The Princess' Mark

CHAPTER SIX: The Tension Builds

The pack was frantic. Everywhere I looked I saw wolves rushing around, sullen faces and my heart fell.

This was all my fault. I shouldn’t be here.

“Don’t worry about it, they are stronger than they look,” Quinn said, pulling me away from my thoughts.

I turned to look at him, and he was already looking at me, head slightly tilted. I opened and closed my mouth, trying to wrap my head around everything, but I came up blank.

“How’d you know?” I asked, sighing, the fight had left me.

“I have a way with people. Call it a special gift.”

I smiled and Quinn smiled back.

“I knew there was a human inside all that tough shell.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “Someone has to be tough because the world is a harsh place.”

“Only when you are around the wrong kinds of people.”

I felt the dig in that but chose not to say anything about it. I was still thinking about how my life had changed so drastically over the last three days.

“Are you taking me back to the cell?”

Quinn’s face twisted into an expression I had never seen before. Disbelief maybe?

“Why would I do that? You aren’t a prisoner, and you never were.”

I stared at him for a whole minute, hoping I had heard him wrong, and he hadn’t said what I thought he had said.

“Say that again.”

Quinn sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “You weren’t our prisoner, okay, maybe at first you were, but then Rome had a change of heart,” he explained. “Don’t look at me like that. Rome is a complicated fella, he shows some signs of humanity once in a while, but he was the one that decided to keep you there like that until he got a handle on things.”

“Uh-huh.”

Quinn raised his hands up, “Trust me, it sounded twisted when he mentioned it to me, but the Alpha spoke. You know?”

“I don’t believe any words you just said, but I don’t have anything to contradict it with.”

Quinn smiled and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to his side. “Stick with me, and you’ll see a lot of interesting things.”

I rolled my eyes at him but didn’t shrug off his hand. I liked human contact. It had been so long that I had someone touch me without expecting anything from me. I honestly missed having any form of contact with another human.

“Let’s get you cleaned up and then fed,” Quinn said, “You actually sting.”

I jabbed him in the ribs with my elbow, and he moved away from me laughing.

“I’m being honest, you know, you sting.”

“Well, that’s because someone had me locked up without any access to a shower,” I retaliated.

Quinn just laughed harder at that. “Next time we will try to glam up the cell so you’re more comfortable.”

I narrowed my eyes at him and he stopped smiling.

“Too soon?”

“Too soon.”

*****

The room was huge, bigger than any room I had seen at Nightclaw. But then again, I wasn’t allowed to explore the pack, so I wouldn’t know.

“There are towels and some toiletries in the bathroom,” Quinn said, pulling me away from my gawking. “I’ll have someone bring you some clean clothes to change into and get you all set up.”

I turned around the room, taking it all in. The whitewashed walls, the large pristine bed in the middle of the room, the mini-fridge and bookshelf next to a comfortable-looking couch and two doors, one to the left and the other on the right.

“Which is the bathroom?” I asked.

“Left, right is the walk-in closet, which I’m sure we could have filled up with new clothes.”

I stared at him dumbfounded, not sure where all of this was coming from.

Quinn, who had been sitting on the couch, stood up and turned to the door. “I’ll leave you to freshen up,” then he left before I could even say anything.

Taking one last look around the room, I headed into the bathroom, stripping out of my dirt, blood-clad clothes as I went. I caught a glimpse of myself in the room and what I saw had me doubling back. Her eyes and face were sunken, and she looked hollow. Her once-brunette hair looked dry and frail, just like she did.

I shook myself out of it and freshened up, washing my hair and scrubbing my body so hard it nearly turned red. When I was done, I wrapped a towel around myself and stepped out into a room where a girl about my age was standing as still as a wall.

“Hmm, who are you?”

The girl rushed forward and handed me a pile of new clothes. “I’m your assistant, the Beta sent me to make sure all your needs were cared for,” she said politely.

I noticed the white and black clothes she was wearing and how professionally she carried herself.

“Please sit, I’ll help you with your hair and makeup. The Alpha would like you to join him for breakfast in his quarters.”

Was Rome trying to get me to accept his proposal? Was this what all of this was?

“It’s all right, I can dress myself up,” I said, trying to get her to leave, but she didn’t budge.

“Oh no ma’am, that is my job,” she said politely. “Please sit down and let me get to work.”

I sighed and sat down, letting her get to work. I have never had anyone do my hair, much less show me how to do my makeup. A little part of me felt super-giddy and excited about it all, but the larger part of me felt like there was more to it than what I could see.

Was this the price of freedom I had to pay? To have someone watch my every move and action and report back to someone? Wasn’t this why I ran away from Luca in the first place?

But there was nothing I could do as I sat there and let her work wonders on me, not sure what she could do because I didn’t recognize the girl I had seen in the mirror.

“I’m Kyla,” I said, trying to make the whole thing less awkward.

Silence.

“Do you have a name?”

Silence.

“I mean, I know you know I’m new here, and I don’t think I’m going to stay longer, but at least tell me your name or something.”

I was rumbling, trying to fill the silence with something. Something I only did when I was uncomfortable.

“Jenne,” and that was all she said for the rest of the time.