Byron
I was so relieved that Daphne was home. Daphne had always been like a ray of sunshine in the house, and I honestly dreaded the day that she would find her mate and leave us. After our parents and the betas died, we were left with the monumental task of raising a teenage girl, but the truth is that Daphne did more to raise us. Now she had taken Bella under her wing, and it was a relief to see that Bella was comfortable and relaxed with her. I was even a little jealous of how quickly Daphne had managed to pull her out of her protective shell.
They had watched movies together and I found them on the couch in Bella’s room, with Bella’s feet in Daphne’s lap, while Daphne applied pink nail polish to Bella’s toes.
“Ah, Byron! What do you think!” Daphne gestured to the pink toenails.
Uh, what was I supposed to say? Because truthfully, I liked her toenails better without polish, but I knew that was the wrong answer. Instead, I grinned and said, “Looks great!” Daphne wiggled her own toes, which had been painted smurf blue.
Bella was blushing and hiding under her hair, it was so cute.
“Hey Bella, I brought you a present.” I held out the box, feeling like a schoolboy giving his first crush a gift. Bella flushed and looked uncertainly between me and Daphne.
Daphne squealed, “Ohhh, presents! Go ahead, Bella, open it.”
Bella took the package with shaking hands and I sat on the coffee table in front of her. I still had that need to touch her, to reach out and stroke her hair out of her face so that I could see her expression more clearly. I folded my hands together on my lap so that I wouldn’t do anything to scare her and ruin the moment.
She carefully picked the tape off it, treating the wrapping paper like it was something precious. I was glad that Wyatt had helped me wrap it for her. I could only imagine what she would have done with the wrinkled and ripped mess I was trying to tape together. After she had folded the paper and set it aside, she was staring at the box with a puzzled expression. Then I realized that she might not be familiar with the brand name, and not know what was in the box. “Here, let me help you,”
I slipped out my knife and worked it carefully under the edges of the box to cut the tape. She stiffened slightly at the sight of my knife, but she didn’t flinch away. When I had released the tape, I pulled the box open, revealing the small laptop, nestled in all the protective packaging. Her mouth dropped open in surprise. “A… a computer?”
“Yes, sweetheart, it’s a laptop for you.”
Now she looked panicked. “I… I can’t…”
“Yes, you can. Don’t be scared. You won’t break it, I promise. And Daphne can help you learn how to use it.”
“Yes!” Daphne said enthusiastically, “This is great! We can do video chats when I’m away at school!”
I could see that Bella was afraid to touch the electronic machine. I began to pull it out of the box and unwrap it from the plastic bubble wrap. I set it open beside me, along with the power cords. She was staring, her eyes as big as saucers, from the computer, up to me. I loved it when she looked into my eyes. Those rare moments when she forgot to be submissive. “Th-thank you,” she stuttered softly.
I brushed her hair out of her face, loving the soft, silky feel of it, and then cupped her soft cheek in my hand. She let me touch her and did not pull away. I was encouraged to lean forward and brush my lips against hers. Her lips were small and petal soft. I longed to go further, deeper, to taste her sweetness. But I felt her surprised gasp and pulled away reluctantly, reminding myself to go slowly. I smiled at her happily. “You’re welcome, Bella.”
Bella
Byron left me alone with the computer on the coffee table. Daphne was excited to show me how to operate it. She went over the very basic things, like how to power it on. She helped me create a log-in and then tried to show me the different programs. I was lost. So lost. I shrank back into the couch, longing to get away from it. Staring at the laptop made me feel stupid. I was more aware than ever that I was ignorant and uneducated. I could barely read, so how did the twins expect me to operate a computer? Daphne was chattering on about different social media platforms, completely unaware that I had lost interest and wasn’t listening. Finally, I had to put my hand on her arm to stop her.
“Daphne,” I said quietly. “Thank you, but I can’t do all that.”
She looked at me innocently, “Why not? Sure, it's new, but it's easy to learn.”
I winced and looked away from her friendly blue eyes. “Not for me. I… I’m not smart like you. I never went to school. I… I can barely read.” I felt shame welling up in me like spring. “Don’t you see? I can’t be a mate to your brothers. I will only be an embarrassment and a liability. It's better if they reject me and find someone more suitable.”
“Oh sweety,” Daphne wrapped her arms around me. “It's not your fault you were denied the opportunity to go to school, nobody can blame you for that. And it's never too late, you can still learn. My brothers will never be ashamed of you, and they aren’t going to reject you for this.”
I sniffed and hid my face from her. I wasn’t crying. I didn’t want her to see that I was excited by the prospect of maybe getting an education, even this late in the game. That’s something I learned early on at White Pines. Never, ever show them that you want something, because it will only motivate them to take it away.
Daphne shut the top of the computer. “Okay love, let's go down and get some dinner. I’m starving.”
Something I was learning about Daphne. She was always hungry. I felt a little shy and nervous about facing Wyatt again. I was uncomfortable about what had happened earlier. Not because he had raised his voice. He’s a man, he’s an alpha. I expected nothing less. No, what made me uncomfortable was that I had reacted irrationally, and yet he was the one who kept apologizing. It wasn’t right, for an alpha to be apologizing to me, and I just wished he would stop.
I kept my head down as I shuffled behind Daphne into the dining room. I idly wondered where the rest of the pack was. There were a lot of tables in the big dining room, but we always ate alone, just the three of us, and now Daphne. I was hoping to sit next to Daphne, but Byron snagged me and lead me to the usual chair situated between himself and Wyatt… except Wyatt was not present yet.
We all sat and Byron and Daphne chatted easily while I sat silently. After a few minutes, Wyatt appeared, with something hidden behind his back. He had the strangest expression on his face. I completely forgot that he is the alpha, and I shouldn’t be staring up at him, but his eyes were dancing with excitement, and he had an almost boyish grin on his face. It was so alluring it was melting me from the inside out.
“Hello, Bella,” He said, his grin growing wider. “I have a surprise for you.”
Before I could say anything, he had whipped a vase of flowers out from behind his back. My eyes felt like they might fall right out of my head. The arrangement was simple but beautiful, with orange tiger lilies and blood-red roses in a slim crystal vase. Tied around the vase was a small, sad-faced teddy bear, wearing a little tie that said, “I’m sorry.”
I covered my face. Oh my god, another apology! But I couldn’t help but peek out at the little pouting teddy bear. I’ve never had a stuffed animal of my own, and its little sad eyes were so appealing. Wyatt pulled my hand off my face and pressed the vase into it. I grasped it, and I couldn’t stop staring at the little stuffed bear. “Do you like them?” He asked eagerly.
He was so childlike, I couldn’t disappoint him. I gave him a small smile and nodded. I allowed myself to press my face to the flowers and inhale the heady scent of the roses. “It's really lovely. Thank you, Wyatt.”
He grinned back at me. “Let's put them in the middle of the table, shall we? Here you take this,” He untied the little bear and gave it to me. I looked at it in wonder. It was really mine, to keep? But what was I supposed to do with it? I just clutched it in my lap and felt a strange warmth spreading in my chest. What were these men doing to me?