Trauma

Writer’s POV

The door opened.

Kaldor stepped inside and froze,for a brief second he simply stood there.

Then his gaze dropped sharply to the floor and he turned around so quickly his shoulder brushed the doorframe.

“I—” His voice caught. He cleared his throat and faced the wall. “I’m sorry.”

Alima rushed to the bed and clutched the towel tighter around her body, her heart jumping into her throat.

“I didn’t know,” he continued quickly. One hand rubbed the back of his neck as if he suddenly didn’t know what to do with himself. “I thought you were covered.”

Her confusion surfaced almost immediately.

“I locked the door,” she said.

Kaldor remained turned away.

“I should have checked,” he replied after a moment. “You did?”

Silence stretched between them.

Then he lifted one hand and pressed his thumb briefly against the panel beside the door. A soft click sounded from the lock.

“The doors here respond to me,” he said. “Thumbprint access. They open automatically.”

Alima stared at the door. Understanding slowly formed in her mind, but the uneasiness stayed.

Without another word she hurried past him toward the dressing room, the towel still clutched tightly around her body. The door shut quickly behind her.

A second later the lock clicked, and the sound echoed in the quiet room. Outside, no footsteps followed and no knock came.

Inside the dressing room, Alima leaned back against the wall. Her heart was still beating too fast.

Did he see me? The whole of her? Everything?

The thought kept circling in her mind, refusing to settle.

Maybe he had walked in knowing exactly what he would see. He had sounded honest, but believing him would mean trusting him.

And trusting a man was something she had sworn never to do again. All men are the same to her.

She forced the thought firmly into place, as if convincing herself. It was easier that way.

She changed into one of the clothes that belonged to his cousin, the same one he must have laid down for her earlier. The fabric hung loosely around her, but it was comfortable enough.

Time passed, and her thoughts refused to settle.

What if she hadn’t rushed into the dressing room? What if she had stayed?

What if the moment he saw her standing there… he had done something else?

The memory she tried so hard to bury forced its way forward.

Alpha Marek.

Her stomach tightened, and her fingers curled slightly into the fabric of the shirt she was wearing. The thought made it difficult to breathe.

The way he had forced himself on her even when she refused, the way he had ignored her tears and continued thrusting roughly inside her like she’s some trash item.

Those burning sensation she had felt back then, she can’t imagine having to experience it again. 

He not only took away her innocence but mocked and disgraced her. It was so painful that she couldn’t breath well. It felt like the air was working against her and blocking her air passage.

A knock suddenly came from the other side of the door.

She stiffened.

“Alima.”

His voice was lower this time.

“I’m sorry,” he said again.

There was a pause.

“I should have knocked.”

Another silence.

When she finally opened the door, her body felt heavy with exhaustion.

The room looked exactly the same as before.

Kaldor stood several steps away from the door now, as if he had deliberately given her space.

Her legs ached.

Everything ached.

Too much had happened in one day.

Running through the woods.

Falling into the ditch.

Waking up here in a stranger’s mansion.

Her mind could barely keep up with it, and all she wanted now was sleep.

“There are many rooms in the mansion,” Kaldor said. “If you’d rather have this one to yourself, I can sleep somewhere else.”

Alima didn’t answer.

She simply walked past him and sat on the edge of the bed before lying down.

As she lay down on the bed, the quiet sound of the mansion’s temperature system shifted slightly, as if recalibrating itself. The air in the room grew strangely still for a moment before settling again. Alima didn’t notice.

The mattress sank slightly beneath her weight.

As he adjusted the blanket over her shoulders, a faint shiver ran across his skin. He shook it off quickly, pretending it was nothing.

For a moment he stood there. Then he stepped away.

His hand rested on the door handle for a brief second before the door quietly closed behind him.

Silence settled over the room, and Alima stared up at the ceiling.

Sleep didn’t come easily, and every time her eyes closed, her thoughts circled back to everything that had happened.

Eventually exhaustion pulled her under but  sleep brought no peace.

She was running.

The forest surrounded her again.

Branches clawed at her arms as she pushed through the darkness. Her breath tore in and out of her chest as her feet struck the uneven ground.

The trees blurred past her. For a heartbeat, they seemed to part, as if guiding her way.

Her foot slipped.

The ground vanished, and her body dropped straight down into the ditch.

“NO!”

Alima’s scream tore from her throat.

Her eyes flew open.

She sat upright in the bed, dragging in air as if she had truly been running.

Sweat clung to her skin despite the cool air filling the room. The temperature system hummed softly above her, but it did nothing to calm the violent trembling in her hands.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly, and her eyes darted around the room.

The walls, the bed, the quiet mansion.

She wasn’t in the forest, but the fear hadn’t left her body.

Her fingers dug into the blanket, her breathing ragged and uneven.

The door suddenly swung open.

Kaldor entered quickly.

“Alima.”

He crossed the room in a few steps and reached for her shoulders, but the moment his hands touched her, she recoiled violently.

“Don’t!”

Her voice cracked.

He stopped immediately.

His hands lifted away from her as if the contact had burned her.

Neither of them spoke.

The silence stretched tight between them.

Then the door opened again.

Two guards stepped inside and bowed their heads.

One of them paused for a fraction of a second, his brow furrowing as though something in the room made his skin crawl. Then he blinked and moved forward.

“My lord,” the other said. “The council is requesting your presence at the court. It is urgent.”

Kaldor remained standing where he was,his reluctance was obvious. He wanted to stay with her and make sure she’s okay but he also knew an important matter in the pack can’t wait.

For a moment he looked toward the bed before he turned to the guards.

“Prepare the chamber,” he said.

The guards bowed again and left.

The door closed.

Alima's hands were trembling and her palms were sweaty. She closed her eyes forcefully and tried to control her breathing but it was not working.

Morning light slowly crept through the tall windows of the mansion.

She stands up from the bed and pulls the thick curtains apart, the light ray hits her face and she closes her eyes briefly adjusting to the sudden light outburst.

Alima opens the skidding door and walks to the balcony, she watches how the maids work and hurried to get things done around she released a deep breath.

Alima remembers she was once like that trying to get her portion done on time before she attracts punishment.

“Good morning” Voices chorus behind her,she turned around, two ladies in maid uniforms were greeting her.

She glanced behind them and saw nobody, she had thought Kaldor is back with them, “We are here to get you prepared and make sure you’re okayMilady” 

Beyond the estate walls, the forest stood quiet in the pale dawn.

Hidden deep among the trees, something moved. Its head lifted, sensing something… different drifting from the mansion afar.

 Cold chills and dreadful dark stares but whatever it was, it stayed hidden, watching abruptly.