Chapter 103
I follow Madilyn upstairs and call to her to stop in the med room her dad has me staying in. I grab a bottle of water from the fridge and pour her a drink of it in one of the small cups I find in the room before digging into the medication that’s sitting on the desk.
I pull my new meds out of the bag, placing the Singulair on the desk with the antibiotic, steroid, silver binder and Vicodin that I’m on. I grab one of each before popping them all in my mouth and drinking them down. Next I pull out the Trelegy. I uncap it, place it in my mouth and inhale deeply, triggering the medication to release. I hold my breath ten seconds before exhaling and putting that on the desk as well. I pocket one of the rescue inhalers before slipping my feet into my worn out sneakers and following Madilyn back out into the hallway.
“Where’s your room?”
“At the end.” She replies while pointing.
“Do you need help getting dressed?” I ask nervously, hoping that she didn’t.
“I know how to dress. I'm just bad at picking.”
“Okay, how about you pick the top and I’ll help match the bottom.”
“Okay.”
She giggles happily. I enter her room, which is larger than mine back home, and she guides me to her closet. She pulls out a simple but beautiful light pink, long sleeve play dress from her closet before showing me to her dresser. I sit down on the end of her bed and start opening drawers. I pull out a pair of briefs, white, lace topped socks and black, fleece lined leggings. I lay everything out on the bed before standing and heading to the door.
“I’ll be right outside the door, call me when you’re done.”
“Okay.”
I’m enjoying her bubbly personality more than I anticipated this morning. I start walking a short distance away from Madilyn’s room, looking around the long hallway. There’s not many doors indicating that these rooms must be huge. The front of the mansion faces south and, in general, runs south to north.
As I approach the far western wall at the end of the hall, to my right there’s a large staircase leading to the upper floors. It curls around towards the east, the opposite direction of the stairs that brought me to the second floor. From what I could see in the dark, the outside looked as if it had four or five stories to it.
I turn quickly around at the sound of a door opening, it’s the one in the middle facing the north side of the house. I watch silently as a young, petite brunette exits the room giggling.
“Come on, Luke. What’s taking you so long? Your dad’s going to light you up when he finds out we both skipped school.”
I hear her explain with little concern in her voice.
“I’m the alpha’s son. What’s the worst the school can do? Tell him.”
A young man I vaguely recognize steps out of the room. I watch the young man with short, straight, light brown hair shut the door just before locking lips with the young brunette.
“But I thought you said there was a special arrangement with the school so you could start learning how to test the prospects. You have more than a full schedule Monday, Wednesday and Friday.”
“I’m allowed to miss a day or two of school Melody. Besides, I’m smart enough to make it up.”
“If you say so.”
She giggles innocently as Lucas spots me shifting uncomfortably at the end of the hall. His body stiffens as he heads down the hall towards me, his aura is powerful and it stifles my ability to breathe once he gets in my face.
“You may have my father fooled but I’m not. You’re a pervert that doesn’t belong in a decent pack like this. You deserve every bit of the treatment you receive at your home pack and I will go out of my way to make sure you go back early. Nobody wants you here.”
He spits venomously in my face.
He’s my same height but I refuse to look at him directly. The last thing I need right now is a fight with the alpha’s son.
“How old is she?”
I’m shocked at my own boldness to even ask.
“Who?”
“The girl that’s waiting for you.”
“That’s none of your concern, now is it?”
“It’s extremely dangerous for a pre-shifted female to have sex. Getting pregnant before she has shifted will leave her child, your child, without their wolf if she even survives a pregnancy with an alpha’s child.”
My voice is monotonous and submissive as I attempt to explain the consequences of their actions.
“How do you know anything about her? She is none of your concern but you most definitely are mine. Make no mistakes as I’ve got my eyes on you.”
Before I can back away from him he lands a hard, flat handed blow to the right side of my head sending an intense mix of a sharp, burning pain through the gash Dr. Pierce stitched together last night.
“That’s just a taste of what I’ve got as that’s not even my dominant hand you pervert.”
The remotest of happiness that I had been experiencing being with Madilyn was gone. Replaced, once again, with fear and uncertainty. The anxiety of being in yet another abusive pack hits me hardest as Lucas walks away. Taking the hand of the young teen he just bedded. The overwhelmingly offensive scent of his seed mixing with the scent of a pre-shifted girl stays with me long after he has disappeared down the stairs.
Madilyn cracks her door open.
“Cole?” She asks quietly as I walk towards her door. “Are you okay? I heard Luke. He was very mean to you. Can you help me? I tried but everything feels weird.”
“I’m okay, sweet pea.” I lie with a sigh.
I walk back into her room and shut the door before sitting on her bed.
“Turn around, let me see your back.”
She follows my directions easily and I’m able to determine easily that she’s put everything on backwards. I chuckle lightly as I tug on her sleeve. Without speaking a word to her, she pulls her arm out and repeats the process on the other side. It’s only when she tries to take it off that I give her a command.
“No. Just be still. I’m just going to turn this so you don’t have to take it off. Unfortunately your pants and underwear will have to come off.”
“Yes sir.”
She speaks quietly with a hint of hesitation that I don’t like hearing. I turn her around when we’re done with her shirt, stopping her when she moves to take off her pants and briefs.
She looks me in the eyes, shocked that I stopped her. The fear I see in them hurts worse than the headache forming on the side of my head.
“I see a lot of fear right now, Madilyn. We don’t have to fix your clothes right now. I’m certain there’s got to be a female at the dining hall that you trust that can help you with your bottoms.”
No longer able to hold it back, her body shakes as she sobs.
“Oh Madilyn, what’s wrong? We were doing so well together.”
I reach out to pick her up but she steps away, concerning me even more towards the sudden change in her demeanor towards me.
“Madilyn, are you able to link with your mom or dad? It’s okay if you don’t want to stay with me. I understand if you’re afraid of me.”
She is shaking her head hard as she struggles to speak.
“Not you. Lucas was mean. I heard him hit you. I felt it in my tummy. It hurts bad again.”
She’s shaking her head hard.
“There’s no force Madilyn. If you step away or tell me no then I’m not going to do anything to you.”
“I’m scared. I’m sorry. It hurts.”
“Let’s take this slower than last night. Will you let me pick you up? Give you a hug?”
She nods to this idea and steps into my hands as I hold them out. I’m relieved to see this small change despite my hands shaking from my own fear and anxiety. I pick her up gently and receive no resistance as I place her in my lap.
“Everything is okay. You’re okay. Nothing is going to hurt you.”
I whisper in her ear as she grabs my shirt in her hands. I wrap my arms around her as her sobs renew with even more force. I rock her gently, waiting for a break so we can lay down together without it being too stressful.