For the first time in years…
I slept.
Not the restless kind of sleep where every creak outside my door made me jolt awake.
Not the exhausted sleep that came after working until my body could barely stand.
Real sleep.
Peaceful sleep.
The kind where your body finally believes it’s safe.
Soft morning light filtered through the curtains, warming my face.
I blinked awake slowly, confused for a moment.
Where was I?
I bolted upright, my heart racing.
Then I saw the room.
The wardrobe.
The bookshelves.
The flowers on the bedside table.
The curtains dancing gently in the summer breeze.
The memory of yesterday flooded back.
The Compound.
Tony.
Nelly.
Home.
A smile spread across my face before I could stop it.
“I’m really here…” I whispered the words into the empty room, almost afraid saying them too loudly would somehow make everything disappear.
I looked at the clock beside my bed.
Nearly ten.
My eyes widened.
“I slept in!” I’d never slept that late before.
At the old pack, if I wasn’t awake before sunrise, Luna Rosanne would drag me out of bed by my hair.
More than once she’d thrown a bucket of freezing water over me for being ‘lazy’ even after I’d worked until midnight.
The thought barely lingered before it was chased away by another one.
I didn’t have to go back.
Ever.
I threw my legs out of bed and laughed as my feet sank into the thick rug beneath me.
Even the floor was soft.
Everything here seemed designed to make people comfortable.
I wandered over to the wardrobe and opened it.
Rows of clean clothes waited inside.
Still impossible to believe they were mine.
I ran my fingers across the fabrics, smiling to myself.
Maybe later I’d ask Tony if I could help with washing or folding clothes.
I didn’t want people thinking I expected everything to be handed to me.
Old habits were difficult to forget.
My eyes landed on another door tucked beside the wardrobe.
The bathroom.
I’d almost forgotten.
My very own bathroom.
Curiosity got the better of me.
I pushed the door open.
“Oh…”.
It was beautiful.
White tiles.
A large mirror.
A sink that actually shone.
Fresh fluffy towels folded neatly on a shelf.
And the biggest shower I’d ever seen.
I turned the handle experimentally.
Water burst from above, hot water.
Real hot water.
I stared in amazement.
Then, unable to stop myself, I laughed.
“You’ve got to be kidding.” Back at the old pack, I washed in the lake.
Even in winter.
The water had been so cold it made my skin ache.
If I was lucky, I got five minutes before someone shouted for me to get back to work.
Here…
Nobody was rushing me.
I peeled off yesterday’s clothes and stepped beneath the spray.
Warm water poured over my head.
I gasped.
It was heavenly.
I closed my eyes and simply stood there, letting the water wash away the dirt, dried blood and lingering scent of my old life.
The shampoo smelled of apples and wildflowers.
I squeezed a little into my hand.
The rich lather surprised me.
I’d only ever used cheap soap before.
Never shampoo.
Never conditioner.
Never anything that smelled this nice.
By the time I’d finished, my hair felt impossibly soft.
I must have stayed beneath the water for half an hour.
Maybe longer.
Eventually, with great reluctance, I turned the shower off.
Steam curled around the room as I wrapped myself in one of the huge towels.
It was softer than the blanket I’d slept with my entire childhood.
I walked over to the mirror.
It was completely fogged.
Curious, I wiped a circle through the mist with my hand.
A girl looked back at me.
Dark hair hung damp around her shoulders.
Her cheeks were flushed pink from the heat.
Tiny freckles dusted the bridge of her nose.
There were scars too.
One above my eyebrow.
Another near my collarbone.
Faint white lines scattered across my arms.
Proof of years spent surviving.
I’d seen them before.
But I’d never really looked.
Slowly…
Tentatively…
I smiled.
The girl in the mirror smiled back.
I frowned.
Then smiled wider.
It looked…
Different.
Lighter.
My eyes sparkled in a way I’d never noticed before.
A strange feeling welled up inside me.
Not excitement.
Not relief.
Something gentler.
Warmer.
Happiness.
Real happiness.
I placed my fingertips against the cool glass.
“So…” I whispered.
“This is what happiness looks like.” A tear escaped before I could stop it.
This time…
It wasn’t a sad tear.
I quickly got dressed in some new, clean clothes.
jeans, a vest top and oversized hoodie.
I turned sideways in the mirror and sighed dramatically.
The hoodie practically swallowed me whole.
I’d spent so many years wearing Jace’s old hand-me-downs that I’d almost forgotten girls wore clothes made for girls.
Maybe one day i’d learn how to be a girl there was a sharp knock at the door.
“Little Tiger?” Tony’s familiar voice echoed through the room.
“You decent?” I smiled.
“I am now.” Opening the door, I found Tony standing in the corridor with Jace beside him.
The moment I looked at Jace…
Something strange happened.
A scent drifted towards me.
Fresh rain.
Pine trees.
And something warm I couldn’t quite place.
It wrapped around me before I even realised I was breathing it in.
I blinked.
Why had I never noticed that before?
I frowned slightly.
Then it hit me.
My wolf.
Yesterday I’d gained my wolf.
Everything smelled stronger now.
I’d heard wolves talking about scent compatibility before.
It was supposed to be one of the ways wolves recognised someone they were naturally drawn to.
Heat crept into my cheeks.
Oh no.
Did…
Did Jace smell different because of my wolf?
Or…
Did I smell different to him?
Could he smell me too?
I suddenly became painfully aware that my hair was still damp.
That I’d used shampoo.
That I probably smelled completely different than I had yesterday.
Before I could overthink it any further…
Jace smiled.
“Morning.” He tilted his head slightly.
“You smell really nice.” My face instantly felt as if it had turned red.
He noticed!
Then common sense slapped me across the head.
Of course he noticed.
I’d just spent half an hour washing with shampoo for the first time in my life.
It wasn’t me.
It was the shampoo.
It had to be.
Tony glanced between us with the tiniest hint of amusement before clearing his throat.
“Dinner’s ready.” He grinned.
“Think I’d better rescue the kitchen before Peter eats everything.” He started walking down the corridor.
“I’ll see you both downstairs.” Jace waited until Tony disappeared around the corner before looking back at me.
“You coming?” I nodded quickly.
“Yeah.” As we walked side by side down the wooden hallway, I found myself stealing another tiny breath.
He still smelled like rain.
Weird.
Maybe wolves really did have natural scents.
I was definitely going to have to ask him about that later.
There was so much about being a wolf that nobody had ever taught me.
And for the first time in my life…
I couldn’t wait to learn.