Before I Rise

*Edited*

The twins led me to the stairs that seemed to just go on and on. I sucked in a deep breath, silently hoping they wouldn’t make me walk to the top. Thankfully, we only went up two levels before they guided me down a hallway. There were only a few doors in this section of the hallway, but I had a feeling that if you went further around the corner, there would be more. I wondered how many bedrooms this mansion had when the twins suddenly stopped in front of a door just a couple of feet from the staircase. There were only two other doors beside it, with a good amount of space between them.

My mouth dropped open in complete awe as soon as the door was opened. There was a decent-sized bed in the middle of the room with two medium-sized windows beside it, sheer white curtains framed the windows and two bedside tables. One window had a spacious landing with a couple of gray pillows on top of it. The room was painted in light gray, so light it was on the verge of being white. The bed was decorated with a sage green comforter with white flowers woven into it, with gray and sage green pillows at the head of the bed. At the foot of it was a light green fabricated bench with gold accents for the legs of it. It seemed to be the theme of the room. Gray, sage green, and gold surrounded me in little ways. It was comforting and welcoming.

Towards the left of the bed sat a white desk with a gray chair that accompanied it. There were two side-by-side doors on the right wall, which led to a bathroom and a closet.

The sound of someone clearing their throat pulled my attention away from the beautiful decor to a vibrant redheaded woman who was standing by the window with the landing. I was shocked that I didn’t see her in the first place. She was not someone that blended in the crowd. She was a few inches taller than me, with a diamond-shaped face with a few freckles sprinkled across her ivory face. However, the look on her face made me hesitate to say anything to her. She held this devious… perhaps it was a mischievous look across her face, almost as if she knew the punch line of a joke that we were all not privy to.

“You must be Em!” She cheerfully said as she walked up to me and stuck out her hand. I hesitantly reached mine out and interlocked it with hers. Her grip was gentle and warm, opposite what I thought it would be. It instantly made me relax around her. Maybe she wasn’t as intimidating as I thought.

“And you are…?”

She let go of my hand with a slight chuckle. “Oh right, I’m Alicia, Marcus’s cousin. Well, more like a sister than a cousin.” She turned her attention to the twins before I could say anything else. “You two can go. I don’t think you need to hang around here any longer.”

Derek let an annoyed grunt in Alicia’s direction. “She still needs to be questioned until we know for sure she isn’t a threat. I’m not leaving her alone with you.”

Alicia rolled her green eyes at his statement while I felt like physically flinching at what he said. There was no way I would hurt anyone. He didn’t even know me.

“Can it, Derek! I can handle myself; besides, she hardly looks like she is going to gouge my eyes out. Seriously go away! Your interrupt girl time.” Suddenly, Alicia’s face twisted in a devious way. “If you don’t leave, I’m telling Marcus that you saw Em naked. Let’s see who wins that fight.”

“I guarantee The Alpha could care less about that, besides I wouldn’t watch her change, Alicia!”

Alicia cocked out a hip and placed her hand on it. “Wanna bet?” I was really beginning to like this sassy, confident woman.

It weirdly got quiet for a few seconds before Derek’s eyes grew three sizes before his mouth popped open in disbelief.

“You’re lying!” He shouted at her, with a still disbelieving look on his face.

“What’s going on?” Gabe asked the question that was on my mind. I was utterly lost in what was going on.

Derek shook his head before glancing at me and then at his brother. “Nothing, we need to go.”

“But, I thought….”

“Now, Gabe!” Derek demanded, cutting his brother off from whatever he was about to say.

Gabe threw his hands up in surrender, “Okay, geez.” He then reassuringly squeezed my shoulder before giving me a small smile. “Don’t worry, Em, we are leaving you in capable hands. Alicia will make you feel welcome, just don’t be surprised if she talks your ear off.” He said with a wink in Alicia’s direction.

“Ha ha ha, get out of here, Gabe.” She said while pulling me from Gabe and pushing him out of the room before promptly shutting the door in his laughing face.

The interaction made me feel more comfortable than when I first arrived. It seemed so far that everyone treated each other like family, though I was guessing I hadn’t met everyone here.

“So, I heard you don’t remember anything besides your name.”

I shook my head and let out a heavy sigh. “Yup, you heard correctly.”

Alicia’s eyes grew sad as she looked at me. “I’m sorry about that. Don’t worry, though. We will all help you figure out what happened to you.” She said confidently, making my eyes sting with tears. It was nice to know that maybe I wasn’t entirely alone in this. It also warmed my heart that this stranger, who knows nothing about me, would want to help me.

“Thank you,” I whispered to her before a funny thought rushed to my mind. “I don’t think Derek will want to spend his time helping me.” I jokingly said.

Alicia let out a light chuckle with an eye roll. “Just ignore him. He walks around here like he always has a stick up his ass. I’ve been trying to convince Marcus to call him out on it, but he won’t.”

I finally let out a genuine laugh at the thought of Derek walking with a stick in his ass. He really did act like he had one.

She turned away from me and walked over to the window sill, where something black was folded with what appeared to be soft gray pants.

“Here,” she handed the fabricates to me. I realized it was a black shirt that was folded with the pants. “You can put these on after you shower. I brought in some hair products and body soap for you to use. If there is anything that I brought that you like, you can keep it! To be honest, though, I had to guess the size of clothes to bring you. Jacoby said you had a pretty average body type, but from what I can tell, you sure seem to have a decent rack on you. I’m unsure if the shirt I brought you will fit. I’ll grab a bigger size and leave it on the bed if this one doesn’t fit you.”

Alicia patted my arm and walked out of the room, leaving me standing there with my face on fire. On the one hand, I couldn’t believe she had just said all that to someone she had just met. On the other hand, I liked her more and more. Perhaps we could become friends one day.

I walked into the bathroom, not least surprised at the beautiful state it was in. The theme in the room was carried into the bathroom, with the gray bathroom rug on the floor and sage green towels folded neatly in a cabinet towards the back of the toilet. The bathroom was actually pretty spacious. It had one sink but a long counter with a mirror above it to match. There was a bathtub that was beside the standing shower that was calling my name. However, one look in the mirror told me my date with the bathtub would have to wait.

I was covered head to toe in dry mud. There were a few grass stains on my white shirt, and my hair looked like a bird was trying to make its home in it. I was absolutely mortified at the sight and the thought of The Alpha seeing me this way. He probably thought I was a lunatic. I also understood why Derek acted the way he did and wasn’t comfortable leaving me alone with Alicia. I definitely looked like a mad woman.

I removed my dirty clothes while waiting for the shower to heat up. It didn’t take long before I stepped under the warm water cascade. I instantly felt my body relax, and a content sigh escaped my lips. I looked around the shower and immediately saw a bottle that said ‘shampoo.’ I dumped copious amounts directly on the top of my head. I had no doubt it would be a process to remove all the dried-up dirt that had caked itself between the layers of my hair.

I scrubbed the liquid into my hair, trying to think about the current task and not those brown eyes that plagued my mind whenever my eyes closed. Or the never-ending feeling of abandonment.

That’s what bothered me the most. What in the world was I doing out there in the middle of nowhere? Was I all alone? If I wasn’t, then that meant someone left me there, defenseless and all alone. It was cruel either way.

I tuned out the dark thoughts and focused on what I was doing. I rinsed the shampoo out of my hair the second time before finally putting on conditioner and grabbing the body wash. I scrubbed my body until I finally felt clean enough to get out of the shower.

I dried my body with the provided towel before wrapping it in my clean hair. I put on the sweatpants Alicia provided, which fit perfectly. The shirt, however, did not. I couldn’t get it to go over my chest. I waited a few seconds, slightly panicking before I remembered that she would get me another size just in case.

I undid the towel from my hair and wrapped it around my chest to provide coverage before leaving the bathroom. I opened the door, stepped into the bedroom, and searched for a new shirt she was supposed to bring me, but they weren’t there. I sighed in defeat before a loud knock echoed around the room.

“Come in!” I called out, knowing already that it was most likely Alicia. Except, it wasn’t.

Marcus strolled confidently in before stopping abruptly. My heart stopped beating as his eyes ran down my half-naked body and back to my face. We stood there for a minute, just staring at each other. There seemed to be a buzzing energy between us. I was scared to make any sudden movements, too afraid he would leave. For some reason, I didn’t want him out of my sight.

Marcus briefly closed his eyes and ran a hand down his face. I suddenly realized he had a plate in his other hand that held what looked to be a sandwich. My stomach grumbled at the thought of eating, gaining his attention once again.

He cleared his throat. “I made you a turkey sandwich, thought you might be hungry. But now I’m wondering if I should have brought you a shirt. Did Alicia not provide one for you?”

I tightened the towel around me, noticing the way Marcus glanced, and watched the movement with an intense look in his eyes before looking back into my eyes. I’m sure my face was scarlet red by now. Now it was my turn to clear my throat and hope I sounded confident as I said, “No, she did; it didn’t fit over my rack… I mean chest! I didn’t mean rack! I mean, technically, it means the same thing but… yeah.” I chuckled nervously. “I think I ramble when I’m nervous….”

Marcus raised one of his bushy eyebrows. I looked towards the floor, willing it to open up and swallow me. I didn’t need my memories to know this was the most awkward interaction I have ever had with the opposite sex. I was hoping for a chance to convince him that I wasn’t this socially inept person.

Thankfully Alicia returned, saving me from further embarrassing myself.

“Oh shit, sorry, guys. I totally meant to bring this up earlier, but I got distracted! Here Em.” Alicia handed me the new shirt and a bra. “I totally knew I was right about your rack! This one should fit. Also, a sports bra is wrapped in it if you need it. You do know how to put on a bra, right?” She asked me, concern laced in her voice.

I didn’t dare look at Marcus as I answered her. “Yes, I’m pretty sure I know what it is and how to put it on.”

Alicia looked at Marcus before placing a mischievous smirk on her face and a hand on her hip. “Well, if you don’t, I’m sure Marcus here would have no problem helping you put it on… Especially since you’re his mate.”

Marcus’s wiped his head towards Alicia so fast, I’m surprised it didn’t fall off his shoulders.

“Mate?” I asked, confused about what Alicia had said and trying desperately to block out the first part of her sentence. I nearly combusted, thinking about how it would feel to have Marcus’s hands on me.

Alicia still held that mischievous look on her face as she sent Marcus, who was currently glaring at her, a wink. “I’ll take that as my cue to leave. Have fun, you two love birds.” She sang as she walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

“What does mate mean?” I asked Marcus as he turned his attention back onto me. He had a pissed-off look across his face, almost making me shiver in fright as his eyes danced between warm brown and midnight black. I suddenly realized that he and I were completely alone. I was wondering if that was a good or a bad thing.

He sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes, opening them once they returned to their usual dark brown, though they held no warmth as he looked at me.

“Get dressed. We have a couple of things to discuss, and you need to eat.” He instructed, with no room for argument.

I quickly turned my back towards him and rushed into the bathroom. I needed to take a minute or two to get my thoughts and feelings in check before interacting more with him. My emotions were all over the place when it came to this strange man. One minute I wanted to run my tongue down his entire body and for him to do the same to me. And the next minute, I’m scared shitless to be alone with him, unsure of what he will do. One thing was certain, he wasn’t the only one with questions that needed answers.