Exhausted

Exhausted


I was passed to Xavier, who grabbed onto me and carried me to the door while Winston grabbed a few things.

Xavier hesitantly set me down before looking up at Winston, most likely communicating in their mate bond. Winston walked up to me and grabbed my leash, leaning down to be at eye level with me. He didn’t say anything, but I could feel the weight of his gaze on me, almost as if he was analyzing every detail of my being. Xavier walked out of the room for several minutes while we just sat there in silence. The air between Winston and me was thick with unspoken words, his eyes never leaving me, but I didn’t say anything about it. I knew better than to question anything just yet.

I adverted my attention back to the door once it opened, letting in the rather bright light from the hallway into my room. The sudden brightness felt like a sharp contrast to the dim, quiet room I had been in moments ago. Xavier grabbed the leash from Winston’s grip, now leading me out of the room. I happily followed right next to him, going over everything I had learned in my mind to make sure I didn’t mess up and upset them. I had learned quickly that even the smallest mistake could have bigger consequences. Winston went on the other side of me, which left me now sandwiched between the both of them, but I didn’t mind. They were calm and steady beside me, and I felt a strange sense of security in their presence. As we walked down the halls, I noticed there wasn’t another person in sight. The place felt eerily empty, almost as if it were a mansion built for only a few. I lowered my head a bit and sniffed my surroundings as we walked, even though I was taught to keep my head up high. It was a habit I still couldn’t shake, even though they had made it clear that it wasn’t required. The further we went, the more I took in how huge and beautiful the place really was. It consisted mainly of black and gold, and it looked like the floors were made out of pure gold. The space seemed to go on forever, with corridors stretching in every direction. It was hard to tell where it began or ended, and I felt both overwhelmed and awed by it.

There was this one hallway we walked through that shocked me entirely. It consisted of portraits of a person sitting on a throne, followed by another person in shackles next to them. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The portraits weren’t just paintings—they were heavy, almost lifelike, as if each figure could step out and speak to me at any moment. The sight made me feel cold, and I swallowed hard to push down the nausea rising in my throat. It almost made me sick to my stomach, especially when I saw the empty frames towards the end of the hallway. Those empty frames felt like an ominous promise, a future I didn’t want to think about. I knew one day I would most likely be on the next empty frame, looking just like the other portraits, my face locked in a permanent, frozen expression. This thought brought my mood down quite a bit and really brought me back to reality, outside of this place. It reminded me of how easily I could fall out of favor, how easily I could be replaced.

I honestly had given up a few days after being brought here, accepting my new fate. There had been no other option for me, no way out. I’d seen too much, and I knew the price of defiance was too high to risk. So, I accepted this new life as it came.

As we continued walking around, the tense environment grew less and less tense, making it more comfortable for the three of us. The atmosphere seemed to relax as time passed, and I could sense both Xavier and Winston letting down their guards a little. I knew since I hadn’t shown any signs of trying to get away, their minds eased more. They seemed to trust that I was settling in, that I wasn’t planning anything. I looked up at the both of them, checking in, which was another thing I had been taught. I had learned to read the room, to understand what was expected of me, what would make them happy. Winston immediately smiled and reached his hand into his pocket, pulling out a treat and sliding it into my mouth. I happily chewed on it, forgetting everything I had just been thinking about. The sweetness of it helped distract me from the heavy thoughts pressing on my mind.

We walked for many more minutes, occasionally stopping as they made sure I was doing well. If I had told the person I was the first day I was brought here that I was now asking to be carried because I wanted attention and my knees hurt from walking on them, I would’ve looked at myself like I was insane. But it was true. I had just asked to be picked up, and they did without hesitation, carrying me through the same halls back into my room. Today, I knew they wanted to take it easy and just see how I would do, which I did well, so I was sure that I would have more chances in the future to be able to explore more throughout the building I was in. But, for now, I was tired and wanted to rest up. The weight of the day was starting to settle in, and my body, though not used to so much walking, craved the rest.

I could get used to this.