Chapter 3
I look at my handiwork in the kitchen. This was the last room that had to be cleaned, and all the dishes are now done and stored away nice and neatly in the cupboards. It has been an exhausting day, from being designated as the new breeder, to my small breakdown outside, and finally, to having to clean a full cottage all by myself. I should have made a stupid guard help me clean, since their job is to basically keep me locked in this property. I lean against the counter, a glass of red wine I found in the pantry beside me. I take a sip and turn to look at the time on the microwave. I know I am three years too young to drink, but fuck it, I really need something strong after the day I've had.
Suddenly, something vibrates against my leg, causing me to jump and nearly choke on my drink. Remembering that I had stashed my cellphone in the pocket of my skirt, I place the glass on the counter and proceed to take the device out. My screen flashes with a picture of me and my best friend Abby, and a small smile plays on my lips as I slide my finger across the screen to answer it.
"Hey, Ab—" I begin, heading upstairs as she cuts my greeting off.
"Is it true? Are you the newest breeder?" I wince at her words and sigh—something I've been doing all day—telling her to give me a moment as there are guards outside my cottage. Heading towards my room—the master bedroom—I enter the master bath and turn on the shower, letting the running water mask our conversation.
"Yeah, it's true sadly," I reply after a while, sliding down the wall to sit on the cold tile floor.
"We have to save you!" My best friend states, worry evident in her voice, causing tears to pool in my blue eyes and escape down my cheeks.
"You can't do anything. Think about your mate. He is the Beta here, and if the Alpha finds out you tried to free me, imagine what would happen." My voice cracks as I finally start sobbing again, telling my best friend all my fears and worries. By the end of my sobbing rant, I feel a lot better.
"I know I am allowed to come see you tomorrow to help get the house decorated, so I will bring you some essentials. What do you want?" Abby says, and I smile. As the Beta female and surrogate Luna of this pack, my friend has a say in what happens with the new breeder, and it is her job to help the breeder settle in on the second day. I somehow got lucky with Abby being my best friend even though she is three years older than me.
"As many clothes as you can grab from my closet, lots of chocolate to help my emotionally unstable mind right now, and my phone charger, please. Talk to my cousin and his mate about stuff to bring me," I say, glad that my friend's status allows her to visit me whenever she wants.
"Okay, I will see you tomorrow then," she says hopefully as we say our goodnights. We hang up after another hour of mindless chatter, and I turn off all sound on my phone, just in case. I did not want to have it taken away from me. I think of a hiding spot in my room and smile, getting up and hiding it in a compartment in the nightstand that I had found while cleaning. It was something I guess the previous breeder had created, adding a false bottom to the drawer, where she had left a notebook, which I assume is a biography of sorts. It is something I plan to read later to see just how the breeder who once resided here lived daily.
Now that I am somewhat settled into my new role, I decide a shower will do me good. I undress, stepping into the warm water of the still-flowing shower and scrubbing myself clean. During my cleaning spree, I had learned that high-quality bathing products were stored under the sink cupboards in both bathrooms. I made sure to pick a few I liked and settled them in the shower caddy attached to the wall of the walk-in shower. My mind is racing as I think of what to do with the other rooms since I have no choice but to perform this role as the pack's breeder. The time ticks by, and when I am sure enough that my body is relaxed and cleaned after today, I turn off the water and step out of the shower, wrapping my body in a fuzzy, soft white towel that envelopes my small body. I slowly open the bathroom door, the steam escaping the warm room, and shiver from the cold breeze that rushes to greet me. Quickly I run to the walk-in closet, taking the large long-sleeve shirt and boy shorts I had found and cleaned earlier and quickly toweling my body dry to put the fresh set of clothes on.
Padding quietly into my room, I shiver once again, remembering that all the windows were opened when I began cleaning earlier. I want nothing more than to fall into the queen-size mattress and allow sleep to take over, but instead, I rush around the cottage, closing all the windows and the back door. Even though it is late spring now, the weather in our pack territory still lingers in earlier spring, almost end of winter, as we are located in the northern part of Ontario, close to Hudson Bay. Checking the thermostat to make sure the cottage warms up, I finally head back upstairs and into my room. Climbing into bed, I wrap the warm, soft blankets around me and let my exhausted body relax as the scent of the lavender fabric softener surrounds and soothes me into a deep, dreamless sleep.