Time might not heal everything, but it did heal me physically.
Another week went by, I was feeling better than I ever had.
I made sure to stick to the diet Estrella had designed for me. I went to every doctor’s appointment and did the light exercise of walking regularly to make me stronger. I wasn’t one hundred percent there yet, but I was improving steadily everyday.
I was surprised by how fast I recovered when I put my efforts in. Then again, I bore Alpha blood.
Since there was no way for me to look back, I persuaded myself to feel better about the situation. By the time this was done and over with, I would be in a much better place. I would be healthier, and I would have freedom.
It was an hour after I had my dinner. I looked out of the window and saw the evening sky casting shadows across the pack grounds. This was the only leisure time I was given every day outside of my busy treatment schedule.
I took a book from the library to the small reading nook of my room. The maids had come in earlier and lit the small fire. I was grateful for it. The warmth felt amazing against my skin.
A knock at the door drew my attention. I saw two of the maids whose visits I was accustomed walking in with an older woman.
“Rosalie, I am here to prepare you,” she stated, as if she was in charge.
“I’m sorry... Prepare me for what occasion? I don’t think we have met,” I said hesitantly and stood up, walking towards them.
“I am Mrs. White, the head maid of the estate. The Alpha sent me to make sure you were prepared for the evening.”
Her words confused me further. It wasn’t until I watched the woman disappear into the bathroom to run a bath that I realized what she meant.
Tonight was the night.
He was coming to claim me!
The book in my hand fell to the floor. I hurriedly picked it up and tried to cover my nervousness.
Once in a while, my thoughts went to Alpha Ethan. As time went by, the fear of him had slowly faded away.
I had been fine up until this point because he hadn’t been around. After the first night I arrived here, he seemed to have totally forgotten about me.
Our first encounter seemed so long ago that I even questioned whether it was real… until now.
Time seemed to slow down as I took a seat back on my chair.
The maids were drawing me a floral bath.They didn’t even pay attention to me, and I felt like I was an outsider watching the movements they were making. It wasn’t until the bath was ready that Mrs. White gestured for me to follow her.
“The only job you have here is to bear a child.” His words echoed in my head.
To him, it was just a job, and I was nothing more than a container he bought to carry his heir.
Hot water swirled around me, and I soaked in the fresh, natural-scented liquid. The warmth seeped into my muscles. It was relaxing, and gave me time to consider everything that was happening.
The rest of the maids were lighting up candles. The flickering candle lights gave a soft orange glow to the room, while the scent of cedar and vanilla danced around my nose. It immediately made the large and empty suite feel warmer and more inviting.
It was getting dark outside, and the colorful clouds far away at the edge of the sky started to dim. Oh, and the moon... I wondered when it would be dark enough for me to see it so that I could pray to the moon goddess.
It was a perfect night as any girl could dream if as her first night with her mate. However, the man I was going to lose my virginity to was someone who didn’t need a mate. The only purpose he would have here tonight would be to leave a child in my belly. And once he took what I held dear, he would never have anything to do with me again.
No love, no feeling, only business.
This thought made my heart tighten and broke a piece of my soul.
However, this was the commitment I made. I accepted being his breeder.
No matter how much I had been mentally preparing for this night, I could not stop tears welling up as I tried to let the reality of things sink in.
“It’s going to be okay,” I whispered to myself as I sunk deeper into the water.
It was my choice, and I could do this.
“It’s time to get dressed.”
The voice of one of the maids made me look towards the door, and I saw her standing there with a white towel in hand.
“We must hurry. The Alpha will be here soon.”
Trembling, I stood from the bath, the cool air hitting my skin. She didn’t hesitate to come toward me and wrap the towel around my body, ushering me to move toward the bedroom. Upon the bed sat white lingerie that had been hand-picked for me to wear.
The camisole was silky and… thin. The empire waist with a delicate lace at the bottom edge made the simple design look pure and elegant, but I couldn’t help but feel vulnerable in the outfit. It was so thin that I could see completely through it, and the fact that it hugged what curves I had made me feel distasteful—as if I was a lady of the night.
I couldn’t wear this!
Trembling in fear, I felt ashamed to look the way I did. Humiliated, even, to think that I was presenting myself to the Alpha in such an attire.
Looking at myself in the mirror. I didn’t even feel like the girl I had been before. Long hair, silky skin—but my cheeks were no longer tinted pink like they should have been. I was ashen with fear.
Nervousness filled me, and I knew there would be no way to hide it. Not when my face spoke for how I felt.
“You look beautiful,” one of the maids said to me when she was done with preparing me. “The Alpha will be pleased.”
It was then that I realized that they didn’t give me any panties!
Ethan’s piercing eyes and his perfectly handsome face appeared in my head again. I remembered when his fingers touched my face… those slender fingers that could also easily strangle me.
The cold seeped into my bones, and the chattering of my teeth could be heard throughout the room. I was shaking not just from the cold, but also with fear.
The fear that Ethan created within me.
I was about to lose my virtue… but it meant nothing to the man who was about to take it.
The maid noticed me shaking, and quickly picked up a white silk robe that had been laying on the back of a chair. She carefully draped it over my shoulders to help bring me some warmth.
“...Thank you,” I said with hesitation as I watched them all turn and leave.
Tick, tick, tick. I could hear the clock.
Thud, thud, thud. My heart was so loud.
“I can do this… I can do this,” I kept chanting to myself.
Ten months and a child, and then I would be free to start over somewhere new.
Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale… I could do this.
I heard the sound of the door opening, and spun around, coming face to face with the most handsome man I had ever seen.
Alpha Ethan.
He was as gorgeous as when I met him last time. The black dress shirt he wore was tucked into the top of his pants, and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He didn’t wear a tie, and the top button of his shirt was open.
A chilly wind entered the room along with him, and the temperature seemed to have dropped suddenly. Even the warm candlelight couldn’t soften his cold aura.
As soon as he walked in, he quickly glanced around the room. Then his eyes locked on me.
I couldn’t tell what emotions they held. They were clear, but cold as ice—just like him.
“Alpha...” I stuttered, trying to find my words.
What was he going to do…? Well, I knew what was his plan… but what was I supposed to do?
I stood there, and didn’t even know where to put my arms.
Ethan came towards me, looming overhead like a mountain.
I didn't dare look at his face and instead lowered my eyes, watching him get closer and closer to me until he enveloped my entire body in his shadow.
We were so close that I could even feel his warm body temperature through my thin robe.
Everything was quiet, and I heard my heart pounding.
It was too difficult to even breathe. Subconsciously, I took a step back.
At that moment, he suddenly moved, reaching for me.
I was frozen in place, eyes shut.
Then I felt his fingers brush over my shoulder. The silky robe slowly slipped off me.
My heart filled with dread as I thought about how I looked in his eyes right now. My body was trembling, my eyes were closed, and my face felt like it was on fire.
"Please..." My voice was broken and shaky.
I didn't know what I was afraid of, nor did I know what I was expecting to happen.
I couldn’t think straight, especially when his scent was surrounding me. It was psychedelic and wild.
"On the bed." he commanded, right in my ear.
Godess, his voice was so intoxicating. It made my heart tremble with every word.
I fought back my shyness, opened my eyes, and made my way towards the bed.
The bed was soft and comfortable, just like Estrella had told me before.
Even sitting on the fleece blanket, I still felt cold. A shiver slowly overtook me and caused goosebumps to rise across my body.
I knew what he was here for.
Even though I had been preparing myself mentally for the past couple weeks, when the moment really came, it was still much harder than I thought.
As I laid myself flat in the middle of the bed, I obediently closed my eyes, trying to focus my mind on breathing exercises to calm my racing mind. The next moment, I felt a slight bounce from the bed. He was next to me!
My heart beat wildly and my fingers clutched the blanket beneath me.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I found his eyes locked with my own, and a soft gasp left my lips. His large hands quickly came up to claim my wrists, pinning them to the bed above my head.
At that moment, I realized he was fully dressed, while I was almost completely naked.
I was bare to him!
Shame filled me.
The dim light was no longer enticing or warm—instead, it felt so blinding.
As his hot fingers slid downward, I thought I would have a heart attack..
I couldn’t stop the shaking that ran through me, and I was too afraid to keep my eyes open. With my eyes closed again, I prayed for it to be over.
However, as soon as I closed them, I regretted it.
The weight and heat pressing down on my body reminded me of the nightmare that Derek brought me. Derek’s greedy face was what I saw in my mind—my tormentor was back.
The romantic atmosphere in this room seemed to be just an illusion. The bed under me was suffocating, and the man above me…
No! He wasn’t Derek! Derek wasn’t here!
I bit my lips hard and tried to relax my body, but my emotions took over, and my effort was useless.
Bitterness and terror brought tears to my eyes, and when they arrived, I couldn’t stop them any more. I felt warm liquid dripping down my cheeks, and dropped on the blanket under me.
“No...”
Despair and fear swept over me. It qs like in the deepest nightmare, I could only make the faintest sound with all my might.
"No..."