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.
Emma’s POV The screech stops at my door and I hear a knock followed by the sound of whispers. Without waiting for permission, the door swings open followed by a young and bubbly face. As soon as she spots me, she screeches again and runs over to me, throwing her arms around me. I awkwardly return the hug, sort of. “Ruth, what on earth are you doing? You’re going to frighten Emma to death”, Grace chasing behind her. “I finally have a sister” she exclaims and hugs me again. Ruth is beautiful. A tall, thin version of her brother. She is very young. Her face is so full of happiness and exuberance. “A sister?”, I ask Mor. “What does she mean, a sister?”. “I don’t know Emma but she seems friendly”. Morgan is usually s
Liam’s POV Tapping my fingers on the oak table, listening to my friends talk about the deer they hunted earlier. “What is taking the girls so long?” I ask Kalen, my wolf. “Girl things I think” he says with a grin, whatever that means. Just then I hear a shrill “brother” from behind me. Leo’s eyes light up. Zak and a few other members all hide their faces that seem to say “oh god, hide us”. My sister Ruth is a bit… much. She has been away since she was 15, now 18. Leo has always had a crush on her. Neither of them were old enough to have mates when she left. Oh goddess, what if they mate? I can’t think about that. “Where is she?” Kalen asks impatiently. “I want to see our mate”. “I know buddy, m
Liam’s POV “Ruth, you’re here for a few hours and manage to fuck things up”. “What the hell Liam, I didn’t ask anything wrong”. I just look at her with so much anger. “Mom, please explain it to her, I don’t have the patience”. I stand up, motioning for all others to remain and eat. I gently open and close the balcony door. She’s not out here, where’d she go? “Oh shit Liam, she ran”. Just then I hear movement on the grass below. Peeking over, I see her with her hands covering her face. Trying not to startle her, I clear my throat. She turns and her jade green eyes pierce through me but she quickly looks down. “Alpha… I am so sorry”. I gently walk towards her but not too close.. “It’s
Emma’s POV “Here, I had this brought to your room. It’s hot chocolate with whipped cream, my favorite”. I sniff the mug, it smells delicious. “Here is a set of silk pajamas. This week, I shall like to take you to town to buy you a wardrobe”. My eyes snap up to her. I could not possibly go into a town and with what currency? I have nothing. She easily senses my uneasiness and gently cups my shoulders, “honey, please let me do this for you. You are one of us now. And do not worry about the particulars, they do not matter any”. She hugs me gently and closes the door behind her. Remembering the cocoa, I take a sip “oh my goddess Mor, are you tasting this?”. I end up drinking it too fast, wishing I had more. Just then, I feel sleep com
Emma’s POV Clock says 1:30 am on the nightstand. No one should be up. I gently open the bedroom door, trying to breathe as quietly as humanly possible. “I think I remember where it is, come on Mor”. We sneak down the hall, glancing at the alpha’s door- praying it doesn’t open. Making my way to the stairs, thank heavens they’re stone and less likely to creak. Slinking down the stairs, through the great room and dining room and through the kitchen door, I freeze in my tracks. Alpha is sitting at the kitchen top. Liam’s POV I hear steps and quickly spin around to see Emma with a terrified look on her face. I instantly notice she is only wearing a silk pajama top that is long enough to cover her b
My eyes blink open. What time is it? Turning to look at the clock, it’s 9AM! “Mor, how could you let us sleep for 7 hours?!”. She sleepily opens her eyes “eh, it felt good”. She stands up and stretches as I do the same. I hear a gentle knock on the door. It’s Grace. “Good morning sunshine! Ready to do some shopping?”. Oh, that’s right. I forgot we were going to town today. Liam’s POV “Mother, why didn’t you tell me you were taking her into town?”. “Because Liam, we’re going shopping and last time I checked, that’s not really your thing”. “No, but she is ‘my thing’ and you can’t just leave the territory with her”. “First off, son, she’s not a thin
With that, there is parade after parade of never ending clothes. Some I liked, some I definitely did not. I have no sense of style though. After all, I can’t remember a full set of clothing I had owned on my own. My stomach begins to rumble. “Come dear, let’s get some lunch”. “Grace, where has Zak been this whole time?”. “Oh, he’s here and there”. She scoops up my elbow and we head for a cafe in the store. This place is FANCY. We’re served tea and salad, an odd combination. But they were both delicious. Grace treated me to a chocolate chip cookie and oh the stars. It melted in my mouth. “Mor, I think our favorite food is chocolate”. Interrupting my thoughts, “Emma, when you are around Liam, does he smell any parti
Liam’s POV “They’re finally here sir”. I have been on eggshells all day. Mother wasn’t aware of the trafficking that has been occurring in these parts, well all over really. There have been some missing neighboring pack females and any time mom or Ruth left, I had details to watch them. I didn’t want to worry her unnecessarily if I didn’t have to. They certainly weren’t allowed to leave alone. I step out on the balcony as the car drives up. Our mate steps out. My heart stops. Goddess, she is gorgeous. Focus Liam, focus. “Nice peptalk man”. “Shut up Kalen, you’re such a dick”. He chuckles. My wolf and I have slightly different personalities but somehow complement each other.