Vladimir:
"How are you feeling?" I asked, and she smiled, looking down at her feet, avoiding my eyes as she took a deep breath.
"I am good. I slept for a while, the ladies who helped me in the morning and last night were very kind to me. They were patient even," she said, and I nodded. The maids and nuses knew the situation beforehand, they knew to respect her the way that they would respect any of the pack members. Her being our guest was one thing, but her being in pain was a whole other. And the fact that I knew that Bianca would have spoken to them, let them in on more than she should wasn't something that I could deny.
It came to my benefit, yes. Of course, the woman was far too naïve to understand what was going on right under her nose. Maybe she did, or maybe she was just scared of how things were going to be. Either way, I knew not to press on her as I got to now her.
"Thank you for showing me this kindness, I don't know what I did to deserve it, but I will forever be in your debt for it." She said, keeping her eyes on her feet. It was as if she was trained to act the way that she was. Maybe she was punished more than once for it. Maybe it was the way she was forced to act. Regardless, it was a manner that I appreciated about her. I knew that she would need time to regain her strength, but at least I knew that she had some respect for others.
"You don't need to be in my debt for it. What I did, I told you, you are my guest. You came to my pack and I saw you in pain, I wasn't going to leave you in such a situation." I said, and she smiled as she looked down at her feet, avoiding my eyes. "Do you want to roam around the pack for a bit? I know that you are going to need to take it easy for your wounds to heal. But I doubt that you would need to stay in all day."
I looked down at the dress that she was wearing, it was one that my sister didn't wear. It was even new, just a little small in size on her.
"I would love to. But I am not sure if I'm allowed." She said, looking up at me. Her eyes seemed more hopeful, alive even, and for one second, I could swear that she let walls drop to some extend. I could be wrong, but it was the way that interpreted what was going on between us. "I don't want to upset the doctor after all the work that she put up for me."
"With me being the Alpha, I am curious about who would be the one stopping you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her. A small smile formed on her lips and her heart raced against her chest as I knew that she wanted to tell that she wanted to do this, but she was more worried about Bianca's reaction than her own health. "Come on, I think that it is about time that the two of us got to talk about what I wanted to tell you. We can do it while walking around outside, don't you think?"
She took a deep breath and nodded. I smiled and extended a hand to her, guiding her to where to go. The two of us walked out of the house, I didn't plan on us going anywhere that was far. She was in no state for that anyway.
Her eyes scanned her perimeter, as if sucking in everything that she saw, admiring the colors, and for a second, I couldn't help but find myself wondering how much she struggled. Being herself and in her pack, with a man like Marcus as Alpha, I couldn't help but wonder why she was as broken and torn apart as she was. What did they make her suffer?
"How did you find the pack? I know that you haven't met anyone aside from the nurses and maids, but it is only a matter of time before that changes. My question is how you found it as a first impression." I said, and she smiled, looking around the almost empty pack house. Most of the pack members were either at work or tending to their errands. The younglings were at school or university, depending on their levels, and considering that it wasn't a holiday, some were even studying abroad. The pack was almost considered empty. And at this point, I knew that it was a good thing. I wasn't sure if she would be able to handle the pack being full or with more members around, either looking at her or trying to figure her out.
I wanted her to be able to stand on her feet, and that wasn't going to happen if she was going to be everyone's center of attention. She wouldn't able to process anything of what was going on around her. I knew that for fact.
"I like it a lot. Everyone around is very friendly, and they are willing to spare me a second glance. You know, with not knowing anything here or anyone, and the clothes, everything is just dreamy." She said, and I smiled. She wrapped her hand around her arm, gently massaging it, as if assuring herself, maybe even reminding herself that she was living this, that it wasn't a dream.
"I can assume that you don't intend to go back to your old pack?" I asked, and she looked away from me. Her heart raced, and her once calm demeanor seemed to escape her almost instantly. The woman became more aware of her surroundings as if worried that something might end up harming her.
"They would neither look for or miss me anyway. I might as well not fake knowing it." She said, and though I didn't find the right words to say, I couldn't help but chew the inside of my mouth, knowing that this was something beyond her. She was in pain, and I knew that she was trying not to reflect that pain.
"Well, considering that as a case, you know that you staying here, being the Alpha's step daughter, can be an issue for me." I said, making the woman frown in confusion. She went to take a step back, but I shook my head, raising my hands in both assurance and somewhat surrender, silently letting her know that I wasn't going to hurt her.
"I didn't mean…"
"I don't want you to be scared,"
"But I don't want to cause you trouble. I can leave if you want. You don't have to worry about me, and I promise that I will not say a word about staying here. I don't want you to be hurt when you were very kind to me, all of you." She said, and I smiled.
"I don't want you to leave, Audrey." I said, making her frown in confusion.
"But you just said that it can cause you trouble. It is going to be safer for you and your pack if I left. You wouldn't want to be dealing with the fuss for an omega like myself. I know that for fact." She said, and I hummed in response.
Her innocence was something that I couldn't help but find myself admiring. The woman didn't even know me and yet, she was not only concerned about the pack's safety, but she couldn't even relate that nothing was done for free. Only being my mate, her price was going to be paid differently. But I doubt that she knew that she was my mate to begin with.
"True, you being here, me inviting you here, is going to cause a little problem when dealing with Marcus. The man is not exactly the best alley, but the two of us coming to terms would be in my favor." I said, and she frowned as the two of us stopped walking.
Her eyes met mine and I couldn't help but find myself admiring her gentle gaze, despite how broken her emerald green eyes showed her to be. I didn't know how much pain she had endured, but I knew for fact that it was not easy for her. They had made her suffer, one could tell by just looking at her.
"I don't understand?" She asked, finally voicing out her words as she kept her eyes on mine. I smiled as I took a step toward her, my body towering over hers. She looked up at me, and I had to fight the urge to look down at her lips as her heart raced.
"What I mean is; I want you to marry me." I said, making the woman take a step back. "As the daughter of your pack Luna, and step daughter of Alpha Marcus, I would like you to be my wife…"