Rosalie:
The mont the door closed behind him, the atmosphere shifted almost instantly.
Aria dramatically sighed, "Finally."
I blinked at her in confusion.
"He keeps this place so dark all the ti," she complained while walking toward the sitting area. "Honestly, sotis I wonder if he’s secretly a vampire."
Before I could react, she grabbed a remote from the coffee table and pressed a button. The heavy dark curtains covering the enormous glass wall imdiately slid open, letting sunlight flood the room.
I actually gasped softly. Because only now did I properly realize what lay beyond the glass.
The room was on the ground floor. And outside the glass wall stretched a small but breathtaking backyard filled with green grass, flowering plants, and stone pathways leading toward what looked like a small orchard.
It looked peaceful, almost dreamlike.
Aria grinned proudly at my expression before walking toward one side of the glass wall. Only then did I realize a portion of it was actually a hidden sliding door.
She pulled it open smoothly.
Fresh air rushed instantly into the room along with the soft scent of flowers and the distant sound of birds chirping. The previous dark room turned bright, fresh, and alive.
After days trapped between pain, nightmares, and darkness, the fresh air felt almost unreal against my skin.
Aria switched off the room lights afterward before turning toward again. "I’m going to prepare your bath." Then she disappeared into the adjoining bathroom.
True to her word, around five minutes later she returned and carefully helped out of bed. My legs felt weak imdiately beneath , forcing to lean slightly on her while walking.
"I know," she said sympathetically. "Your muscles are probably screaming at you right now."
"That obvious?"
She snorted. "You walk like a newborn deer."
Despite myself, a tiny laugh escaped . It felt strange. I couldn’t rember the last ti I laughed naturally.
Aria carefully led into the bathroom, and I froze imdiately as I took in the enormous area. Soft cream marble stretched across the walls and floors, golden light reflecting gently off elegant mirrors and silver fixtures. Near the center sat a large bathtub already filled with steaming water and thick bubbles.
And the sll, it was heavenly. There was lavender, vanilla, and sothing floral and calming beneath it. I nearly lted from the scent alone.
Aria smiled knowingly at my stunned face. "Freshen up slowly," she told kindly. "And call if you need help with anything." Then she gestured toward the room outside. "I’ll change the bedding and clean up anwhile."
Warm gratitude spread through imdiately. "Thank you," I said softly.
Her expression brightened. Then she quietly left, giving privacy. The mont the bathroom door closed, I slowly looked toward the bathtub again.
It had been nearly six days since my birthday night. Six days of river water, herbs, dicine, sweat, and pain clinging endlessly to my skin. At this point, a bath didn’t just sound nice. It felt necessary.
- - -
The warm bath felt heavenly against my sore body.
The mont I lowered myself into the scented water, I nearly lted from relief. Heat wrapped around my aching muscles slowly, carefully loosening all the stiffness and pain that had settled deep into my body over the past days.
Aria had prepared everything perfectly.
A toothbrush and toothpaste sat neatly beside the sink along with expensive-looking shampoo bottles, conditioner, body wash, skincare products, fluffy towels, and even a soft white bathrobe folded carefully nearby. She had also left fresh clothes for - a matching set of undergarnts and a loose yellow sumr dress that looked both comfortable and elegant.
The thoughtfulness behind it all stirred sothing warm inside my chest.
I took my ti washing properly. And for so reason, it felt strangely emotional, as if I was washing away remnants of that horrible night itself. Though unfortunately, so things clearly couldn’t be cleaned off so easily. Because the mories still lingered stubbornly beneath my skin.
I pushed the thoughts away before they could ruin the fragile peace surrounding . Instead, I focused on the warmth of the water and the soft scent of lavender filling the bathroom.
By the ti I finally finished bathing, the water had already gone cold and my stomach was growling painfully from hunger.
I carefully dried myself before slipping into the fresh undergarnts and loose sumr dress. The soft fabric brushed gently against my skin, comfortable enough that I nearly sighed aloud in relief.
After wrapping my damp hair inside the towel, I slowly stepped back into the bedroom.
The room looked completely different now. Aria had apparently finished cleaning while I bathed. The bedsheets had been changed into fresh pale-colored linens, the shattered glass was completely gone, and most noticeably the dical machines had disappeared entirely. The room no longer resembled a private hospital room.
Instead, it looked peaceful again. Comfortable.
Fresh flowers now sat inside elegant vases both on the coffee table and beside the bed, filling the room with a soft floral scent that blended beautifully with the breeze drifting through the slightly open glass door.
For a mont, I simply stood there quietly, taking everything in. It had been a long ti since I had stayed sowhere that felt this calm.
A few minutes later, the door opened and Aria returned carrying a tray carefully in her hands. "There you are," she said brightly. "Perfect timing. It’s food ti."
The delicious sll instantly reached , and my stomach growled so loudly this ti that Aria laughed openly. "See? Even your body agrees with ."
Embarrassed, I carefully moved toward the couch near the glass wall and sat down while she placed the tray in front of . The al itself was simple - warm porridge, soft bread, and herbal tea. But the mont I took the first bite, I realized just how starving I actually was.
I finished the entire bowl embarrassingly fast.
Aria watched with obvious satisfaction before handing my dicines afterward, which I obediently swallowed without complaint this ti.
The warmth of the food settled heavily and comfortably inside , making exhaustion slowly creep into my body again. I had just leaned back slightly against the couch when Aria suddenly appeared behind holding a blow dryer.
"It’s ti to dry your hair," she announced seriously.
I blinked up at her. For so reason, the situation felt oddly intimate. Not in a bad way, just... unfamiliar. No one had really taken care of like this before.
But instead of declining, I simply smiled softly. "Thank you, Aria."
The girl brightened instantly. Then she carefully started drying my hair. Warm air flowed gently through the damp strands while she worked surprisingly skillfully behind . The entire atmosphere felt peaceful enough that my eyes nearly started drifting shut again.
After a while, curiosity slowly surfaced inside again.
"Aria?"
"Hmm?"
"Where did Eiden go?" I hesitated briefly before continuing. "I thought he wasn’t part of any pack." At least... that was what the rumors always claid. "But it sounded earlier like he went to one."
Aria paused briefly behind . Then, much to my surprise, she answered casually, "He’s indeed not part of any pack."
I frowned slightly in confusion. "Then-?"
"But he’s close friends with Zaiden Nightfang."
My breath caught instantly.
Zaiden... Nightfang?
The feared Rogue Alpha?
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