Chapter 5

       Grace’s POV

     Emma is such a sweet and shy young woman. She told me she was content with an apple and water. I won’t push it, knowing full well that going from famished to well fed takes time. Her bruises are fairly extensive. She was definitely hit hard several times. There is also a red mark around her neck. Despite the wreckage, she really is a beautiful girl. 

     I sense her discomfort by my staring. “Sorry dear, I am a physician and was just examining your wounds. May I ask how they occurred?”. She looks down at her apple and without looking at me, “you can imagine being a rogue she wolf.. Well, it can get.. Well, rough without a pack. No one to protect you, no one to help you. Still though, I feel lucky. I managed to escape, unlike some”. 

     “Escape from what Emma?”. A tear forms in her eye and slowly trickles down her cheek. I can tell she is not comfortable with my line of questions so I simply aimed at reassurance; “well my darling, you have found a home where no one will harm you and this will become a distant memory”. She sniffles slightly and manages a sideways smile. I could tell the story is far from a happy memory. 

     “Say, let’s get you to your suite and draw a nice, warm bath”. As she dutifully climbs off the stool to follow me with her head still low, I turn to her and raise her chin slightly. “Emma, you look down to no one. You hear me. You are a pack member now and we don’t bow to anyone”. She manages a smile and grabs her water glass. Her thirst must be immense after living rogue for so long. 

     Emma’s POV

      We head down the corridor which is a beautiful stone landing with high walls. It must be afternoon now and I can feel exhaustion creeping in. I still cannot believe I am to sleep in a suite near the alpha. Perhaps he took “keep your enemies close” quite literally. 

      We turn into a stone building where grace enters a keycode. As we enter, she’s pointing out who sleeps where. The halls are beautiful; lined with cedar accents. I have never seen anything so elegant. Just then, we stop outside a set of double doors and she pushes them open. My jaw drops. I have never seen such a beautiful room. 

     The walls are a beautiful shade of blue with flowers and birds delicately scattered on the paper, adorning it. The bed is larger than anything I have ever seen. She is pointing out different amenities but all I can focus on is how large the bed is. There are gorgeous shiny sheets that I gently glide my hand along- “those are silk dear. Once you sleep in those, you won’t want anything else. But here, here is the best room of all”. She pushes open another door and I think to myself “there’s another room in here?”. The bathroom has an entryway that leads to a vanity. Sweeping around the corner, there is a large bathtub off in one corner and a wall to wall shower in the other. 

     She seems particularly proud of the soaking tub for some reason. There is a tray of jars with different herbs in them. She turns on the water and drops in a few scoops of each. They smell amazing. Even Mor comes forward to take in the smell. Once satisfied with the water temperature, she turns to me, “soak, it will feel wonderful. Here is a robe for you to put on and come out to your room when you’re finished. There will be some clothes laid out for you then”. 

     There had to be a cruel joke somewhere in this. “Mor, is this for real?”. “Em, I don’t know about you but I’m tired of smelling like manure and mud”. She is right. Even with the occasional river bath, we are still a sad sight. Grace breaks my internal conversation.. “Enjoy your soak. Oh, and I almost forgot, Ruth is coming home tonight. She’s my youngest daughter, home from university. We would love for you to join us for dinner”. With a smile she excuses herself and closes the bathroom doors behind her. 

     I slip out of my oversized sweats and sweater. Glancing at myself in the mirror, my long hair with mud caked in it. I pick out a small leaf. “Was that there when you met the alpha?” Mor asks. “Yes, yes it was”. We are looking a little lean. Muscular but lean. I tip toe over to the soaking tub. It has to be half the size our cave was. 

     Dipping a toe in, it’s a little warm but I am not complaining. I slide down into the water which is easily up to my chin. It feels like we’re wrapped in a fresh dried towel. I don’t think I will be able to leave the tub. I close my eyes and enjoy the water gently caressing my skin. I allow myself to slip below the surface, submerging my face and hair.

     With a jolt I push up out of the water. That face, he’s everywhere. “Em, it’s okay, you are not there again. No one is pushing you under the surface. Take a breath”. Mor was my saving grace during that horrific period of my life. How could any person be so cruel? He pushed me to the brink of death so many times, only to pull me back out with that cruel sick pleasure of his. 

     Drowning was by far the worst but I begged for death so that he couldn’t touch me again. I close my eyes and take a breath in. I look down at the water and it’s a slight shade of brown. Gross. I lean toward the drain and lift the plug, letting my filth drain with it. Drying off and sliding on the wonderful shiny robe. I think silk is what Grace called this fabric, committing it to memory. I manage to wrap a towel around my head to keep my unruly hair contained.

     Stepping out of the bathroom into the main room, I don’t see any clothes on the bed as Grace had promised. There is a walk-in closet in the corner. Flipping the light switch on, empty. “Well shoot Mor, I can’t go to dinner like this”. I decide to turn and go sit on the plush couch by the fireplace. As I rest my weary eyes, I slip into a weightless sleep. What feels like only minutes into my snooze, I hear a woman’s high pitch voice screeching down the hall toward my room.