Chapter 22

His promise took me by surprise, but I didn’t say anything. There was no way I could match the Alpha King’s power.

“Don’t worry,” He smirked. “I can control my strength, Grace. I won’t hurt you.”

I touched the scar subconsciously on my stomach. How would my body ever be able to do what I needed it to do? It couldn’t even heal right. I could never protect myself before, even with training I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to do that.

“Are you in pain?” Alpha King Rhys asked with a frown. He was staring right at my hand touching a large scar across my stomach.

I shook my head no. I was fine. There was always pain, but it was nothing like it used to be, and that scar had been long healed, it just looked ugly now. A sign of weakness. A sign of old humiliations, and never being good enough to even exist. I had often wished I didn’t exist.

The Alpha King knelt in front of me, pulling my hands off my stomach and into his body. “Those scars you have, Grace, they are yours and yours alone. They are your battle scars from wars you didn’t ask to fight in. They are your story to tell to who and when you want. You have gone through hell and back, Gracie, and you have more strength than most people in this world. Think of them as a symbol of your new beginning. The one where you actually get to heal. The one where you don’t have to be afraid anymore. They are a part of you. So be proud that you have made it as far as you have. They are a sign of your strength, your resilience, your power. You never have to let anyone take your power ever again.”

I tried to breathe, but it felt hard. No one had ever said such kind powerful words to me before. No one had ever told me I was strong for having to have endured what was just my life. I had always just existed and endured. I didn’t even know what I could say to that. I couldn’t imagine being the strong warrior he seemed to be making me out to be. But for him, I wanted to try and be everything he saw. For him, I seemed to be willing to do just about anything.

The next few days passed without incident. I stayed mostly in my room, and Alana came to visit a few times. She brought some books each time for us to practice reading and writing. It was a lot of her saying a word, pointing to where it was on the paper and me practicing writing it. She had a lot of patience because we worked on simple words. She also brought up a friend one day whose name was Sam. Sam was deaf, so he used ASL with his family and close friends to communicate. Alana was honest that she and Sam weren’t close, so she didn’t know many signs, but she saw an opportunity for us both to learn, and Sam was happy to help. And I was grateful for the company. I had never really had friends before, and it wasn’t really till now that I truly saw the appeal.

I sat in the dining area eating breakfast by myself. I always sat in the corner by the window. I loved looking out at all the trees, especially because it was fall now and the leaves were slowly changing colors. I loved the contrast of the orange and yellow against the still very green grass. It always took my breath away.

I spent most of my day there. I was sketching with a pack of colored pencils I had found in the kitchen. When the dining room emptied out, I wanted to breathe some of the fresh air. I opened the back door and sat in the doorway. I was never allowed out of my old packhouse, but sometimes, when no one was around, I would sit in the doorway for a change of scenery. I made sure to never cross the line, and I only did it when I wasn’t expected to do anything or be anywhere.

I smiled as I saw the kids in the distance getting out of school. Some ran, and some walked, and the wind carried their laughter. I had never been to school or gotten to be carefree like that. But I wished I had. I used to imagine it as a child. I used to dream I could live the way they did.

“What are you doing?”

I turned to see who was talking, and quickly got to my feet.

“Dr. Sonnett, hello,” I greeted him a little breathlessly.

“I’ve told you,” He smiled, “It’s Sawyer to you. But seriously, why are you just sitting in the doorway?”

“Fresh air.” I wrote on my chalkboard.

“You know you can go outside, right?” He asked. “The danger has passed. There’s no sign of anymore monsters, and we’ve upped security along our borders and in them.”

My eyes widened. I could go outside? I had never been allowed outside alone before...

I quickly wrote on my board, “It’s ok?”

Sawyer muttered the words as he read it and looked at me in confusion. “Of course, it’s okay. You are not a prisoner, Grace. You can go outside anytime you want. Why would you even ask that? Were you not allowed outside before?”

‘Yes, old pack’ I wrote on my board.

“That’s awful.” Sawyer said as a look of disgust crossed his. “You can go out anytime you want. Why don’t you go ahead? I can keep an eye on things if that makes you more comfortable?”

I shook my head no, hesitantly, as a lot of the school children headed this way.

“It’s safe, Grace. Despite the fact that my brother is known as being ruthless. This pack takes care of its own. Everyone protects everyone. We have built a foundation of loyal, united members.”

I nodded finally and took a step outside. Everyone around smiled or was kind. I could do this, but I wasn’t officially a part of this pack, and I worried that when it came down to it, would anyone choose to protect me? And if they didn’t, would it even matter? Freedom seemed to be worth everything to me, and I ran out into the open, ready to explore everything. I couldn’t wait to see what fun could be found in the place I had never been allowed.