3: A Stranger’s Kindness

EDEN

After Ryler kicked me out, I don't know how I moved but I was no longer in the house. I wasn’t in the pack. It was the middle of the night and I had no idea where I was, or where I’m going.

I still couldn’t believe any of what was happening was real.

I ended up in a small town not very far from Ryker’s pack. It took a little while for me to realize where I was.

I’ve never been there but I knew the name. It was popular among the kids in school because of the open bar they had.

Ryker has tried to convince me to come once or twice but I always declined. I was terrified of running into the people at school.

Do I really blame him for going for my much stronger sister?

Nelly had alpha blood in her and was born through the sacred bond. She is among the top five fighters. While, I’m not even in the top hundred. And we’re not up to a hundred.

I was about to go into the bar when I caught sight of my reflection. No one would take a look at me and think I'm sane.

And I wanted to get drunk. I needed to get drunk so I could forget the events of today. I was deep in my thoughts, thinking of what to do when a lady walked out.

She notices me and stops, her forehead creasing in worry and a bit of caution.

“Hey, darlin’. Whatcha doing out here?” Her voice is slightly accented.

She has the brightest eyes, it shone even with the bad lighting, giving more light to her fiery red hair.

“N-nothing.” I stuttered. She stared at me with a knowing look. She saw right through my lie.

“You look like a mess. Come here, there’s a bathroom you can clean up in. Okay?” I nodded gratefully and followed her.

She walked to the other side of the building and I got a bit hesitant to follow her.

“Oh, there are a few important guests and my boss wouldn’t be happy if we just walked in through the front.” she explained, seeing my hesitation.

Though I was still a bit skeptical, I followed her.

There was no way to change out of my messy top and jeans. I’m sweaty from running for about an hour. I’m waiting for my body to give out but the adrenaline was still high in my blood.

I splashed cold water on my face multiple times.

The thought of going back home to my father’s pack makes me shudder in fear.

He is going to kill me.

He wouldn’t care to know the context. He will just see that I got myself kicked out and now I'm back to being a liability for him.

The more obvious option is, he will take Nelly’s side. He always has. And now, Ryker is her mate. They’ll probably call me the whore even though I’m still a virgin. And I’ve heard whispers that Nelly sleeps around.

She is still the perfect daughter in their eyes.

The thought makes me want to break down again. Thankfully the nice lady returns.

She said her name is Angela. I can see that she really is an angel.

“I don’t know if this will fit, but it is the only thing I have.” She holds out something black for me.

“What’s that?” I ask in a croaky voice.

“A dress,” she smiles a bit. “It’ll look good on you. Maybe just a little short.”

She looked like she couldn’t be more than 5’3. I was about to tell her it is fine and I’ll manage with the clothes I have on. But one look at my feet and how muddy the jeans were, made me swallow the words.

She gives me privacy and I change into the dress. It is a long sleeve with an open back. And it fits perfectly, hugging every part of my body. But it was too short. Barely covering my ass.

“Shit.” I muttered, trying to drag it down.

I stared at the pile of dirty clothes I’d just taken off and cursed some more. Of all days, I chose today not to wear a jacket.

In my defense. I didn’t think I would be thrown out of the house by my boyfriend.

Thinking of Ryker shorts pain through me and I have to clutch my stomach at a cramp that I feel. I never got a period which was normal for humans. But I always have cramps around the same time of the month.

Wolves go into heat when they meet their mates or get to a certain age. I didn’t have either and I only dealt with these sharp bursts of pain here and there.

The door opens again and Angela walks in. She makes an approving sound.

“That looks great on you.” She compliments me.

“It is short.” I blurted without thinking. Then I covered my mouth with my hand.

She is only helping me and I’m being rude.

“I'm so sorry.” She waves it off.

“You look like you’ve had a long day, sweets. I understand.” I sighed and nodded.

Somehow, this stranger that I have never met in my life is being nicer to me than my own family.

The dingy light in the bathroom wasn’t all that bright. It was bright enough that I saw how swollen my eyes were when I looked in the mirror.

“I’m not trying to be nosey but you look like you need some help. Did you run away from home?” Angela’s voice softens.

She was looking at my clothes, which was a dead giveaway.

“Do you have anywhere you can go? It is getting pretty late and you don’t look like you’re even legal.”

“I turned eighteen today.” I said with a shrug, like that made everything better.

A sad smile tugs at her lips. “Happy birthday.”

“Thank you.” It comes out choked.

Wasn’t it pathetic that the first person to wish me on my birthday was someone I didn’t know?

I wanted to burst into tears again.

“My boyfriend slept with my sister.” I muttered out of the blue. “And he kicked me out of the house.”

“Oh, darling. I’m so sorry.” Her tone was genuine.

I felt tears trail down my cheeks. She comes forward and she wipes it with her palms. Her hands are so unbelievably soft. I leaned into her touch without realizing.

“You need a drink.” I couldn’t agree more.

I nodded and followed her out to the bar. There weren’t many people there now and it was quite dark. No one would accidentally see my panties if I sat down the wrong way.

She asked what I wanted, but I’ve never had alcohol in my life. So I just stared at her blankly. She chuckled and said she got me. Then she made us a drink. The first sip made me choke and I almost spilled it all away.

She laughed, which made me laugh. The pressure in my chest starts reducing slowly. And I took another sip. It burned on my tongue but it wasn’t as bad as the first.

Like that, we finished the first round and then took another.

I was starting to get dizzy by the time we counted four. She told me to slow down but I wouldn’t listen. It felt good. I finally felt free. I felt alive.

It is nothing like I have felt before.

I wasn’t thinking of Ryker, or Nelly, or Willow. Or even my father.

I didn’t care that my life was shit and I didn’t have anywhere to go. I was just so weirdly happy for some reason.

The soft music playing in the background made me start moving my body slowly. Angela, who was as drunk as me at that point, joined in. And we laughed and danced together.

That was all I could remember because the next morning, I woke up with an unmistakable pain between my legs.

And I was in my bed. In my father’s house.

“Eden!”

His loud yelling was what woke me up.

And as realization settled into me. I figured my breakup with Jason was the least of my problems.