05 Cold

Scarlett 

My first week with the three Alphas was hell. I had tried to run away several times already, but I was unsuccessful. Someone always caught me and brought me back. I knew their names now. The dark-haired one was Lucian, the silver-haired one was Clay, and the dirty blonde was Maxwell. Of all of them, Clay was the least abusive. They made me sleep on the couch every night, but Clay was kind enough to give me a blanket even though the other two assholes gave him an earful. They said I was rude and needed to be disciplined. I knew my father did something to them, but how did that justify what they were doing to me? They called me a slut and claimed I rejected the bond but did not believe me when I told them I had never seen or heard of them. Lucian could get violent with me, so I did not defend myself. I kept quiet and allowed them to assume the worse. As things were, I did not want the likes of them as mates, so the feeling was mutual. I never spoke to them and ensured I never cried in their presence. I knew that frustrated Lucian, but I just couldn't do it. They had taken everything from me; my dignity was all I had left. I couldn't let them take that from me too. I wasn't going to let them. Something strong pulled me towards them, but I ignored it. It was hard, but I had to. 

I did not want them to know that someone had given me clothes, so I did not go back to get the rest, and I had been wearing the same outfit for a week now. I knew it stunk, and I let it stink deliberately, hoping they would kick me out and send me back to the small room the old lady put me in. I was prohibited from sleeping or sitting on the couch because of the smell; unfortunately for me, they were immune to the smell and refused to kick me out. 

I sat on the floor in the living room with nothing to do. 

Since they were out for business, I decided to wash my clothes in their bathroom. I had kept some detergent from the laundry that I had done. I used it to wash my clothes and hung them by the window to dry quickly. I took a hot shower in their bathroom, applied lotion on my skin, tied a towel that belonged to one of them and sat on a couch in the living room to wait. It wasn't up to ten minutes when I sat down that they barged into the room. 

Maxwell yelled when he saw me, and I was scared, but I didn't let it show. I stood up, and I didn't know why. I guess it was reflexes. 

"What is the meaning of this?" Lucian said, and Maxwell went in and returned with my damp clothes. It wasn't dripping, but it wasn't dry. I was so scared that I was speechless. 

"Where do you think you are? Who permitted you to do this?" Maxwell asked, and I wished Clay was with them, but he wasn't. 

Lucian, the most wicked of the three, advanced toward me, and I backed away quickly, hoping I had tied the towel well, so it did not fall. 

"Are you mute?" He asked me, and I shook my head and began to stammer. I did not know where to begin. 

"I...I.. washed my clothes. It smelled, and it was dirty," I tried to explain, and Lucian took the towel from me, and I tried to cover my body with my arm. I was ashamed and scared, but I refused to cry. Wolves had no problem being naked, but I had yet to experience that boldness because I had never shifted before. 

" What are you shy about? Don't you do it naked with your lovers?" Lucian teased, and I looked away with shame.

Maxwell threw the damp dress at me, and I wore it immediately. It was cold, but it was better than being naked. 

"Don't you ever use any of our things again!" Maxwell said and began to sniff the air. Then he looked at me. 

"Did you use Clay's lotion?" he asked me, and I was busted. 

"My skin was dry, and I.." I tried to explain, but he did not care. They went to their rooms and left me in the living room. 

Soon I began to suffer from the cold. I could not sit on the couch because I was prohibited, so the floor was my only option, and it was cold. The damp clothes did not help matters either. Clay came in and saw me shivering, teeth chattering, wearing a wet cloth. 

"What Happened?" he asked at the same time the other two devils were coming out of their rooms. 

"This bitch was getting cosy with our stuff. She washed her clothes, tied Lucian's towel, and applied your lotion." Maxwell said, laughing at me, and Clay did not find it funny. 

"And you made her wear the damp clothes in winter?" He asked him, and Maxwell stopped laughing. 

"This is too much, Lucian," he said. "She has no wolf, for goddess' sake. You will kill her," he said, and Lucian looked at him. 

"Get your shit together. Remember what her father took from us. She isn't innocent either, focus, Clay," Lucian said, and Clay went to get his t-shirt, shorts and a blanket. 

"Take the damp dress off," he ordered me, and at that point, I did not care who saw what. I took it off immediately and collected the clothes and blanket from him. I wore the t-shirt and shorts and wrapped myself in the blanket. 

"Thank you," I managed to say, teeth chattering while shaking and shivering. He did not smile at me or acknowledge me, but I was still grateful. 

"Go and drink some tea from the flask," he ordered, and I managed to tell him it was finished, so he gave me a shot of vodka, and I swallowed it. That was my first taste of alcohol, but they did not know, and I did not volunteer the information. 

"Hey!" Maxwell said to me, "I do not want you stealing our booze. I heard you drink a lot, which was how you ended up with those men," he said, and I did not answer him... 

I sat on the floor because I was prohibited from sitting on the chair when my clothes began to stink. I sat there quietly, waiting for my clothes to dry up. They served their meals themselves.

Lucian brought me food after they had eaten, and I had no choice but to accept it. 

Clay had taken out a new blanket and gone to bed, so I slept on the floor with the blanket he had given me. 

Deep in the night, I realised I couldn't stop shaking. The living room was freezing, and I could not stop shaking. Someone walked into the living room, I was too cold to try to see who it was, but it sounded like the person had poured himself a drink.

"Are you alright?" he asked me, but I could not respond. I was cold. The person scooped me up from the ground and carried me to his bed. I wasn't comfortable with it, but I had no choice. He held me in his arms and tried to warm me up. 

"Don't worry. You will be warm now," Clay assured me and held me tight under the covers. Someone knocked on his bedroom door and entered.

"Clay, what do you think you are doing?" I heard Lucian's voice. The sound of Clay's movement must have woken him up and made him come to check on his friend.

"What are you doing in my room?" Clay asked him. 

"Heard movements and came to check," Lucian replied. 

"Liar, you just came to snoop," Clay told him, and Lucian was silent. 

"She is freezing, Lucian. She is not able to warm herself up." He said to him gently, and Lucian did not say anything. 

"Is she getting better?" I heard Maxwell ask. 

What was it with these guys? I have never seen them enter each other's rooms; why did they all come to Clay's room now? 

"Not fast enough," Clay said, still holding me while I shook. I felt someone slip into bed behind me and hold me from the back while Clay held me in front. 

"Goddess, she is cold," I heard Maxwell say and realised he was the one behind me. 

I felt their bodies vibrate gently, and along with the vibration came the heat. I eventually fell asleep. 

I woke up the next day and found that they were not in the room. It was late in the morning. 

I got up to clean the apartment, and while I cleaned Lucian's room, I found a travelling bag on the floor with a note with my name. 

I opened it, and it had clothes, sweaters, a towel, lotion, deodorant and basic stuff for women. I was so grateful that I smiled. I knew it must have been Clay that bought the items because the other two hated me so much. I wondered how they managed around me. I fixed the room, had my bath, wore a cardigan and jeans with socks, and waited for them in the living room. 

They returned in the afternoon. 

"How are you feeling now?" Lucian asked me. 

"I am better," I said with a straight face. I wasn't going to thank them for anything. They had stolen everything from me, and I was angry.