Arabella Toussaint:
Helena followed me inside my room and knelt beside me as soon as I sat on the edge of my bed. She placed a small jar of ointment nearby, "Hold still."
I immediately caught her wrist, not letting her move, "It’s okay, Helena," I tried to smile, "I can take care of it."
My cheek was throbbing, and it must be swollen by now.
Helena drew her brows together and tried saying something, but I shook my head, "I don’t want you to get into trouble because of me."
The words died on her lips as she nodded, pursing her lips. She freed her wrist and placed the ointment bottle beside me.
"Don’t worry," I added, looking at her worried face, "I’m used to it."
Dipping my fingers into the ointment, I carefully applied it to the swelling cheek, but the sting made me wince.
Helena had gotten up, but now she was standing near the door, watching me.
"Is there any other task for me?" I asked with a smile. After all, I was a mere slave who wasn’t allowed to tend to her wounds.
She shook her head in hesitation and sighed, "You... you don’t have a wolf, do you, Arabella?"
A faint smile met my lips as I started applying the cream to my fingers, "I thought you already knew, ma’am. No, I don’t."
The woman standing before me was not a stern head anymore, but a woman who didn’t want to make it obvious that she had a kind heart.
"it’s... just..." She rolled her lips between her teeth, "The night you were sent to the king’s chambers. I helped change your clothes."
My hand shook a little. Where was she going with this?
"There were old wounds on your back..." she trailed off. The smile disappeared from my face, but Helena didn’t stop, "Lots of them... like you’ve been abused before and..." The blood in my body seemed to run cold.
"Helena..."
Helena looked uncomfortable, "Even the weak wolves heal their humans. We all already know you’re wolfless. Rumors travel fast around here. But the marks on your body. Did your previous pack..."
Forgetting the ointment bottle on the bed, I stood up, "Helena," I held her by her shoulders, meeting her gaze directly, "Nobody should know about these scars... these wounds need to be a secret... please..." I pleaded.
I didn’t know what to tell her. If the king knew my previous family was abusive, he might reopen the case, and Victor would get stuck.
I didn’t want any kind of problems. Nor did I want to return to my pack. Getting hurt by people who were not related to me by blood was easier.
I forced a smile onto my face, "Please, Helena."
Helena stared at me for a long moment, then she slowly nodded, "Okay."
My shoulders finally relaxed. I turned around to cover the ointment bottle with the lid.
"Arabella," she said, holding the bottle from me, "From tomorrow onwards I might have to send you for outdoor duties as... as you know..." she stuttered, but I understood.
"Because the king doesn’t want to see me? Sure, Helena!" I made it easy for her.
When Helena left, I lay back on my bed and closed my eyes.
Men! They are all the same! They do something evil, then expect the women to pay for their sins.
***
"Arabella. It’s dinner time!" I closed my diary and started fixing my hair when an Omega came to inform me in my room.
I was just writing a letter to Maya. I wasn’t aware if I would ever be able to meet her, but I wanted to believe something good would come out of all this. At least one of us was living the life we used to dream of.
I quickly slipped my diary beneath my mattress and followed the Omega outside. The dining hall was already crowded.
Servants, Omegas, and palace staff filled the long tables. I quietly collected my tray and took my usual seat at the far end. Thank Goddess nobody paid attention.
This meant that they were slowly accepting me as one of them. I had barely taken a few bites when the hall suddenly fell silent.
Beta Bradley entered and walked to the front of the hall, folding his arms across his chest, "I’ll make this quick."
Everyone suddenly got silent.
"We have an official meeting with the elders of the council members seven nights from now," My stomach churned when I heard it.
The meeting must be about the release of Victor.
"A few alphas will be arriving at the palace. Until the event is over, I expect perfection. Nobody enters the royal wing without permission. Nobody speaks to guests unless spoken to..."
He kept speaking the same stuff that I used to hear in the Blackthorn pack. The ones who had their duties in the meeting hall and the kitchen, they used to be on their toes.
I didn’t think Alpha King would want me there. I needed to stay away from his eyes. When the Beta left, there were loud murmurs.
Nobody wanted to take kitchen duties.
I quickly finished my dinner and slipped out of the hall before anyone could stop me. The sooner I reached my room, the better.
As most people were still busy eating, the corridors were nearly empty. I continued walking when, after a few moments, I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Unease settled in the pit of my stomach.
I turned a corner, and suddenly a powerful hand shot out of nowhere and grabbed my wrist. The large hand covered my mouth to keep me from screaming.
What the hell!
The arm in front of me wasn’t human. Dark fur covered it. I could see sharp claws gleaming at the fingertips.
Before I could protest or fight, I was yanked into my room. The door slammed shut behind us with a powerful kick. My pulse hammered against my ribs.
The beast removed his hand from my mouth, and I spun around. He was enormous. Far taller than a normal Lycan. His fiery orange eyes were staring down at me.
And I?
Instead of screaming or panicking, I stared back.
"Y...you ..." I gulped hard, "I k...know you, you saved... my life... right? You..." he didn’t let me finish.
One second, I was standing there, and the next I was swept off my feet. A startled gasp escaped me as he lifted me off the ground until my face was leveled with his chest, and then his massive arms clutched me tightly to his big, warm, furry body.
His embrace was so tight that I could barely move. Almost as if he were afraid I might disappear.