Chapter 10: Worried
452 Words
-Amber-
The shower felt incredible, quickly washing away all the grime, but once I felt clean, my hunger took precedence. Turning off the water, I quickly got dressed in a pair of black jeans and a long white shirt—the clothes a little too big—before I went to the kitchen. Ruth was humming, already plating food for me.
“You didn’t have to do all of this,” I told her.
“Of course I did,” she said. “Now sit down.”
I did as instructed, placing myself at the small kitchen table. But just as I began to eat, I heard the front door open. Soon, a man placed himself in the doorway, appearing as if he had just returned from a social event. His shirt was unbuttoned a little, his light hair was slightly messy, and he had the faint smell of alcohol around him, yet something else also hit my nose, a scent I couldn’t quite place, as if I had never encountered it before.
As he noticed me, he froze. “And who is this?”
His dark green eyes scanned my body, as if he sensed something unusual about me as well. Why couldn’t I figure out what made him different?
“Amber. I found her running on the road. Lost,” Ruth explained.
“Mother, what have we talked about bringing strangers into the home?”
Ruth waved a hand through the air again. “The girl had been in a terrible accident. You should have seen her before the shower.”
“Are you saying a shower fixed her?” the son inquired, but he was watching me as he said it. He couldn’t know that I was…?
He walked past me, heading toward his mother, his scent once again confusing me. What was different about him?
“Mother, I told you, we talked about this. You can’t go around saving lost girls constantly.”
“Oh, it’s fine. I insisted, and she’ll just stay here for a few days.” Ruth seemed quite determined, but I sensed I’d been right upstairs. Her need to pick up lost girls had to be connected to her daughter’s death.
We are staying for days now? my wolf inquired.
It seemed we had been upgraded, but perhaps that wasn’t such a bad thing.
“Mother—”
“Still my house, Cedric,” Ruth interrupted. “And she is staying.”
“I don’t have to,” I cut in, and they both turned to me. “If I’m causing trouble, I can leave.”
“No, you’re staying, and that’s final,” she said, though her eyes remained focused on her son.
- Writer
