I WAS HAVING A HARD TIME getting the strenuous dress past my waist. It did in fact stick to me as a glove would, except this glove barely allowed my fractured body any oxygen.
I was unaware of how much time I've spent trying not to tear the material but once it was on, every injured part of my body screamed for release. It was not a pleasant situation. I took a seat at the edge of the bed and tried zipping it but after a few failed attempts gave up.
The knock that came from outside the door was a reminder of how long I'm taking. "Miss Lydia?"
I held the dress together from behind and stood at the wall, "Yes?"
"Are you having a hard time? Must I enter?" I made out the voice to belong to Jason.
"Uhm, well…" I furrowed my brows, "Must you have to? Sorry, but I am not ready. The zipper will make an effort to move—"
Jason pushed the door open before I could finish, "Don't worry I won't peek—" He started, yet still entered with opened eyes, "My oh my…" He held his chin, his teeth between his lips as he examined me, "I must say without being covered in blood, you're quite a catch."
I hugged the dress tighter to me. "Thank you…? Though I actually think I prefer the blood covered clothes. It's far more comfortable, not to mention not…green."
Jason's squeaky chuckles filled the room. He bent his knees and hugged his stomach as he laughed, "Ha! Well you're…different. I like that." He walked closer and signaled his index for me to turn my back to him.
I glanced to my side and noticed him staring at me. Jason was not a huge guy but still he was taller than me. "Geez, how little you are." I knew he was smirking without even looking at him.
He brushed my hands away and squeezed the zipper with one hand while holding the slit together with his other. "You may not be around for too long." He whispered but I happened to hear it.
"Huh?"
He rocked the stuck zipper up and down, "Hear it this way. Small girl a little too far from home and surrounded and alone with wolves. You're going to be the main dish around that table, sweetheart, and they're certainly going to have a feast. Newcomers to the pack…" He tutted, "You're dead, tiny."
I balled my fists to my side. "I'm stronger than you think, Jason."
"Aren't you now?" He finally got hold of the zip and slid it closed, "Heh, this is all too exciting."
The dress I wore was dark green with black vine patterns where it flared. It hugged tightly especially at my chest and waist further down to my thighs but went free to my feet. The sleeves were off my shoulders and the fabric continued to flow to the floor.
I passed my palms down the dress at my waist and turned to him. "Why is that?"
He shook his head after silence, "I can only wish you best of luck once down there." He placed his hand behind me and removed the cloth which I had my hair tied with, allowing it to flow down my back and over my shoulders.
"Shall we?" Jason placed his hand on his hip so I could put my hand through. I obeyed and followed silently behind, a lump of slight dread forming in my throat.
I kept my head low the entire distance, not realizing that we came to stop only until Jason spoke.
He was about to touch my pulse but I flinched.
"I can hear your pulse reacting. You possess a stern face but you are frightened." Jason rested his palm on the door in front of him, "We're here. Breathe." He linked our arms again when he pushed the door open.
My body went up in heat, there were eyes on me. A lot of eyes. Dark and cold, dilating and targeting. Out to kill. I unclenched my now sweaty palms. I ceased to move under their eyes, just like a target it felt as though if I were to move I'd be attacked.
I allowed Jason at my side to lead me on, not wanting to look up from the floor.
"Wolves, our new ally…" I heard Lucian's deep voice say, "Miss Lydia. She will eat with us."
I subconsciously glanced up at him, meeting his dark fiery eyes for a second too long and immediately bowed my head again.
"Here. I'll be the opposite to you." Jason whispered to me when he dragged out a chair and I took a seat, surrounded and trapped within a table filled with wolves. I was but a single prey that everyone lied their eyes upon.
'A new ally.' There was whispering about this of course but the wolves did not question him. They respected their Alpha.
"Does the girl not speak? Bowing her head at the table, what disrespect." Someone called at me and I glanced up to see the face behind the voice.
A woman leaned forward at the table, twirling her knife between her fingers with an eyebrow raised in my direction, "Hmm?" She hummed.
"Sorry I'm not sure what there is to be said." I murmured and she clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth.
"Why do you speak in your throat, girl?"
I ached to reply to her but what I wanted to say would cause me trouble.
"I apologize, miss. I am not my well self, forgive me." It was not a place where I could afford to get defensive.
The woman was set into another conversation with a man beside her and I was thankful. As the wolves talked amongst themselves I remained with my head low, almost touching the table.
"Food is here. Look sharp, you may not bow your head while others are eating. It's considered disrespectful." Jason knocked his leg to mine and I did what he said, raising my chin right after.
Both a man and a woman walked slowly to the table, the platter they held up in their arms weighing. There was slight movement in the girl's wrist, trembling from the thick pieces of meat the platter held. They placed the platters on the table which consisted of large rounded pieces of tenderloin beef and ribs.
I gulped, surprised by how many servings of food and meat were in front of me. To myself so much meat could be impossible to eat but one serving but to the wolves, they ravaged and feasted. Seeing them in action made me a little uncomfortable, after all it was the sight I envisioned the brutal attacks of wolves to be like in father's stories.
He said they can bite through any layers of flesh, silencing your screams by only a quick movement of their canines against their throat.
I gulped and ran my palms down my neck despite being told to look sharp. I continued to stare down at my hands intertwined on my thighs.
"Soup for our new lady, please Vivien."
I raised my head from his mention of myself, catching his eyes once again but this time it felt as though we were staring at each other for hours. His eyes had that effect. 'Soup.' I reminded myself of what he said, 'Right, he noticed that I wasn't eating.'
I did not have an appetite and that is due to all the things that have happened recently.
He dropped the bone in his hands and wiped the residue from his mouth, a small but noticeable smirk at his lips.
I licked mine and broke eye contact, a weird feeling of emptiness inside once I freed myself from his grasp over my mind and possibly my body. Before I bowed my head again Phelicia's grip on his bicep wasn't left unnoticed.
"Must she, really?" I heard her whisper to him followed by the breath she let out when she scoffed.
I heard the cling of the metal bowl against the table and lifted the spoon from my side. I did not have an appetite but I was still hungry, it didn't matter what it tasted like, I was just hungry. It's when the steaming savory broth touched my tongue I realized how starved I was. My body was glad I was feeding it something other than coffee so I couldn't stop eating.
*Bang*
"Alpha Lucian!" The door slammed and knocked against the wall, alarming the table.