Broken Souls

Kay’s POV

It’s about eight in the morning, and the nurse just brought my breakfast tray. The nurse said the doctor wants me to take it slow on eating ’til I recover more, but did they need to bring me plain oatmeal? I know they didn’t know, but still, I cover the bowl and eat the toast instead. I don’t really feel that hungry. They did unhook me from the stupid beeping monitor and took the IV out, so I am feeling a bit better.

I was sitting there eating my toast, wondering what happens now when Oriel appears standing in the door with possibly the biggest grin on her face. I know I’m staring with my mouth open. Why is she back here to see me, and why does she look that happy? I manage to close my mouth as she comes striding into the room. “So, guess what.” She says as she flops into the chair by my bed, “We are getting you the heck out of here.”

“What, who is, why, where am I going?” I’m so shocked I can’t even make a coherent sentence, apparently.

“Michael and I are getting you out of here, silly.” Oriel giggles and keeps smiling. “Doc says you can go so long as you take it easy and come back in a few days, so he can check on you. Oh and he said bland food, and if you need anything to call him before your check-up.”

“Okay.” I say slowly, still looking at her in shock, “Where am I going?”

“Oh, the pack house, of course. You’ll have a room next to mine and Michael’s, so I can help you adjust.”

“Why?” I’m now more concerned why they would want me in the pack house. I should be locked up. I was with the rogues, and they don’t know anything about me.

Oriel sighs, “Because you clearly need someone to help you. We can’t figure out how you survived. You had enough wolfs bane to do the job of killing you. I have a feeling that you wouldn’t help any of those rogues, and I know you didn’t deserve what happened to you. I want to help you, so I am. If you have family, we can help you find them if you want. But please let us help. I’ve seen a lot of things, but finding you like that was one of the worst.”

I didn’t know I was crying ’til I felt a tear land on my hand in my lap, and I had to look at my hands for a moment. I didn’t know a virtual stranger could be so kind. When I look at Oriel, she I see a few tears that she quickly wipes away,

“Now, let’s get you out of here. I found some things that might fit you in the extra clothes at the pack house, but I’m afraid they will most likely be too big. But, we can look for more stuff once we get to the pack house. Why don’t you go shower, and I’ll go get the bag of clothes for you?”

I nod, and Oriel gets up and goes to the door, grabbing a bag. I slide off the bed, still feeling unsteady on my feet. I head to the bathroom, and Oriel hands me the bag smiling at me.“I’ll be back in a few. I’m just going to check on Michael and all the paperwork.” I nod and step into the bathroom closing the door. I turn to look in the mirror, something I have avoided doing, but I need to do it.

I can hardly recognize myself. My eyes and hair look dull. I have yellow and green bruises around my face, and my cheeks are sunken in. I have lost weight, not that I had any to lose before. I slip off the hospital gown, my mouth falls open, and a tear slips from my eye. I have so many black and purple bruises and small cuts. I have some broken ribs, but I’ve had those before. I’m just shocked to see my body so broken and so thin; I knew it was terrible, but I didn’t imagine it was this bad.

I look through the bag and pick out some underwear and a small sports bra. I don’t really have curves. I probably don’t need the bra, but I feel better wearing it. I found some black legging and a loose sweater. I even found some flats that are only a little too big for me. I’m also relieved that Oriel brought soap, shampoo, and conditioner.

I shower, taking extra time to wash my hair. I washed it three times before I decided it was clean. Once I’m dressed, I brush and braid my hair; it nearly reaches my waist. Slipping on the shoes, I pack everything up and step out of the bathroom.

Oriel is sitting on Beta Michael’s lap, and I blush a little. They look cute together. “Hey, you look loads better.” Beta Michael says, “Still look like you need a few decent meals, though.” Oriel elbows him causing him to flinch as Oriel hops off his lap. “What did I do?” He whines at her as she glares at him.

I can’t help it. I giggle at them, “I know I look too thin, but the doctor was very clear, only bland food. Just please don’t make me eat plain oatmeal.” I say.

“Oh gosh, no. That’s not food,” Oriel replies, scrunching up her face. “Come on, let’s go.” With that, Beta Michael takes the bag from me, and we head out of the hospital.

We walk over to a black SUV, and Beta Michael opens the door for Oriel. He opens the back door and puts the bag in. “Ladies,” he says, bowing. We both get in, and he closes the doors. After he’s in, we head off to the pack house.

“When you feel better, we can walk around town, and I’ll show you the lay of the land,” Oriel says brightly. I nod at her. It’s still strange having someone be so nice to me.

We drive through a pretty-looking town, and I see some restaurants and coffee places, even a movie theater. It looks like any town you may pass through, really. We then start passing through neighborhoods of small nice-looking houses. I figure that this is where the omega families live and maybe some of the warriors’ families.

I am lost in my head imagining the lives of the families when I notice the houses stopped, and we are heading down a long driveway with a well-kept lawn. I look down the drive, and, for a second time, I have to pick my jaw off the floor. The pack house is enormous. “How many people live here?” I find myself asking before I can stop myself.

We stop in front of the house, and to the left, I see a massive garage, and I can tell there are apartments above it, probably for the driver.

“Oh, just Beta Michael, me, and Alpha Aaron, and a few omegas that work here. But in the mornings after training, mostly everyone comes for breakfast. Lunch and dinner are busy as well because of patrol changes and all of that. Alpha Aaron keeps the house open for anyone that wants to come hangs out or stay, but it’s been quiet since…” Oriel doesn’t finish, and I wonder why.

Oriel looks at Beta Michael, and I can see they are having a silent conversation that only lasts a moment before Beta Michael’s cheerful voice breaks the quiet in the car, “Okay, let’s get you to your room, Kay.” Beta Michael gets out and opens Oriel’s door. I start to open my door, and he holds it open for me; grabbing the bag, I slide out and land a little hard on my feet and suck in a breath. “You all, right?” Beta Michael asks, genuinely concerned.

I just nod and give a weak smile. I still can’t believe how big this pack house is. I think fifty people could easily live here with room to spare. We head in and pass through the common room, and Oriel and Beta Michael lead me up a couple of flights of stairs and down a long hall.

“I’ll show you around later, but I think you should rest,” Oriel tells me, and I agree with her. I feel extremely tired. “This is your room, and we are in this one.” She stops in front of a door and points to another door across the hall. She opens my door and gestures for me to go in.

“Oh……no, I…… I can’t.” I stammer.

“Why? Don’t you like it?” Oriel asks, looking a little worried.

“Oh, it’s not that I don’t like it. It’s too nice for me.” I tell her. She gives me a warm look. The room is big and clean. It has a big window letting in sunlight, and the bed is huge and looks soft. All the bedding is a soft white as well as the walls making the wood furniture stand out in contrast. It’s the nicest room I’ve ever seen. Oriel giggles at me, and Beta Michael is smiling.

“I have some work to do. I’ll see you, girls, later.” He says and gives Oriel a quick kiss. I turn my head away.

“Come on, and I’ll show you your room. This is the closet. You can set your bag in here.” She tells me as I look in. It’s so large I could live just the closet. She then opens the next door, “And this is your bathroom.” I look in, and it’s big too: it has a bathtub and a shower with a giant sink. It’s soft white as well matching the bedroom,

“I really can’t stay here.” I say, looking at Oriel.

“Don’t be silly. This is your room, and that’s that. I’ll have some omegas see about getting you some clothes, and I’ll have them bring meals up here to you ’til you feel stronger. Then you can eat with us downstairs.” I can tell I won’t win an argument with her, so I don’t try. She continues, “I think you should rest now. Doctor’s orders, remember. I’ll check on you in a bit.” I nod at her, and she leaves me in the room.

I still can’t believe I’m being allowed to stay here. I slip off my shoes and climb into the massive bed. It is so soft and warm. In no time, sleep takes me.

I’m awoken by a nightmare, which seems to be the normal way I wake up. The sun is setting, and I smell food sitting next to my bed. I sit up and find a tray of toast, and under a covered lid, I find chicken broth. I eat the toast and sip the broth, and I decide to look around the room a bit. I’m not used to not having anything to do; even when I was hurt, I still had chores to do. I miss cooking with Grandma.

I move to the window and look out. I can see the training grounds past the yard and some warriors are there, but I can’t see them clearly because of how far they are. I see a large man with longer auburn hair walking toward the warriors, and I wonder if that’s Alpha Aaron. Oriel said I met him the day they found me, but I don’t really remember.

A knock at the door breaks my thoughts, and I turn to the door. Oriel comes in with a big bag dropping it on the floor. “What’s that?” I ask her.

“Clothes. I thought you would like to pick out what you like. Some might be a little young for you. It was hard finding clothes your size.” She wrinkles her forehead, glaring at the bag of clothes like they offend her. I giggle at her a little.

“Thank you, and I know it’s difficult,” I tell her, walking over to her and the bag.

“Well, that’s okay. I’m sure there is some stuff in here that will work ’til we can go shopping.” I can tell instantly that something she loves.

Should I tell her I haven’t been shopping since I was ten? I’m lost in my thoughts before I hear her calling my name. “Kay, hello? Where did you go?” She’s looking at me, concerned.

“Oh, I was just thinking.” I blush a little embarrassed.

“Oh, okay, well, let’s go through these, and I know you don’t want to talk about what happened, but I do need you to tell me a little about yourself, okay?”

Oriel is looking at me as she finishes talking, and I can tell she’s reading my reaction, so I sit on the floor and begin going through the bag, sorting things I like and things I don’t. “Okay,” I sigh.

Oriel sits down too and begins picking things up and showing me. I shake my head when I don’t like something, “Where should I start, and what do you want to know?” I finally ask her.

“Do you have any family we can find? How old are you? How did you end up with the rogues?” She trails off, and I can tell she wants to ask more but is trying to be patient. I sigh again.

“I’m seventeen, and no there is no one you can call. I don’t have a family.” I tell her my parents died but don’t tell her how. I tell her I was 13 when the rogues found me. I tell her about the times I tried to run, but I skip telling her about my punishments. I tell her about Grandma, and the whole time she sits quietly and listens ’til I’m completely done talking. Then she does the most shocking thing of all: she hugs me. I blink a few times, shocked she’s hugging me, trying to be gentle with my still sore body.

She pulls away and sits back. “I’m sorry you went through that. I know there is more you’re not telling me, and that’s okay. I’ll listen when you’re ready.” I nod at her, but I can’t look her in the face; no one has ever said that to me.

We continued sorting the bag of clothes, and I ask if they saw an old woman like Grandma during the attack, but no one did. We continue chatting about the pack, training, and how she really can’t wait ’til I can go with her. Then suddenly: “Kay, when is your birthday?”

“March 21st. Why?” I’m a little confused why she’s asking all of a sudden.

“We will have to celebrate. You’ll be eighteen, right? That’s a big deal.”

I can tell she’s not asking permission, but I still shake my head, “Please, you have already done so much for me. I don’t want to make a big deal about my birthday.”

“Well, I would like to do something for you, and so I will.” She has that giant grin on her face again, and I can tell I’m not going to win.

Oriel packs up the clothes I didn’t like and stands up. She takes the bag and puts it outside the door, and then she does it again: she hugs me. I think this is a regular thing for her. She tells me goodnight, to get some rest, and that she and Michael are just across the hall if I need them. I sigh and realize I am tired. I go to the bathroom and brush my teeth. Climbing into the giant soft bed, I fall asleep quickly.