The Best Dish Served Cold

Ep. 1 (TW) Guardian Angel, Arrived

(TW): s****l assault, drugs, physical assault, verbal abuse.

It’s so loud.

A loud bass pounds in my ears.

I touch my head, dizzy. Even with the darkness of the club, the pulsating lights hurt. And the pounding music beats into my skull.

“Why don’t we go somewhere quieter, hm?”

I glance up at my boss, but I can barely seen him through my blurred vision. I’ve had too many drinks; I feel too warm and my body too heavy.

Why am I here again?

Oh, yeah. We had a win at the office today, some big shot client, who I can't even recall the name of, was signed on to our company. My boss wanted to celebrate, and forced me along. His choice was a club, oddly enough.

I said no many times, especially after we pulled up to a club, but he pulled the boss card and I reluctantly complied.

I shouldn’t have drank.

But it wasn’t like I wanted too in the first place. He told me I had to have at least one drink before we left, then the drinks kept piling.

I hate this job, and I hate this man, but the pay is too good to leave.

Nausea creeps into my belly and I realize I feel completely numb. I try to move my hands, but they lay deathly still on the counter.

I need to get out of here, somethings not right.

“Here,” my boss suddenly touches my arm, I want nothing more than to leap away from him but my body refuses to, “let me help you. I think you had a few too many,” he chuckles, is tone strangely too light and cheerful.

He grabs my arm and places it over his shoulder, his hands rest against my ribs. Too close to my breast. My chest tightens.

I try to open my mouth, to demand him to move his hand, but all I can manage is a grunted, “yuurgh.”

He starts dragging me from the bar, but I can barely register that we’re moving. I faintly hear a person asking my boss if I’m all right.

I'm not alright, get me away from this man!

“Hmg.” I grunt.

"I'm a friend, she just had a few too many drinks tonight," my boss answers them. I don't hear what they say, but I assume they decide to trust him because they leave.

No! Please come back! Someone help me please!

I try to twist my body away from his, but I can manage is a small twitch from my chest that nearly makes him lose his hold on me.

Nearly.

His hand tightens. “You’re okay, dont worry, I'll take care of you,” he whispers into my ear. I turn my eyes towards his; I can barely see his shaggy, black hair, and stubble shadowing his face. There’s a strong smell of cologne; musk, mint, pine, and possible citrus?

It’s overwhelming, I feel sick being near him.

Am I really just drunk?

No... I used to party a lot in my younger years and I never reacted this way to liquor.

Did he... drug me?

Oh god, he drugged me!

I barely register him tell a concerned bouncer that I’m just wasted. I try again to retort otherwise, but this time I can’t even move my lips, much less say anything!

The bouncer believes him too. I want to weep. My boss leads me towards his car down the block.

I try again to use all my strength to get away, but I'm becoming too exhausted to keep trying.

“Mmhg!”

“Shh, it’s okay. I’m going to treat you real nice.” The sudden lustful twist in his voice sends a pit to my stomach.

Tears stream down my cheeks. “God, how I’ve wanted to do this to you, since the moment I saw you...” he sighs breathily into my ear, his lips grazing the shell of my ear. I suddenly think about all the times I would catch him watching me, with that intense gaze, how he always made my skin crawl.

My stomachs twists.

We’re suddenly in his small black car with tinted windows. He lays me out on the back seat with me on my back, crawls into the back, and shuts the door behind him. “Just you and me, beautiful.”

He crawls over my body so that’s he hovering over me. I glare the best I can.

The endearment angers and sickens me. I wish I could claw his eyes out right now.

“Let’s gets this out of the way,” he coos cruelly.

His meaty hands reach for the straps of my dress. Tears stream down my cheeks.

“Wh-wwwwwh-“

“Awe, beautiful, what is it?” He chuckles, his face too close to mine. Fingers grab my underwear-his cologne is strong, its all I can smell.

Musk, mint, pine, citrus.

He pulls back and backhands me hard. I’m even more dizzy. I can barely feel my brain.

Warmer skin presses against my naked skin. I try my hardest to move my limbs, but no matter how much strength I put into them, they don’t even so much as twitch.

He’s about to r**e me!

Please!

Someone!

Please stop!

The warmth! It’s too hot! It’s too much!

I stare at the fabric of the ceiling of the car. Brown leather. A string is loose near the window. Cologne; musk, pine, mint, and hint of citrus.

I loathe it.

When I feel that suffocating warmth pull away and a zipper moving, the reliefs comes to me. Then a cool metal presses against my temple, and everything is black.

OooooooooooooooO

“IM NOT LYING, I SWEAR KLAUS!” Rosemary screams, tears around puffy eyes are flowing down her cheeks like waterfalls.

She’s cowering on the wood floor of her bedroom, her long blue-silver hair flowing against the floor in soft waves, and her gray dress in shreds.

The Alpha of her pack, a man a little older than her with long black hair, tan skin and yellow eyes, is Alpha Klaus of the Blood-Tooth Pack. He’s standing over her with clenched fists and cold, angered eyes. He stares at her like she’s just mud on his shoe, and not his destined soul mate.

“Just admit the truth, you lying, harlot! I’m not you’re mate! Hera is my mate! I smelled her!” Rosemary flinches at her friends name; or at least, the name of the woman who used to be her friend.

“I swear, my Alpha, I’m not lying! I smelled you!” She pleas desperately, like she hasn’t pleaded this to him many times before.

Her wolf is in a frenzy being accused, and desperately wants her mates comfort. Her wolf wills her to reach for her mate, to reach for Klaus, and so Rosemary does, reaching to touch Klaus’s shoe. “Please Alpha, I swear!”

The alpha jerks away from her hand with a disgusted look. “Why should I believe you? The packs punching bag? The laughing stock of the Blood-Tooth Pack?”

Her face twists in hurt; she holds her hands close to her chest.

“I don’t get it; you’re supposed to be my mate. You’re supposed to feel the bond too...” she whispers sadly to herself, a few tears straying lose.

She thought she finally had someone! Never in her life has someone been there for her; even her elder brother who used to treat her kindly than most only used her for his gain! She thought when she reached mating age and found her mate, she would finally have someone to rely on, to care for her and to love her. Isn’t that what a mate is supposed to do?

Klaus rolls his eyes. “I’m not your mate. And to make things extra clear for you, since you can’t seem to get anything to stay in the air brain head of yours, I reject any made up bond you created in that stupid mind of yours,” he sneers.

Searing pain rips through her chest. Rosemary gasps and cries, feeling the bond break. Her wolf is howling loudly for the pain, sorrow and loss of their mate.

“And for disrespecting my mate, Hera, I’m going to punish you,” a cruel, malicious anger fills his eyes.

She swallows dryly in fear.

He strides closer in his strong and tall glory, his fist clenched. Rosemary knows what’s about to come and closes her eyes.

The first hit feels like a boulder hit her. She whimpers but tries to force back any cries. They only like it more if you feed into it.

Klaus sends powerful hit after hit, to her face, to her chest, to her arms and legs, to her abdomen.

She cries out in pain. Klaus gets more furious, and his hits start getting harder; if that was possible. Tears stream down Rosemarys bloody and beaten face, the salt from her tears stinging her wounds.

He stops, and her wolf perks up in hope that he’s come to his senses. But it was all false hope.

Then Rosemary feels his meaty hand grab tightly her by the neck, raising her from the ground. Hard enough to be uncomfortable, but just loose enough for her to breathe somewhat. She fights his hold, staring fearfully at Klaus, who’s watching her in cool consideration.

“Hera is to be your alpha soon, show some respect!” He growls, his hands tightening even more. Rosemary gasps; her lungs burns. They crave air. She claws at her alphas hand mindlessly.

Rosemary feels adrenaline rush through her...Klaus is about to kill her.... She fights harder, clawing his arms and neck, but he keeps a strong hold. His long black hair frames his tan face messily, and his honey yellow eyes... the eyes Rosemary had loved so much, were staring at her in pure hatred and disgust.

Her wolf howls in agony of their physical pain and heart break. Her mind and vision feel foggy.

... Her sight goes dark...

OoooooooooooooooooO

Where am I?

And... who am I?

Rosemary?

No, that’s not right... my name... it was something else.

And... I was somewhere else last, right?

I was at a club, with my boss? But why does my mind also tell me I was also last with... Alpha Klaus...

This isn’t my body...

These aren’t my memories...

This isn’t my world! Werewolves?! Those are creatures of fiction! But I guess not in this world; everyone is apparently a werewolf, and they all live in packs.

Oh god... I died... that night, my boss had... and killed me...

I must have been reborn into a new body.

Into Rosemary Milan.

Rosemary... Oh Rosemary. Your mind and soul was so beautiful Rosemary. Any person would have been lucky to have you in their life.

What are these horrible memories of yours?

Alpha Klaus.

Your friend Hera.

Your mothers.

Your siblings.

Your pack doctor.

They all hurt you, abused you, and used you! And that idiotic, disgusting, horrible excuse of a man Klaus, your so-called soul mate, killed you for another woman!

They will all pay!

I promise you this Rosemary! I will cherish and care for you and your body. I won’t let anyone take advantage of you or hurt you in anyway anymore!

And I will get vengeance for you.

I will take karma into my own hands against them all for what they’ve done! And I’ll make sure to destroy that alpha extra well.

Rest, dear Rosemary. I, new Rosemary, will take it from here.

“See if she’s dead,” I hear Klaus order casually to who I assume is the pack doctor.

So casual, like he’s talking about the weather! Monstrous man! Just you wait until you see what I have in store for you.

I force my body into a sitting position, steadily ignoring the screaming pain in my limbs. I stare up at Alpha Klaus and the pack doctor, an older man with short gray hair except for a small tail braid near his ears.

They’re conversing in the corner of her-my room, Klaus staring dully at him, as if couldn’t be more bored. As if he hadn’t just beaten a woman to death!

I scrunch my nose.

“That won’t be necessary,” I state hotly, breaking their little conversation and instantly garnering the attention of both Grayden and Klaus.

They stare at me in shock. The monsters probably thought or at least hoped I died.

I wipe the little blood under my nose, lifting my chin up strongly. “Just leave me be already, haven’t you had enough for tonight, Alpha,” I sneer, waving the two out of the room.

They’re eyes widen in shock, Klaus’s settling into a look of anger.

“Grayden, treat what you can of her. I can’t have her dying yet,” he sneers, motioning Grayden towards me.

He turns to me and I stare unimpressively back. “Be grateful I’m not letting your wounds fester.”

“Oh yes, so grateful for you treating the wounds you gave,” I mock gently under my breath, just loud enough for both Grayden and Klaus to hear. They both stiffen, though for different reasons.

Yellow eyes narrow. “Are you trying to ask for more punishments?!”

“Willing to beat a pack member even more after you nearly beat them to death? Why, what a great alpha you must be. I’m sure the other packs would love to hear about how wonderfully you treat your own pack.” I snap back.

Klaus blinks and frowns.

He sighs and turns to Grayden sharply, “just go treat her already!”

Grayden nods and moves closer to where I lay. I scoot farther back, “like I said, I’m fine. Just leave me be, I’ll take care of the wounds.”

“Stop being so difficult Rosemary! I’m trying to help you, even after you disrespected my soul mate!” Klaus snaps back and I barely refrain from rolling my eyes at him. How could Rosemary stand the man before? I get that he’s her soul mate, but he’s so angry and temperamental all the time.

“If it was so upsetting, then why are you even still here trying to help? Look, I refuse to be treated by some fake doctor who would quicker bring me to death than save me from it. I’ll handle it myself.”

Grayden instantly appears nervous, and Klaus frowns deeply, glancing between the doctor and I.

“Alpha, shes-“

“What do you mean by that?” Klaus suddenly asks me seriously, all previous anger wiped from his face. I raise a brow at the sudden mood switch but ignore it.

A memory pops in my head... my brother YK, and I playing near a pond... the scar on my leg!

I pull up my dress skirt, exposing a messy scar on my calf. “When I was kid, my brother YK and I were playing near a pond and I slipped on a wet rock. My leg got a nasty cut on it from the fall, and our pack doctor Grayden here stitched it up for me. Though as you can see, he stitched it up like a toddler learning how to sow. And that hasn’t been the only time he’s wrongfully or insufficiently given me care. So I’d rather take my chances with my own care.” I give Grayden a wide, clearly fake smile. He looks anxiously to the Alpha.

“Alpha-!”

“You’re dismissed Doctor Grayden.” Klaus orders swiftly, his voice deadly calm. Grayden nods nervously, and quietly leaves the room.

Klaus and I have a staring standoff for a long moment.

“Is there... something you need to care for yourself?” He asks.

“Solitude.”

His eyes widen at the request, and then they drop to the ground, deep in thought.

“Very well.” He turns and strides out, not looking back as he shuts the door loudly behind himself.