Rejected Runt, Alpha King’s Luna

Chapter 9

Mira's POV

Minutes after Rosalind left, I was still staring at the door, still stunned by the sudden turn in my fate. I'd thought I was going to die, and now I was being given a bath and offered food?

I truly didn't understand what was happening, but I decided to take my bath quickly. It had been a long time since I'd had the privilege of bathing in a real bathroom, and I didn't want to lose this chance, or any privileges after it, by making Rosalind wait.

I looked around the room and was amazed. It had a large bed, large to me at least, and a closet so full of clothes it barely closed. There was a vanity table covered with girly things whose uses I didn't even know. The room itself was really pretty, with floral patterns everywhere and a neatly made bed.

I was careful not to touch anything on my way to the bathroom, in case I got something dirty and the owner of the room got angry with me. I didn't want to be beaten or sent back to the dungeon.

I made my way slowly to the bathroom and nearly cried at the sight of all the hair and skin products taking up a small corner of it. I'd never had such luxury. I'd only heard the girls in my old pack talk about it.

I gently took off my clothes and set them on the counter. I made the mistake of looking at myself in the mirror, and fresh tears ran down my cheeks. No one would want a body like this.

My eyes looked sunken, and the bags under them were huge. My face was covered in dirt, my hair was matted strangely to my head, and it hurt to look at my body. Bruises covered my stomach and the parts of my thighs and legs I could see. Some were purple, some brown, and some black.

I turned around and choked on my tears when I saw my back. It was covered in gashes, scars, and bruises. My collarbone stuck out, my ribs showed, and I looked so thin and malnourished. I didn't blame Garrett or our second chance mate. I wouldn't want a body like this either.

I stopped examining myself in the mirror and stepped under the shower head. It took me a while to figure it out. I nearly froze to death with the cold water and only barely avoided scalding myself with the hot.

Finally I got the hang of it, set the water to a temperature I liked, and stood under it for a while, feeling my new wounds sting as the dirt washed out of my hair and off my body.

I didn't use any of the products in the bathroom, for fear of being punished when the owner saw I'd touched them. I'd learned that lesson the hard way in my old pack.

I ran my hands through my hair and felt years of built-up dirt slowly leave it. I felt free and new, and I cried again in the shower because of how I was feeling. I'd gone from nearly dying to taking an overdue shower, and I didn't know what to make of it.

I felt Juniper purring in my head, and I smiled a little. We deserved this after everything we'd been through. Once I felt a bit clean, I turned off the shower and carefully dried myself with my dirty clothes, making sure I didn't leave a speck of dust or a stain behind in the bathroom.

I stepped out of the bathroom, careful not to slip, since my body, and my feet especially, was still a little wet. When I came into the room, I saw that a gown had been laid out on the bed. I was confused, because I hadn't touched anything before going into the bathroom.