Chapter 20: First steps

***Jane***

Agnes and I spend the morning with Kota, Rosalie, Rosalie’s baby Emile, and Evan, fighting our own anxiety from our lack of activity.

In all my life, I had never had a moment to rest, to just sit and watch a movie or play games without a care in the world.

Even if there was chance that I completed my chores, my mind and self-hatred would torture me relentlessly.

As a pup, my father put me through rigorous schooling and speech therapies to make me the best Alpha I could be.

Of course, I could never live up to his expectations.

He would make me stand before him once a week to recite the history of our pack or the laws that governed it and the kingdom.

If I faltered in my pronunciation, I would be struck with a whip.

There was never a day that I made it out of a recital without shedding blood.

My mother would weep sorrowfully, begging my father helplessly to have mercy.

She would sometimes be beaten herself for attempting to shield me.

It hurt my soul to fail her so miserably but no matter how hard I concentrated, my tongue would only grow stiffer, and my words would slur like a drunk.

After I was demoted to Omega status, I became a field hand, carrying weapons for the warriors in training or helping maintain the equipment in the hot sun or cold winters.

As I grew older, I learned many things to make myself useful such as plumbing, mechanics, painting and other basic maintenance jobs.

Agnes is no different.

With her hearing gone, she had to make herself useful to earn her meals.

No one wants an extra mouth to feed.

She was beaten relentlessly by other Omegas if she slipped up.

She learned to be quick in the kitchen, never resting for fear she would be cast out or killed by the Omegas.

So, as we sit comfortably on the couch watching Aladdin with Kota, Agnes and I find it hard to rest, wondering if at any moment, this pack’s kindness would run out.

Even Grayson could not find the words to soothe my racing thoughts.

Feeling myself about to break, I get up quietly and search for a pen and paper before approaching Rosalie with a note.

“Are you sure there is nothing we can do to be of service 2” Rosalie reads aloud before raising an eyebrow at me.

“Are you bored?” She asks nervously.

“W-we can go to the park if you like.Kota could stretch his legs and play with some other pups.Let me just get the stroller for Emile,” she says as Evan gets up from his spot to find said stroller.I shake my head at her, writing out my response.

“We just don’t want to be a burden.”She stares at the note before smiling up at me.

“You are our guests, not a burden,” She chuckles.

“Gwen asked for this favor and need,” She smiles.

“Just relax and enjoy yourselves. Take this a small vacation while Gwen finishes up her work.”

Just then we hear the door open, and Natalia appears on her own, a thoughtful look in her eyes.

“You’re back!” Rosalie chirps.

“How was the walk? Did you see all of River Moon?” She asks with a cheerful smile.

Talia smiles sheepishly, her eyes staring at her hands.

“It was …eye opening…” she replies quietly.

“Aurora just had an emergency to deal with.”

There’s a serious tone in her voice and Rosalie appears to understand the true meaning behind her words.

“Well, you’ve come just in time.I think Kota might enjoy some time at the park,”

She gestures to Kota watching the movie on the floor with Rio lying lazily next to him.

“Yeah, mommy!” Kota cries, scrambling to his feet.

“Can we go to the park?”

at Rosalie and I before giving her consent,

returns with the stroller for Rosalie’s pup, some

chatters away, pointing out different buildings and explaining their purpose to us to keep the walk

watching Kota like a hawk whenever he runs ahead of us with Rio reassure her that her pup is

for the girls, spreading out a blanket

to the

they begin a game of sorts where they run after each other and freeze in place

heart that I could help comfort in some way, but I know better than

She is already frightened.

do not need to scare her any

the park, picking flowers, thin sticks, and long blades

into crowns, her nimble fingers delicately

her

presents the crown to Rosalie,

this for me?” Rosalie asks with a smile as she puts her

you,” she says, remembering the ‘thank you’

weaves yet another flower crown

having been so focused on her pup and

Agnes “Sorry,”

with a trembling hand, stepping

a few moments before taking the flower crown and squeezing

all,”

and apologizes

their interaction with intrigue before asking a question I had been asking myself since I first met my

bluntly, placing her chin in her hand

on her pillow and

a lovely pup…” she says with

“How old is he?”

purses her lips in a tight line, as if holding her tongue, before

months old… almost

before her face

hard time talking to us about her story,” she

us.But just FYI, you are safe here so you can stop looking at us like we’re going to eat you,” she says with a

you already if we

and watches Kota

for lunch and a few hours thereafter until Kota and Rio tire themselves out and lifting his arms up for me to

can see the hurt in her eyes at

on ahead of us to the guest house can feel a small

Maybe hold her hand…

Grayson suggests.

my pace until I walk alongside her, Kota mumbling with sleepiness in my

her hand, Talia flinching away at the sensation

I mentally prepare for her to snap at me but instead,

takes my hand, interlocking our fingers in a firm

up my arm, but I can still feel her

lip as a small whimper escapes her

me for a little while longer before letting

can’t.I’m sorry,” She explains, holding her hand as if it were

a few stray

and holds

just tired,” She whispers,

room,” She instructs as she walks ahead

let me wash him in her place.Talia looks like she might burst into tears after being rejected by her son for

you do it?” She

in my heart returns as she looks at me with glossy brown

want to scold the little boy for breaking his mother’s heart, but I know he is truly unaware of how

there too long,” she says

clean up if he makes a mess.He needs to learn that there

leaving me alone with the cheeky

eagerly undresses and climbs into the bubble filled tub, grabbing a handful of bubbles and throwing them up

he can enjoy the bubbles before the water

many times, but I grab his two little hands and place them over his

Kota,”

he can protest, I pull the plug in the tub, the water slowly draining down the hole much to Kota’s dismay glance at

I dress the little boy in a pair of blue

whisper

his blue and brown eyes blinking at

is mommy sad?” He asks,

miss-misses home,” I

“Oh,” he sighs.

I like it here.” I hide my smile

like i-it t-t-too,” I

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