Odd Feelings - Valeria's POV
I’m not sure why I flirted or said I was looking forward to him returning. There is too much to do and I don’t even know why I feel like this toward him.
My mind goes back to the house and I take one long look around.
It's not surprising that the house is a mess considering the circumstances, but I should have expected it. The house has been uninhabited for thirteen years. The white drapes that cover everything in the room create an otherworldly ambiance, but the layer of dust that coats every surface is a reminder of time gone by. Although most of the windows are broken, upon inspection, everything else is in decent shape.
Some of the windows have chips and when I inspect the windows on the second floor, I realize some have been broken. I’m not sure why some wanted to do such a thing, especially since nothing looks to be taken.
From my vantage point, I look from the second-story window down at the pack. Everything is going on as usual. It’s like what happened earlier today never did.
I breathe out a sigh as I look around the room. Why break windows and not take anything?
Maybe they didn’t like my family. The alpha family mentioned it to me frequently. Apparently, my parents weren’t well liked by them. Although I initially believed that the intention behind those actions was solely to inflict pain upon me, I now recognize that there may have been some truth to them as well.
As I make my way down the hallway to the stairs, I hear a rough knock on the door. I drag my finger along the trim, causing a fine layer of dust to collect on the tip. I really don’t want to answer the door and I fear who may be waiting on the other side.
Suddenly, the front door swings open right as I reach the base of the stairs. A girl stands there, no older than me, and she has my things.
“Valeria, hi. I’m Felicia and I brought you your things,” she says with a smile.
I take her in slowly. The woman before me looks sweet with warm eyes. Her messy curly dark brown hair hangs in her face as she pants.
“Some of the men offered to help me, but I brought it all myself because I didn’t want you to be scared.”
I take a step forward, unsure of approaching her. She seems so nice, but I’m fearful. I don’t know her, either, nor have I ever seen her.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to speak. I actually understand and have always suspected the alpha family of doing something. They didn’t want anyone to see you, even when others asked and I know all those who cared for you when you were young were mysteriously dead,” she says, laughing. “Sorry, that isn’t funny. I’ve just suspected things for years and now it’s true. No one wanted to believe me.”
“You really thought they were hurting me?” I ask, completely confused.
“Yes, and some others as well, but we were told you were fine, and that you had been abused by someone when you were young. The alphas said they saved you.”
Oh, what a lie that was. “So, you brought my things?”
“Yes,” she says with a huff. “My wolf is kind of weak, but she’s there. Your stuff just felt heavy today for some reason.”
I laugh as she brings things inside the doorway. It doesn’t take her long, especially with the few things I have.
“I brought more than what was requested, just in case. Some of the women in the pack donated some clothes since yours were awful. That is what took me so long. Your things alone from the alpha’s house didn’t take long. It was the rest of these things.”
“And you brought them all by yourself?”
She nods, laughing. “Yes. I didn’t trust anyone else and Kendric entrusted me with this task.”
As Felicia finishes up, I don’t know what to say. The clothes she lies on the trunk are so much nicer than anything I’ve had in years.
My eyes wander down to the rags on my body. These were the nicer ones, sadly.
When everything is inside, she stands back at the front door. “I also brought you some food. For now, I will let you settle in, but if you need me, I’m only two houses away. I’ll come back to check on you.”
I breathe out a sigh and am about to ask her to stay, but she turns and leaves too quickly for me to ask. The door shuts behind her, leaving me in silence again.
“Stay,” I whisper to no one.
With tears blurring my vision, I turn and look at the house. The house is going to take forever to clean, but it definitely is worth it. If I can have my own home, then I can live comfortably and be away from the pack. I also might have a friend not too far away.
“A friend.”
Oh, the word sounds so nice.
Despite all the questions and thoughts running rampant in my mind, only one persists. Will the pack accept me?
Throughout my life, I have found that very few people would even look at me as I would run errands. They only asked what the alpha wanted, and that was the end. No one was ever friendly to me.
The house is worse than I thought. Dust smothers every surface like a burial shroud, and the air reeks of stillness and decay. Hours pass in a blur of grime, rusted hinges, and half-remembered corners of my childhood. I scrub until my arms ache, until the stench of old food makes my wolf recoil in disgust.
Most of the cabinets are filled with expired packages from thirteen years ago. Stale crackers, crumbling granola bars, and rusted cans are most of it. I toss everything into bags, moving on autopilot. Every forgotten snack I find from my childhood feels like a ghost.