05 To The Cabin

Meadow packed her bags quickly. She did not bother with fancy clothes or make-up. Ethan had proffered a temporary escape for her, and she would take it.

She knew Luna Amber would eventually get her way and have to do what the woman wanted, but she needed time to accept it.

"Are you ready?" Ethan asked in a stern voice. She exited the closet with her bag and nodded quickly.

"What about you?" She signed, and he turned his wheelchair around.

"I have my things there," he said and moved towards the door.

"Come on. I do not want to have another altercation with her," he said, and she followed him quickly.

Ethan dreaded going to the cabin, but that was the quickest and closest place he could take her to.

He had shared the cabin with his ex, Cynthia, and the place was filled with the memories he shared with her.

It would be a painful stay for him, but he wanted to stop his mother from ruining Meadow's life. He knew she was untouched and believed his mother's plan was cruel.

They left the mansion, and most staff were surprised to see their former Alpha outside.

From how Ethan blinked, Meadow knew it had been long since he had come outside.

Realising his condition got to him broke her heart because she believed it wasn't reason enough not to live. He was the most powerful man in their world, and he had let the accident take his power from him by hiding and being mean to everyone.

A van parked in front of them, and a man helped Ethan to get into the van with his wheelchair. Meadow got in quickly, and the door was shut.

"If my mother looks for us, tell her I took my wife on a honeymoon trip," he linked the butler and shut the mind connection immediately.

Ethan looked at Meadow, who sat nervously in the seat, trying her best to be invisible. She had been very good at it, and he knew she feared him too.

He was sure the girl wouldn't have agreed to marry him if it weren't for his mother's tricks. Her mutism did not take away from her beauty, and he admired her secretly for it but promised he won't take advantage of her regardless of the fucked up situation they were in.

"My mother isn't at the cabin, so I expect you to be more relaxed and have some fun. I will figure out a way to get you out of the contract," He said, and she looked at him, hoping it was possible, but she knew it wasn't.

Luna Amber was ruthless, and she always got what she wanted. Meadow was a nobody, so she knew it was only a matter of time before Amber got her way.

Meadow did not want to bruise Ethan's ego by telling him what she thought, so she smiled and thanked him.

The ride to the cabin was bumpy and very quiet. Meadow slept a few times while Ethan stared ahead.

Ethan did not trust anyone, especially when on the road. After someone tried to kill him and his brother, costing him his legs, he became highly suspicious of everyone.

He would never fall asleep on a journey. His beta, Keith Brines, remained loyal to him and resigned when Joseph took over.

Keith and his mate were living in a property close to the cabin they were going to, and Ethan was eager to see his friend again.

They finally arrived at their destination, and he told the driver to leave the van and go on holiday. He did not want the man to return to the mansion, so his mother would not force his location out of the man and come for Meadow.

The driver helped carry Meadow's bag into the cabin while Meadow helped Ethan move his wheelchair into the cabin.

Seeing the place, she realised the cabin wasn't small like she had envisaged, and it was homely and a bit big.

The ground floor was an open space consisting of a living area, a kitchen and a bedroom. The living room and the kitchen shared the same space, while the bedroom door was close to the staircase that led to the upper floor.

The top floor had a living room and two bedrooms. From the look of things, they would have to stay in the room on the ground floor because of Ethan's condition.

Meadow looked around at the warm living area of the cabin, and it was beautiful.

The colours were of autumn, and the electric fireplace was a beauty. Above the fireplace were picture frames of Ethan and a blonde woman. They seemed quite happy together, and she did not need to guess who she might have been to him. There was something of her everywhere in the cabin.

"You sleep upstairs. I know I can link you, but you can't link me, so I will link you if I need help," He said, and she shook her head.

"I will sleep on the couch in the living room. That way, I can get to you when you need me," she signed, and he got angry.

Why did she think he would need her help? Did she think he was that helpless? Noticing his mood, Meadow quickly signed.

"I do not want to sleep upstairs. Even if you do not need me, I want to remain downstairs," she signed quickly, but he knew she had already told him her real reason for wanting to stay downstairs, so he shook his head.

"You sleep upstairs, or I send you back. I do not let anyone sleep on the couch," he said sternly.

Ethan did not want to share a room with Meadow in the cabin. It would bring back painful memories for him. Memories he was trying hard to forget.

He regretted coming to the cabin, but he kept it to himself.

Cynthia was his life, and she betrayed his love because of his situation. Her love was conditional, after all.

Not wanting to piss him off, Meadow quickly nodded and carried her bag up the stairs. She checked the first room, and it was littered with things, so she had to sleep in the second room.

She took her things in there, which looked like a love nest. A huge painting of Ethan and the blonde woman rested on the wall where the head of the queen-sized bed was.

The room had picture frames of both of them everywhere, and she wondered how she would sleep on the bed. Whoever the woman was to Ethan, she knew she was important to him, and it felt wrong that she would sleep on the bed in that room, but he had sent her there anyway, so she would have to deal.

"Do not touch or break anything in that room," she heard her husband's voice in her head, and she had no way of responding," so she left the room and headed downstairs, but he wasn't in the living area. She knocked on the door of his room, and he asked her to enter.

The room was bare and did not look as cosy as the one she would be sleeping in. The only thing that made it seem homely was the same woman's picture in the room.

"I won't touch or break anything," she signed immediately, but then she realised he was having trouble changing his clothes. She went to him immediately to help him change.

"I do not need pity, little girl," he said. She nodded.

"I know; I do not pity you. I just want to help," she signed immediately, and he was shocked at her response.

She always knew what to say and how to act around him. He could barely fault her, and he did not like it.

She helped him untie his shoelace and then helped him change his clothes into something more comfortable. When she finished, he set up his computer so he could work.

"I do not know how long it would take me to get you out of that contract, but I will try," he said, and she did not want him stressing himself in her regard, so she opted to speak to him now that they had reached the cabin. She doubted he would send her back immediately.

"Alpha," she signed, and he was attentive.

"I am grateful for your kindness, but I know I won't be able to get out of the contract. My parents were a part of it. If I get out of it, I will have nowhere to go, and I cannot survive on my own in this condition. The world isn't kind to people like me. I am grateful for this gesture; it will afford me the time I need to get used to the idea. I will have to carry out my duty eventually," she said, and he was angry that his mother would corner the woman like this. He could see the resignation in her eyes; he also knew she wasn't lying. Amber was stubborn, and she would do what she wanted.

"I do not want you to bear my children. I will find a way.." he said, and his words cut deep because she believed he meant she wasn't good enough to have his children because of her condition.

"I promise you that my condition isn't genetic, Alpha, and your children won't be mute like me," she said, and he was stunned by how she read his statement.

"I did not mean it that way, Meadow. What she is doing is wrong, and I hate that you are being forced to do this against your will. It is wicked of my mother," he said, and she did not know what to say in response. Instead, she changed the topic.

"The cabin is beautiful, and the decoration is warm," she signed, but he did not smile. He just nodded, getting the message and went to continue his work.

"I will call for you when I need you," he told her, and she knew that was her cue to leave.

She left the room and went to the kitchen to try to cook something. She knew Luna amber would find a way to make her stay there short.

While Meadow chopped the vegetables in the kitchen, she thought of everything and was mad at her parents.

She was their only child, and they should have protected her from this cruelty. Turning her into a live-in nanny and a baby machine was wicked. All because she had trouble speaking.

As she scraped the carrot, her tears fell freely.

Memories of the incident that stole her voice flashed in her mind, and she cursed the stars for her ill luck. If only she did not wander out at night, none of this would have happened.

She still remembered the events, which made her so afraid that she put down the carrot and scrapper to calm her nerves.

Now that she was alone with Ethan, she would plead with him to let her communicate with Victoria via text. Hopefully, he would agree because being alone was beginning to drive her nuts.

She finished the vegetable soup and set the meal on the table, then went to get Ethan so he could eat.

She stood at the door for a long time before he finally answered. When she entered his room, she saw his eyes were swollen, which meant he had shed some tears.

She also smelled alcohol on him and wondered why he was drinking. She looked in the room and saw a broken picture frame on the floor with the blonde woman's photo.

"Food is ready, Alpha. Let me serve you and come and clean the mess," she said, and before he could say anything, she pushed the wheelchair to the kitchen where the dining table was and served him the warm soup. He wasn't confident in her cooking, but the moment he tasted the delicious soup, he could not stop eating it.

Meadow left him and went to clean up the mess. She swept the glass and put the picture back in the frame without the glass, and left the room.

He was almost done with his meal when she returned to the dining room. Seeing he must have enjoyed the meal warmed her heart, and she decided to ask him if he would let her text Victoria.

"Alpha," she signed, and he looked at her. His eyes were looking better, and the alcohol effect had worn out.

"May I text my best friend with your phone? My phone is with Luna Amber. I just want to say hello," she signed quickly, and he studied her a bit.

How could his mother take her phone from her? The only means of communication the girl had.

Either his mother was just being cruel or hiding something, and she did not want it to get out.

He nodded reluctantly and handed his phone to her to text her friend. After making the delicious soup, Ethan believed Meadow earned the gesture. He would have to get her a phone which she was to use in secret.