Bella
While I was still trying to process that, Wyatt picked up my good hand and kissed my knuckles. “Oh, the bathroom is through there. There are towels in the cupboard… I don’t think you are supposed to get your back wet yet though. Maybe Hailey can help you wash your hair in the sink.”
“We need to attend to some business now, but we’ll be in to check on you later.” With a last smile at me, they left the room and shut the door behind them.
I thought, I’ve entered some kind of twilight zone. Maybe I hit my head on the way down the stairs or something.
I pushed off the bed and wandered around the room, trailing my fingers over the expensive furniture. I looked at the fireplace, and I assumed it was a real fireplace because there was a stack of dried wood in the cast iron basket beside it. The marble mantle was decorated with an ivy plant, its delicate triangular leaves draping over the edge and cascading down the side.
Limping over to the door that Wyatt had indicated was the bathroom, I peered inside. I wasn’t allowed to use the bathrooms at White Pines. I had a bucket that I had to empty in the woods, and I bathed from a pail in the back shed. I was never given any soap or shampoo, but when I cleaned the pack bathrooms I would steal the shards of bar soap as they got too small. Inside the bathroom was a bathtub with a shower head, a sink with a big oval mirror, and a perfectly clean toilet. There were nice smelling soaps, a bottle of shampoo, and a new green bath scrubby that still had the tags on it.
I was confused. Was I expected to use these things? Was I allowed to?
There was a knock at the door, and I didn’t know what to do. Nobody ever gave me the courtesy of knocking before entering my chambers. They just walked in on me. Was I allowed to invite a stranger in? While I was frozen with anxiety, the door opened a crack, and a pretty older brunette poked her head in. “Hi!” she said cheerfully, “I’m Hailey. Do you mind if I come in?” Hailey. The brothers had mentioned a Hailey. I nodded mutely, and she pushed the door the rest of the way open, and carried a tray to the coffee table in front of the couch.
“The alphas asked me to prepare some food for you. I wasn’t sure what you like, so I’ve got some fresh fruit, a toasted bagel with cream cheese, some sausages... they said to bring you some bottled water for your medication, but I also brought some orange juice.” She rearranged the food on the platter. “Is this okay, dear?”
I stared at the food blankly. “Is… am I supposed to eat that?” I asked stupidly.
“Yes, dear. But if you’d like something else, just let me know, and I’ll be happy to fix it for you.”
I looked from the plate to the matronly woman, and back again. I’d never been served food on a plate before. I was used to eating scraps after the table was cleared if I was lucky.
“Don’t be shy, child. Come and sit down.”
I shook my head in disbelief, but I went and perched uncertainly on the edge of the couch. I hadn’t eaten anything yesterday except for a few crusts of French toast leftover from breakfast. My stomach was used to semi-starvation though, and I imagine it had shriveled up like a walnut inside me. I hesitantly picked up half a bagel and brought it to my lips. It was still warm from the toaster and smeared generously with cream cheese. I bit into it, and it was like heaven in my mouth.
“Good girl,” Hailey said approvingly. “We definitely have to feed you, love. You are so thin, I’m sure a good stiff wind would blow you away. Now Alpha Wyatt said you might like help getting washed up? We can put a towel around your neck and wash your hair in the sink, and then give you a sponge bath for the rest. You have the most beautiful hair, Bella, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a color before.”
I just stared at her and continued to eat. I wasn’t used to people talking to me, at least not in a conversational way. People gave me orders, they yelled at me, or insulted me. Otherwise, they ignored me completely and left me to myself.
I wondered what Hailey’s place in the pack was. She was dressed far too nicely to be a slave. I thought she must be an omega. All the servants in White Pines were Omegas. But if that was the case, why was she being so friendly to me? Didn’t she know I was untouchable? I made it through three-quarters of half of a bagel before my stomach began to protest at the unusual feeling of fullness. “We’ll just cover this then, shall we? Perhaps you’ll be hungry again later?” She handed me a pill from the pill bottle, and I dutifully swallowed it.
“Let's get you cleaned up, then you can relax in bed. I’m sure you must be very tired after such an ordeal.”
I followed her into the bathroom, unsure of what she had in mind. She produced a stool and had me sit on it in front of the sink. She wrapped a towel around my shoulders and had me lean back against the counter. It wasn’t very comfortable, but what was a little discomfort? She turned on the faucet and used a pitcher to pour the warm water over my hair. I was a little embarrassed. I imagine it was quite dirty and matted with blood. It was hard to keep so much hair clean with just a bucket and slivers of soap, especially in the winter months. I felt extra dirty and disgusting in contrast with such pretty and clean surroundings. She massaged my hair and scalp gently and then dumped a generous amount of shampoo on. It smelled sweetly like coconut. She lathered it up, rinsed it out, and then repeated the process again before she helped me sit up, and wrapped a clean towel around my hair.
“Okay dear, let's get those clothes off… if you just stand in the tub, I’ll help you wash.”
Geez, it seemed like everyone was going to see me naked today. But she was my superior, so I did as she said, and stripped out of the t-shirt and dropped the sweatpants. I saw her cringe when she looked at my body. Her smile disappeared and her lips pressed into a thin line. I stood like a doll while she took a soft wet sponge and washed all the skin that was exposed. Finally, she handed me the sponge, “You go ahead now and wash your lady parts yourself.”
It did feel amazing to be clean. The sweatpants and t-shirt from the hospital had disappeared, but a pair of mint green cotton pajamas had appeared, along with a package of new underwear. I slipped on the clean clothes, and Hailey took on the monumental task of brushing out my still-damp mass of hair. She patiently worked out all the knots and tangles until it was almost dry and curling around my waist. Then she braided it up and tied it with an elastic. “There you go.” She said with a kind smile.
“Th-thank you,” I said uncertainly. I looked at my reflection in the oval mirror. I looked ghastly, with half my face swollen and bruised, and little criss-cross bandages along the cuts on my cheekbones.
The medication was making me feel very drowsy, and all I wanted was to sleep, but I still wasn’t certain that I was allowed to sleep on the bed. I thought about pulling down a blanket and sleeping on the floor. Even the carpet looked soft and inviting compared to my pathetic pallet of rags in the closet. Before I could arrange myself, Hailey pulled back the covers and made it clear that I was expected to sleep on the mattress. I climbed in and sank into the heavenly softness.
Whatever dream this was, I didn’t want to wake up.
Hailey tucked the blankets over my shoulders and left a water bottle on the bedside table in case I got thirsty. And then she quietly left me alone in the room. I sank into a strange, drug-induced sleep.
Byron
Wyatt was pacing around our study like a caged animal. “How can this be possible? How can that poor, unfortunate girl be our mate? Surely there is a mistake somewhere…”
I bristled at his words. Personally, I didn’t care what she was or what she had been. She was absolutely perfect. “Well, if you don’t want her, you can reject her, but I am intent to keep her,” I growled.
“I never said I didn’t want her!” he snapped back. “I’m just saying… How can she be a Luna? For that matter, how is she going to handle us? I don’t think she has realized yet that we are mated, and you and I are a package deal. She’s weak and broken, and I can’t even sense her wolf.”
I sort of understood his reservations… she certainly wasn’t anything like I imagined our mate would be. My imaginary mate had been strong, confident, and assertive. I always expected she would be a powerful alpha’s daughter, already well-versed in pack politics and ready to take our side in leadership. But I didn’t care that Bella was none of those things… the moment I had touched her, I was ready to accept that she was my fate and my destiny.
“She can be trained to be a good Luna,” I pointed out calmly. “We’ve been paired for a reason… what is broken can be mended, and she was made to love both of us.”
When it came to matters of faith, I was definitely stronger than Wyatt. He needed proven facts and science, he was the rational thinker, and the planner. He wasn’t ready to accept Bella was our destiny, but I was. I thoroughly believed that the goddess didn’t make mistakes.
“Did you see her body? I can’t imagine how she is even alive.” Wyatt said bitterly. Scars crisscrossed her body, weaving together a horrific tale of abuse. Not to mention her severely emaciated state. She looked like she had just walked out of a concentration camp.
“I know,” I said sadly. If we hadn’t shown up for our unofficial audit of the White Pines Pack, what would have become of her?
Wyatt dropped into his chair, and leaned his head back – exhaustion was clearly catching up to him, given that we hadn’t slept at all last night. “What do we do now?”
I smiled, “We love her. We feed her. We help her heal. We teach her what she needs to know to be our Luna.”
“You make it so god-damned simple.”
“Well, you make it so god-damned complicated.”