs, like there wasn’t enough room in there. Eventually, I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

"It’s about Logan. I asked him to go to the movies. He said ‘no way’—that with an albino freak like me, people would point and laugh at him at school."

My voice faltered, betraying me as I fought against the wave of emotion building inside me.

Dad reached out and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Something really good just happened. You dodged a bullet. Logan just failed the test to be my son’s boyfriend! If he’s that shallow, he doesn’t deserve you, Winnie. So hey, chin up!"

I just let out an impatient breath. Of course, Dad saw it completely differently than I did.

He tilted his head slightly.

"But I know it still hurts. That’s part of growing up. There’ll be more of those little heartbreaks along the way. That’s just life."

Clenching my jaw, I hissed, "No one’s ever gonna hurt me again." I lifted my chin stubbornly. "Romance is dumb."

Dad gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"Don’t close yourself off like that, Winnie. Being vulnerable, it’s not a bad thing. It actually takes a lot of courage."

I shrugged like I didn’t care.

"It’s just not for me. I forced myself to try it once, and… well, look how that turned out."

"Please, don’t shut yourself off because of one guy. What if, by doing that, the right one… can’t find his way to you?"

Even more stubbornly, I shrugged again.

"Maybe that’s just how it’s meant to be. I’m a beta."

"Hey…" Dad placed his other hand on my shoulder too and searched my eyes. It felt like he was reading my thoughts.

"You’re hurting and angry right now. Just give yourself time to let it settle… before you make any big decisions, okay?"

Sighing, I slowly nodded.

We stood like that for a moment, his hands on my shoulders, making small, massaging motions, easing my tension. Finally, I muttered, "How do you always know exactly how I’m feeling?" I felt stupid even asking, and dropped my gaze to stare awkwardly at my hands.

"That’s a parent’s secret," he said, lowering his head with a smile, still trying to catch my eyes. "I also know you don’t want to talk about it anymore." He let out a quiet laugh. "But you know you always can. I’ll listen."

"I know. Thanks."

He sighed and gave a little shrug. "I need to finish feeding Sun. He’s fussy today, probably coming down with a cold. Will you join us for dinner later?"

"Sure."

After he left, I stood in front of the mirror for a moment, staring at my face. Then I grimaced in disapproval.

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