Shining Through Shadows

Wet Dog

Lydia

“It’s beautiful.” I whispered, mostly to myself, but from the corner of my eye I could see that Cameron agreed as he nodded his head.

“She wanted me to tell you that you should keep it close. It’s important somehow.” I frowned at him, wondering why my mother would hide such a beautiful necklace and not sell it when we needed the money. Desperately.

“Important how?” I asked him, not knowing how it could have any importance to me nor my mother. But since it was a gift, I would cherish it for the rest of my days.

“She didn’t explain it any further. Keep it close, it’s important. That’s all she told me.” He explained and shrugged his shoulders.

A set of footsteps could be heard from the hallway and I glanced at Cameron quickly before wrapping the necklace in the blue cloth again before hiding it in the pocket of my uniform. Shortly after, the Alpha’s friend entered again and gestured for Cameron to follow him to a guest room.

I was pleasantly surprised that they would let him stay as a guest. Once again, the rumors of the Alpha were proven to be incorrect and a smile grazed my lips before I swiftly returned to my duties.

***

I was almost done when the front doors in the foyer burst open, letting snow and icy wind sweep inside the warm house. A gasp left my lips as I stared into the foyer. Was the storm already here?

Just as I was about to leave the dining room to close the door, a furry human foot crossed the threshold, making me take a few steps backwards again.

Then, another foot appeared, this one looking more normal, more human, than the other. Zachary, or whatever he was, entered the foyer looking completely disheveled. It seemed his body was in a state between man and beast, and the sight made me gulp down as he halted.

He turned his head and looked at me with his black eyes. I gazed back at him, my eyes probably wide from a mixture of confusion and surprise. His face was almost normal, but his hair was slightly longer, while his usually well-kept beard had suddenly grown further down his neck and down his chest, covering the top of it completely.

I was just about to say something when he inhaled deeply and let out a deep, unsettling growl. The hair on my arms stood on end and I shivered as I watched him grimace in what seemed to be pain as his face began to change.

The wind was still howling as it rushed into the foyer, shifting the air round as the cold quickly replaced the warm air. Snow was slowly beginning to cover the maroon carpet on the floor. It was a complete mess. A mess I would have to clean up before the carpet was ruined.

Before I could stop myself, I trudged forward, the mop still in my hand. Zachary watched me through his black eyes and for the briefest moment I wanted to turn around and run away from his deadly glare. But I didn’t. Instead, I chose to ignore him and his dark pits, which promised me nothing but torture and death.

As I neared him and the door, he snarled loudly, probably as a warning, but I kept ignoring him and went straight for the door. Cold wind howled past my ears as I pushed the doors closed and secured them at both the top and bottom.

“Look at this mess.” I whispered to myself, but the soft growl from the Alpha told me he had heard me. My eyes met his again, and somehow I could see past his rugged demeanor. His eyes weren’t angry or promising the most cruel death, at least not any longer… They were filled with pain and perhaps regret. But about what?

I was torn between saving the carpet and helping whatever was left of the man in front of me and my fingers dug into the shaft of the mop as I contemplated what to do first.

“All right then." I began once I had made up my mind, "Off you go, Alpha.” I tried my best to sound confident as I pointed the mop at him. I intended to use it against him if I needed to and I could use it to create a safe distance between us. “You need a bath.”

When he didn’t move, I pressed the end of the shaft against his hairy chest, eliciting a small snarl from him, but I was persistent and raised a brow at him as I pressed a little harder, urging him toward the grand staircase.

After a moment of staring at me, he finally turned around and let me gently nudge him up to his private floor. Not without him snarling a few times though, letting me know of his obvious displeasure.

Once we reached his bathroom, I pointed the mop at him and threw him a serious look before I placed the mop against the wall.

“Stay there.” I threatened before I went to the tub and opened the faucet, letting warm water cascade into the white porcelain tub.

“Get in.” I said once the tub was half-full and pointed at the tub, but he just growled at me, the sound of it echoing off the tiled walls in the room. “You smell like a wet dog. Now, get in!” I ordered, my voice slightly raised.

Both of us stopped breathing, and I regretted immediately that I had snapped at him, so I averted my eyes and bowed my head in respect before bolting for the door. But I didn’t get far before my front was pushed against it and the mop fell to the floor, leaving a clanking sound behind to echo through the room as the wooden shaft fell against the tiles on the floor.