Silver Rain

Chapter 43

Olivia stomped back to Felix's car. Her knees and shins hurt as each step pounded into the ground, her legs shaking from the impact. Brew Haven was only a few blocks away from the hospital, but she welcomed the pain. The adrenaline in her veins burned hotter than any ache she had, and she gripped the Lambo's door handle tightly, squeezing until her knuckles turned white. Her breathing was uneven, a raw mixture of anger and exhaustion making her chest feel tight. Felix stood a few steps behind, watching her with a tense expression, knowing better than to say anything just yet.

She flung the door open and sank into the passenger seat, staring out the windshield, her hands clenched in her lap. Felix got in on the driver's side, glancing at her, waiting, giving her space to process the turmoil roiling inside her.

As Olivia sat in the passenger seat, staring straight ahead, her vision seemed sharper than usual. The edges of everything—headlights from passing cars, street signs, even Felix's faint reflection in the windshield—were clearer, more intense. Her heartbeat thundered in her chest, rhythmic and unrelenting, and she could feel a strange, almost electric energy coursing through her veins, amplifying her anger and frustration.

Felix started the car, but she barely noticed. All she could think about was the betrayal she'd just endured. An angry feeling built up in her throat, something that reverberated; surprising her enough that she pressed her lips tightly together as if trying to contain the unfamiliar sound.

She took a slow, shaky breath, trying to steady herself, but even her breathing felt different, more labored, like she was barely keeping herself from unleashing whatever was coiled tightly inside. Her eyes flicked to Felix, she instinctively noted the flex of his hand on the steering wheel, the way his jaw tensed, the almost imperceptible scent of unease that radiated from him. He was holding back, waiting for her to lead, but she wanted him to do more—to push, to fight, to match the fire that blazed inside her.

"Drive," she said, her voice coming out harsher than she'd intended. It wasn't a request; it was a command, rough and edged. Felix didn't question it, didn't even hesitate, and she felt a faint thrill at the way he responded, as if the tension in her chest momentarily loosened, satisfied that he was listening to her, deferring to her authority.

The car roared to life as he pulled out of the parking lot, and the sheer power of the engine beneath her only seemed to stoke the heat within. She rolled down the window, letting the cold night air hit her face, trying to cool the surge of anger and frustration, but the bite of the wind only seemed to make her senses sharper.

Felix glanced over, his gaze sharp but cautious, catching the glint in her eyes, the tension in her posture. "Olivia... I- are you... alright?"

She bristled, was he challenging her? "I don't know if alright is the right word," she muttered, crossing her arms. She didn't want to talk; she wanted action, wanted to be out of this car and facing her enemies head-on. Wanted to rip the heads off the Munsens' right then and there. "What I do know is that I'm done being pushed around. I'm done playing nice."

Her voice sounded almost foreign to her own ears, lower, rougher. Felix must have noticed too because his eyes flickered with concern, his fingers gripping the wheel a little tighter. "I understand. But you need to be careful, Liv. This energy... if you let it control you, things could go sideways."

She clenched her jaw, her wolf balking at his warning, not liking that he thought she couldn't handle this. "I'm not some human who needs protection, Felix," she snapped, surprising herself with the bite in her tone. She then shook her head, she wasn't even human anymore to begin with. "Besides, I know exactly what I'm doing."

The words felt like a lie the moment they left her lips, but a small part of her seemed satisfied. Her hand tightened around the door handle again, and she stared out into the sunset, feeling the electric hum of her senses, the way each shadow and car light seemed sharper, more vivid as if she were looking at the world through a different lens.