Chapter 34

"So over here is the Alpha's study, his room is at the end of the hall and this will be your room." With that, their guide, Stacy deposited Trishanna's small suitcase inside the door to one of the guest rooms before closing the door. A quick knock and she popped her head in to add, "And dinner is usually around seven, so you can relax until then. Your friend is in the room across from you. See you then." She disappeared once again. Sighing, Trishanna took a deep breath. Sitting on the luxurious bed, she covered her face with her hands. It was still hard to believe that she actually rejected her pack and left, taking refuge in a place that she's never heard of with an Alpha who claimed her as her mate, no less. Falling back, she crossed one arm over her face. "I wish you were here Rosie. I really need you right now. Tell me what should I do?"

Since the ceiling held no answers, she turned to her side and just let her mind go blank. It was a strange feeling to not be worried about who was going to say or do something to her. Here, there were no demands on her. Allowing her body to relax, she wasn't aware that she drifted off until a shadow blocked the setting sun streaming through her partially opened window. Frowning at the interruption, she turned and grabbed a pillow, cuddling it with hopes of drifting back to the state of nothingness she was gently rocked in.

The bed dipped as the person sat next to her. Moving the hair out of her face, Alexa looked at the sleeping girl. Her grandmother asked her to fetch Trishanna so they could all head down for dinner. There was still time and Alexa desperately wanted to question the girl about her friend. As soon as they had arrived, Beta Sam dragged Samuel toward their gym for a sparring session. all she got was an awkward wave from him. There was so much that she wanted to know that she felt that the questions would overtake her very reason. Why was she so drawn to him?

Triahanna felt a hand on her shoulder and one on her hip. Her pleasant state of nothing warped to a dark night. She felt the sound of harsh breathing, and it felt like something was pawing at her, removing her clothes. She wasn't sure who it was, but she knew that she didn't want it. She felt a hand press over her mouth as an all too familiar voice whispered in her ear that she was asking for it before a searing pain tore through her. She jolted up with a scream, which frighted the younger woman who was trying to wake her.

Alexa jumped back at Trishanna's cry of desperation. Thinking quickly, she shook her roughly trying to snap her back to reality. Trishanna stopped screaming as Alexa's voice covered the one of Alpha James'. With tears rolling down her face, Trishanna only had a few seconds to realize it was Alexa before she leaned over the side of the bed and puked. Alexa rubbed her back as she held her hair out of the way. When she was finished, Alexa wiped her mouth with the blanket. "Trish, are you alright? What happened? What made you scream like that?" Hugging herself, she simply mumbled, "I remember when James raped me."

Bradley was in his office, going over what took place in his absence. It was a quiet affair, however, there was a problem with some of the medical equipment that they ordered for their sick bay. He was going over the details with the pack's head doctor Lorenzo and his mate/assistant Nicole when he felt something shiver down his spine. Immediately his wolf thought of their mate being in peril and without a word, he dashed out, heading for her room. He got there and found it locked. Banging on the door, he called her name, but it was Alexa who answered. Stepping out, she quickly closed the door behind her. "Is something wrong with my Luna?"

"Actually Alpha Bradley, Trishanna just woke up from a nap so she was just a bit startled at the change, plus she isn't quite presentable. If you wouldn't mind, could you ask Stacy to visit us, please? There is a little favor I would like to ask her to do for me before we join everyone for dinner." Bradley was hesitant to leave, but Alexa planted herself firmly in front of the door, effectively denying him entry. "Is that all you guys need?" Alexa nodded and without any other proof that anything was wrong, he linked Stacy to attend to his guests while he returned to his office.

Alexa went back inside. Trishanna was still in the bed, hugging one of the pillows like her lifeline. The shock, horror, and disgust could be seen on her face, as well as the sadness and disbelief. Alexa had no idea how she felt, but all she could offer her was a hug. Both women simply held each other until there was a knock on the door. "Who is it?" Alexa asked. "It's me miss. Stacy. The Alpha said that you requested me?" Alexa turned to Trishanna and told her to go and take a hot shower. While she did that, she let Stacy in and asked her to clean the room and change the bedding without letting anybody know.

With the professionalism of a hotel attendant, Stacy had the room cleaned and the bed remade. Alexa helped so by the time Trishanna emerged feeling a whole lot better, the room was done. Alexa didn't say a word, but simply helped her find something nice to wear and helped her dry and comb her hair. "Do you think you can make it to dinner?" Alexa asked.

"Honestly, I don't know. I'm not sure that my stomach could handle anything right now, especially with all those eyes looking at me." Alexa was thoughtful for a few minutes. "I know this is your first night here as a guest, but I think after the day you had, I don't think anyone would fault you for not joining them downstairs. So, I'll tell them that you're feeling a bit overwhelmed with today's events and ask that a light meal be sent up to you."

Just as she was going to leave, Trishanna grabbed onto her with shaking hands. "NO, I'll go down with you. I don't want the Alpha to be mad at me. Who knows what he'll do?" Alexa looked at the shaking girl in front of her and knew that she was afraid that the same treatment she received in her old pack would take place here. Kneeling in front of her, she calmly said, "Trish, I know you've had bad experiences with Alpha James, but trust me when I say that Bradley isn't like that. Not only is he the opposite, but he would rather cut off his own arm than see you get hurt. He may be a bit disappointed, but he will not do anything to harm you. Okay?"

"Okay, Alexa." Smiling, she gave Trishanna one more hug, before leaving. As she headed downstairs, ran into Samuel. Blushing, she observed that he had just showered, judging by the drops of water still in his hair and the warmth of his skin. She almost forgot about Trishanna, if he didn't ask about her. Clearing her throat, she simply said that she was a bit tired and wanted to rest in her room.