“I can’t even begin to imagine everything you’ve been through, Kas. I have so much respect for you, as does Bronx. You’ve gone through things that no one should ever have to endure and you did it alone… for years. Your wolf wasn’t even awake to support you through any of it. The mental fortitude that must have taken is unreal. To me, you are a superhero”
She shakes her head and pauses as she composes herself.
She wipes a tear from her eye and sniffs.
“Kas, if you choose to stay with Bronx as his mate and I really hope you do, I will be proud to call you my Luna and my sister. So will the rest of the pack, when they hear your story. You’re the perfect example of what we re taught growing up. Those scars don’t show a weakness you should be ashamed of. They show strength you should be proud of.”
Man, does she have a way with words?
Suddenly, I am not self-conscious anymore.
I undress and she helps me get in the hot, bubbly tub.
The water almost comes up to my shoulders, so I’m pretty covered.
The water feels so good against my skin.
“I put in some oatmeal bath to help soothe your skin.” She smiles.
“Thanks.
It feels amazing.
The only time I have ever gotten a bath is when I was in the hospital wing at Silver Moon.
Unless you count the times I got pushed into the pool at the packhouse.” I say, adding, “Oh, but don’t worry – the pool isn’t that deep.”
Lenora’s face looks concerned, but she doesn’t say anything.
She lets me soak in the relaxing water for a bit as we get to know each other.
She can’t believe I’ve never seen a movie in a theater or gone to a concert.
I can’t believe she has never used a stove before.
I laugh and tell her I would love to teach her some easy things she can make for her and Milo to have a quiet night in.
O
After I’m cleaned up, she wraps me in a towel so big and fluffy it almost wraps around me twice.
Then she leads me to a vanity to dry my hair.
“Lenora, did you say sister, earlier? When you were talking about my scars?”
“Oh, yeah. I’m Bronx’s sister. Milo is Bronx’s best friend, which is how he became Beta. I’m his mate, so I became Beta too.”
“Whoa. You mean sister, sister, like the same parents, sister? And he was okay with his best friend being your mate? Wasn’t it awkward?”
“Yep, same parents sister. And Milo being my mate went over like lead balloons. I turned seventeen about six months after Bronx became Alpha. I came out of my room the morning of my birthday and blamo! Milo walked by smelling like strawberries and lemonade. The rest was history.” She gently pulls the brush through my sparkling hair.
“Speaking of birthdays, you said you had to hide your wolf from your pack. When exactly did you turn seventeen? It seems like your wolf must be new to you.”
“June twentieth. I never knew exactly when my birthday was until this year when she woke up.”
I look at how sparkly my hair is without dirt or blood on it.
It makes my violet eyes stand out even more.
Lenora notices me admiring myself.
“So, what’s up with the hair and eyes anyway?”
“Well, my wolf Elexis, I call her Lex. Lex says it’s because the Moon Goddess is my mother. Not like, the Moon Goddess is the mother of all werewolves, but like, she actually thinks the Moon Goddess gave birth to me.”
“What?” Lenora looks at me through the mirror.
I just shrug.
“I don’t know. Obviously, she’s confused, but I never met my mother. The man who they called my father was a rogue. He was killed before they realized I was in his jacket. There is no proof he was even actually my dad.”
“Huh, a mystery.” She says with a smile as I change into the clothes I picked out.
“Let’s get you back to your mate. Based on how many times he has mind linked me since we’ve been in here, I know he’s anxious to spend time with you”.
<<<<<<<<<<
We come out of the bathroom to find Bronx watching TV in the sitting area.
He stands up when he hears the bathroom door open.
When he turns around, he freezes.
“Oh my Goddess.” He says under his breath.
He gulps as he stares at me.
“She cleans up nice, huh?” Lenora smiles.
“Uh, yeah, I- uh, stun – that – I.” He’s not able to make a full sentence as he stares at me.
“You know what, I’m just gonna go.” Lenora says over my shoulder as she points to the door.
She gives me a thumbs up and a wink as she leaves.
I stand where she left me, not sure what to do with my hands.
“Waannnaaa… watch TV with me?” Bronx points behind him at the television.
“Sure.” I tentatively walk over to the sofa.
He takes my hand causing little sparks where he touches me and gently pulls me down onto the seat next to him.
“Is this okay? Sitting next to me like this? I should’ve asked first.”
“Yeah, it’s fine.” I feel myself blushing.
“What do you like to watch?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never had time to watch television.”
“Hmmm, homework and mental breakdowns.”
“Oh crap, I’m sorry, I didn-”
“It’s okay, Bronx. I’m teasing you. I mean honestly though, all I know about is cooking, baking, and stocking pantries… and homework.” I look at him from the side of my eye with a smirk on my face.
“Okay, smart aleck. Cooking and baking. I can work with that. We have like three cooking channels.” He flips the station to a cooking competition show called Chopped.
The chefs are given boxes of ingredients.
They don’t know what’s inside until the timer starts and they have to make up a meal using all the ingredients.
Bronx gets up to make popcorn as I describe what I would make with the ingredients for each course.
By the time we’re on the third episode, I think I’m addicted.
The dessert rounds are my favorite.
“Kas, were you the one who made dinner for the formal party at Silver Moon? The first night I was there.” He asks, with an air of sudden realization.
“Yeah, I made breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day at Silver Moon. Did you like the beef Wellington at the party?”
“Like it? It was the best dinner I ever had. That means you made the killer key lime pie too, right? Before I found you going into my room, I was going to ask the Alpha who the chef was so we could use them for some of our formal events.”
“Well, I’m at your service. Parties big and small, I cook ’em all!”
He smiles and puts his arm over my shoulders, pulling me closer.
I gladly snuggle up next to him.
Seriously, how is this my life right now?
There’s no way it’s real.
I’m not sure when I fell asleep, but I wake up in the morning tucked in bed.
Bronx isn’t next to me or sleeping on the couch.
It makes me feel a bit empty inside.
I slide out of bed and see a note on the nightstand.
Kas,
A couple of pack things came up.
Lenora will take you to the mall.
Have a good time!
Bronx!.