Chapter 27
Viola’s frown deepened at the unfamiliar sight of the beautiful young woman standing at the door, looking at her with a faint smile.
For a moment, Viola was stunned by her beauty. Plump lips and high cheekbones. She was tall and elegantly beautiful in a dark pink dress that reached below her knees and high heels, her hair a smooth mixture of silver and blonde, let down over her shoulders.
Though she wasn’t flashing her status through her dress, Viola knew money when she saw it, and this person was clearly not an omega but some important shewolf.
Viola’s body immediately stiffened when the woman closed the door behind her. She didn’t like people coming to see her; any important person usually had only one thought in mind: to cause her more pain, beat her, or humiliate her, even when she hadn’t done anything wrong to them.
Panic began to rise in her chest, but as if sensing her unease, the young woman smiled and asked, “Where are my manners? I should have knocked. Since I’m here… may I come in, Miss Viola p>
How did she know her name? Viola wondered. And why did she think she needed to ask for permission to come in, when it wasn’t even her own place? Yet, somehow, the question made Viola feel a small sense of importance. For so long, she had been neglected, never allowed to speak to anyone of note or control even the simplest thing, like granting someone permission to enter.
She nodded slowly. “You… may p>
The young woman’s gray eyes suddenly brightened, and she stepped further into the room. Her eyes taking her in. The way she looked at her made Viola self-conscious, wishing she could vanish from here.
Her bruises and disheveled appearance filled her with shame. Unable to voice her discomfort at having people stare at her, Viola returned her hand to peeling the skin around her nails, but when no loose skin remained, her fingers began to tremble on her lap.
Please. Go away p>
She thought as she warily watched the she-wolf approach, but when she reached the couch beside her and Viola mentally braced herself for a beating, the she-wolf’s eyes fell on Viola’s bleeding cuticles.
Instead of recoiling in disgust, as Viola expected, as many had done when she was a Hollow, the beautiful woman gasped, then sat beside her and pulled out a handkerchief, reaching for her hand.
Years of reflex from past beatings caused Viola to shrink back instinctively.
“Oh, sorry. I’m Zoe, by the way. I would have said it’s nice meeting you in person, but… I hate what I’m seeing. Really, did they do this to you in your pack?” Zoe asked.
Viola stared at her without a word, not understanding why this she-wolf was apologizing, who she was, or why she was here at all. Had they met before? Did Zoe know her somehow? She searched her memory, but she had never heard of anyone named Zoe p>
“I… I am Viola,” she said awkwardly, her voice uncertain. She wasn’t used to being spoken to as if she were a person, rather than something meant to be stepped on and beaten.
“I know you, well, I believe you don’t remember me. I once followed you on WolfTalk, and though you never replied to my comments or private messages, I was your top fan. I liked watching you do all those stunts in your school! I was so excited to meet you when Matt told me you were here, but… I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting Zoe trailed off, not wanting to offend Viola but unable to look past how different she was now.
She looked nothing like the confident, smart princess of Moonwillow she had once admired online. Though Viola had never replied to any of her comments or acknowledged her messages, Zoe had taken it as meaning the girl was too busy, and with so many followers, she couldn’t have had the time to respond.
Viola flushed with embarrassment and shame. She had ignored many people during her time as Evan’s girlfriend. Anyone who didn’t fit into the circle she deemed worthy had been blocked or ignored. To think that one of those people was now looking at her with gentle, concerned eyes made her want to sink into the floor from the deep sense of shame.
Viola ducked her head and muttered, “How may I be of help to you, Miss Zoe p>
Zoe’s face broke into a smile. “I’m here to take you to your new place,” she declared.
In truth, it wasn’t her job to come, but she had volunteered anyway because she wanted to meet the woman who had called the Alpha a judgemental bastard. Matt had told her about it and Zoe had found it amusing. She would have given anything to witness it in person.
“You’re taking me away from here?” Viola asked, hiding the panic rising inside her. A new place? Had the Alpha finally decided to put her somewhere appropriate for a wolfless? No… she didn’t want to go back there. She liked it here, where she had water and a bed, but did she really have a choice?
“Yes. You’ve stayed here long enough. Can you walk, or do you need me to carry you?” Zoe asked, standing up and rolling up the sleeves of her dress, which made Viola’s eyes widen as she looked at the slender woman before her. Was she joking? Why would an important person want to touch someone like her? She thought, but it didn’t seem like a joke at all, so Viola quickly shook her head.
“I have my crutches. I can walk.” She rose from the couch, and Zoe stepped back to give her room.
“Is there anything you need to pack? I can help you pack it,” Zoe asked, glancing around the room.
Viola almost let out a bitter laugh. She had no possessions, not even a single change of clothes, and she let Zoe know with a short, quiet shake of her head.
Walking carefully toward the door, she paused, eyes turning on the room. After four years of living in dirt and neglect, this had been her first decent room, her first bed, her first running water. Her throat burned as she feared being sent back to a life where she was nothing, a nobody, swallowed by the dirt she had fought so hard to escape.
Should she have just gone to America when he offered? she wondered, glancing one last time at the bed, the window view, and thinking about the three daily meals with running water she had never failed to savor every second of.
Viola left the room dejectedly, and Zoe closed the door behind them, chatting warmly and telling her about things Viola couldn’t focus on, because she was too fearful of where she would end up next, and also unaccustomed to the kind of genuine kindness this Miss Zoe was giving her, with no reason at all to do so. People were never kind to her without reasons p>