The Midnight Foxxx

Chapter 32

VIXEN

A satisfied smile sits on my lips. Wilder Bishop deserves worse than a broken nose and a knee to the balls, but at least it felt good doing it. Watching him get dragged away like a toddler throwing a tantrum was also satisfying. His yelling and screaming can still be heard as he’s paraded through the house, but it becomes muffled after closing the bedroom door.

This room is absolutely massive but also beautiful. The furniture in the sitting area is an elegant sage green. It matches the bold floral print of the accent wall that stands behind the large bed. The mellow grey that paints the rest of the walls balances out the loudness of it. The bay window has a cushion for sitting and is over flowing with throw pillows that look squishy and soft. It overlooks the backyard that has a garden and pond. The bookshelves are overflow with various types of work, ranging from encyclopedias to auto biographies. The overwhelming amount of them makes me feel giddy like a small child about to receive ice cream. I've only been able to read a handful of books, ones that Brax was able to sneak in for me. Silas always said they would just fill my head with dreams and only be a distraction.

I run my fingers over the spines, scanning each title. There's a thin layer of dust covering them, the little particles lifting into the air and dancing as they become disturbed. I stop on a thick hard cover and gently pull it from the shelf. It’s a book of poems. I’ve never read poems before, but Brax liked to recite them to me on sleepless nights. The old pages rustle and crinkle as they splay open. I burrow into the nest of pillows in the bay window, the sunlight warming my body as it lights up the pages in front of me.

A lot of the words don’t entirely make sense to me, though the way they’re constructed and flow together is beautiful. Some of them tell stories which are the ones I like the most. I’ve gotten so absorbed in the words, lost in the pages, I don’t hear the knock at the door.

“Vixen?”

“Oh, uh, hi,” the book fumbles in my hands as I try to hide it in the pillows.

“Whatcha got there?” I look up and meet soft azure eyes. It’s the tall blonde I met earlier. There’s a friendly smile on his face and I relax my tensed shoulders.

“I was just reading. I hope that’s okay?” I pull the book out nervously, anxious I’ve done something wrong.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?” He c***s his head to the side slightly in confusion. I shrug noncommittally and a hint of sadness settles over his face.

“You can read as much as you want. There’s more books downstairs in the library, and if none of those strike your fancy I have a collection in my room,” the blonde steps closer, stopping to lean in archway that divides the room. The space suddenly seems a lot smaller. I feel cornered with the only exit now blocked. I push myself further back into the bench seat until cold glass is pressing into my back. Blue eyes narrow analytically.

“s**t, sorry,” the large male moves forward, then side steps out of the opening. A relieved sigh leaves my lips, coming out louder than I had anticipated.

“You’re safe here,” he says softly, “My name’s Asher by the way. I’m the pack Beta.” Unsure how to respond, I just nod to acknowledge him.

“Here, I brought you these,” he approaches and places a duffle bag in front of me, then backs up a couple of steps. I pull the bag towards me hesitantly. It’s heavy and the sides are bulging. I unzip the duffle slowly, revealing dozens of different kinds of clothing inside.

"Thank you," whispers past my lips as I start pulling out shirts and pants. There's so many different colors and styles it's overwhelming.

"How many am I allowed to take?" I ask as I continue to rummage through everything.

"As many as you want," he shrugs.

"But there's so many," jeans sit in my hands, thumbs rubbing the denim.

"And you can have them all if that’s what you want,” silence stretches out between us, unsure of what to say.

“Do you need or want anything else?” I shake my head no. “You’re not hungry? Thirsty? It’s almost dinner time.”

“No. I’m fine,” my stomach betrays me with a loud growl and my cheeks start to burn.

“Come on. Let’s go eat,” Asher gestures towards the door with his head and turns to start walking.

“Can I change first?” He stops to look back at me with a big grin.

“Of course.” Once the Beta has exited the room, I grab a pair of jeans and dig around in the duffle bag. A soft pink catches my eye and pull out a babydoll style tank top. The fabric is light and delicate, letting the ruffles bouncy and flow easily, and the decorative bows that sit on the straps are adorable. The pants are a little tight around the thighs and butt, but otherwise fits perfectly. The shirt is a bit low cut, but the dusty rose color is so pretty that I decide to wear it anyway.

Asher is waiting outside the door and a smirk pulls at his lips when he sees me, “Hope you’re hungry.” He leads the way down to the kitchen and dinning room area. There’s a handful of other pack members sitting at a massive banquet table, and their eyes immediately snap to me when I enter the room. The urge to tell them to f**k off is bitten back. Asher ignores them and tells me to sit in the chair next to him near the head of the table. Plates and plates of food decorate the surface like a buffet with several kinds of meat plus soup, salad, and potatoes. I’ve never seen so much food.

“Maddox should be joining us soon,” the Beta says conversationally. I still feel eyes burning holes into me and shift awkwardly in my seat.

“Guys. Come on,” Asher snaps his fingers at the wolves at the other end of the table, grabbing their attention. They quickly look away, shoulders hunched.

“Sorry about that. They’re just curious.”

“It’s fine,” I shrug.

“Sorry I’m late,” a hand is suddenly on my shoulder, “You look nice.” My cheeks heat up at the compliment. “Let’s eat.” Everyone around me starts piling their plates with food, light conversations filling the room. No one starts eating until the Alpha takes his first bite. Forks and knives clink and scrape against ceramic. The food smells amazing and my mouth waters but don’t dare touch any of it. Blue and green eyes are watching me carefully.

“Aren’t you hungry?” Maddox asks, and I nod my head. “Then why aren’t you eating?”

“Am… am I allowed to?” I look at the mountains of food longingly.

“Of course,” the Alpha sets his fork down and crosses his arms. Everyone else at the table immediately stops eating. “Help yourself.” All eyes are on me as I hesitantly reach for a steak. When no one slaps my hand away or reprimands me, I add potatoes to me plate with a little more confidence, then some salad. I glance up at Maddox before taking a bite. He smiles and gestures with his hand for me to go ahead. My knife cuts through the tender beef like butter, the inside a soft pink. The savory flavor explodes on my tongue and can’t help the groan that escapes my lips. I hastily take another bite, and then another. Soon the entire steak is gone and start on the potatoes.

“Slow down, it’s not going anywhere. You can have as much as you want,” Maddox says between his own bites of food.

“Sorry,” I blush, suddenly embarrassed about my table manners, “It’s really good.”

“What do you like to eat? We’ll have someone make your favorite tomorrow.”

“I dunno,” I shrug nonchalantly, pushing leaves of lettuce around my plate, “I’m usually only allowed protein bars or protein shakes. Sometimes if I was lucky I’d get table scraps.” Shattering glass startles me and look up to see the Alpha’s hand all bloodied. Shards of glass are imbedded in his skin, the broken remnant of his cup ruining his plate of food.

“s**t, are you okay?” I ask shocked.

“Yup, fine,” he grits out. Before I can register what I’m doing my legs are carrying me from my seat to the bleeding male. I take his hand into mine, surprisingly without any protest. It dwarfs mine considerably and feels warm to the touch. I hover my hand over his and whisper an incantation. The imbedded pieces of glass begin to glow, illuminating the skin as they lift slowly out of his palm. I watch in awe as the wounds begin to heal right before my eyes. My fingers trace over the now pink scars that continue to fade into nothing. I look up and find green eyes peering down at me. An intensity burns within them that I can’t quite read and my heart flutters in my chest.

“Sorry,” I whisper, our faces only inches apart.

“No,” he says softly, “thank you.” Maddox picks up a napkin and cleans the blood off my hands. Despite his size, his touch is gentle, caressing my fingers like they're the most precious thing in the world. Once he's satisfied with his work, I awkwardly go back to my seat. The many pairs of watchful eyes make me uneasy, and start eating again in an attempt to ignore them.

The rest of dinner goes without incident. Once the table is cleared of all the dishes I stand up quickly excusing myself and head back to my room. The urge to run is just barely contained while a blush still paints my cheeks. When the bedroom door closes behind me I sigh in relief, but my heart still pounds in my chest.

Wanting to distract myself, I decide to go back to reading, but pick something different from the shelf. After pulling out several books, I finally find what looks to be a romance novel and smile excitedly. I lay down on the bed and get sucked into a hug by the incredibly soft and squishy mattress, like falling into a cloud. It’s the most comfortable bed I’ve ever been in, yet despite my best efforts, I can’t seem to get settled. The room feels too large and open like it'll swallow me whole. There's too much space that I’m not accustomed to and it’s unnerving. The walls seem far away and it makes me feel exposed like a deer in an open meadow. I roll out of bed and walk over to the closet. Its big and completely empty inside, large enough it could probably fit a bed in it.

It takes a lot of maneuvering but manage to get the stupidly heavy mattress into the enclosed space and it fits perfectly, sitting flush against the walls. With the bedding plus all the throw pillows from the window added in, it looks quite cozy. I crawl in and turn the dim closet light on before closing the door. My nerves immediate relax. This feels better. Safer. I’ve never felt so secure and warm before. I settle into the nest of blankets and pillows, content. It doesn’t take long to get completely absorbed into the book.