He Shaved Them

**BLANCA**

“Max…” I whisper, snuggling deep into the soft scent of him when I wake. But my head aches something awful and when I open my eyes, it’s not Max laying beneath my cheek, but his couch.

*Oh.*

*Well at least I’m still in his suite.*

“Blanca?” A soft barely familiar voice finds me from somewhere behind my head and for a moment I’m nervous.

The events of that afternoon come crashing back with a vengeance and my body suddenly goes rigid with fear. My muscles lock, all except for my hands that are slowly but surely attempting to hide my face in Max’s blanket that covers me.

“Blanca!” A giggle and then that female from the kitchens is standing before me wearing a welcoming smile.

*Oh! I remember you.* “Diana?”

She grins easily, nodding and causing her little brown ponytail to bounce joyfully behind her head. “Are you feeling better? I heard you calling out for the Alpha in your sleep,” she says shyly, her grin tinkering from a half smile to full. “You did it a lot, actually…”

*Oh… Max won’t like that.*

“W-where is he? The Alpha?” I ask, carefully sitting up when it feels like my brain is bouncing around in my head.

Her face falls, her fingers coming apart to steeple and pull at her hips. As if she is nervous, as if she doesn’t want to tell me.

But why would that be? I am nothing to him as far as she’s concerned. “He’s not here, is he?” I ask sadly, the ache in my head suddenly becoming worse for the knowledge.

She shakes her head. “No. Um… he went out with his fiancee. Fiona.”

A pulse of pain, acute and absolute, rides over my entire body so shrewdly that I am forced to grit my teeth against it. My heart palpitates and with every beat it feels as if I have bled a little inside. My face emanates heat, burning my eyes and filling the horrid little traitors with more tears that slowly leak beyond my control, traipsing down my face like little drops of surrender.

*I am done with this pain! I am so through with it!*

*Moon Goddess, do you hear me? I am DONE!*

“He really left me here…” I whisper to myself, despite that I am not alone.

“Oh dear!” Diana frets, stepping close so that she can kneel in front of me. Her eyes are a warm brown that are welcoming and friendly, so I try for a smile although I feel anything but happy. “He’s your mate, isn’t he?”

Tensing up, I can’t help it when my entire body seizes and my lip remains clamped shut. I do not answer her, although I almost want to, suddenly feeling like stirring the pot and putting an extra dose of salt in the Alpha Max brew that everyone has been drinking.

Diana watches me carefully, her sisterly smile turning down in a frown. “Oh dear,” she clucks her tongue, straightening and worrying her hands in front of her apron. “Well,” she sighs. “I don’t know who that man thinks he’s fooling. Anyone with half a brain can see that he’s besotted with you.”

“Besotted?”

She nods, humming, “Mmhmm. It means he’s a goner.”

“Quite literally he is. As in, he left," I say weakly. The bastard. “He doesn’t care about me. You are wrong.”

A sharp laugh escapes her lips as she moves toward the kitchen table to retrieve a bowl and spoon. “Oh he *cares* alright. And he’s not the only one. You should have seen the pair of them arguing over you while you slept. The Alpha and Beta were practically pissing around the couch.”

I can’t help but giggle at that. “Jared is a sweetheart.”

“That he is,” Diana agrees. “Here is some broth for you. Doc Maize’s orders.” She meets my dubious gaze with a reassuring wink. “Not to worry. I had Jared fetch the ingredients from the pack pantry and I made it myself right here in this room. So it’s safe.”

I wipe my tears away, accepting the soup and taking my first sip, then I gaze up at her with a grateful smile. “It’s delicious.”

She beams at me. “My mama taught me that recipe. She used to call it, “Cure Soup’. It’s basically just chicken stock and healing herbs, but growing up I always thought it was magic.”

The broth definitely feels like it’s helping, every sip seems to flow through my body like a current of warmth. “I never got to thank you for what you tried to do for me today. In the kitchens.”

She nods, face grim. “I’ve never seen anything like that before. I mean - Hilda’s always been demanding and rough, but until today, I never knew that she was cruel. It was disgusting and I swear as I watched it happening I heard a little voice in my head telling me to fetch the Alpha. That he wouldn’t like them hurting you. So I listened to it… and I ran for him.”

*Wow.*

“A little voice?”

She nods, her face pinching. “I know what that sounds like and I swear I’m not one to hear voices or go crazy! But today… I did hear one and it was female.”

I shake my head, the sadness around my heart melting a bit at her words.

*Maybe the Moon Goddess hasn’t forgotten her promise after all.*

*I truly hope this is true.*

“You should know… that the Alpha has already punished them for what they tried to do.” She shrugs, her lips quirking, “Well, the *females* anyway. I get the feeling Gamma Finn is in charge of Rolfe’s punishment. Alpha Max has demoted Hilda.” She smiles shyly “-he did it before he left with-” her eyes cut away ‘-with *her.* He gave me Hilda’s job and gave her mine. But that’s not all.”

I ignore ‘her’ comment, my eyes widening with curiosity. “What do you mean? What else?”

Now she looks positively radiant, placing a hand over her mouth as she giggles. “He shaved them. Their heads. All three of them. They’re bald.”

*Oh…my…Goddess…*

*Max.*