7. Discovery (part 1)

-1 week later-

Aiden´s P.O.V.

I am still not fully healed yet. My eye and nose still look horrible. I trace my slow healing back to the malnutrition and depression of my wolf. I have put plasters on the wounds on my arms from the broken glass but they seem to have gotten infected somehow because I hadn´t noticed a small piece of glass still stuck inside one of them so they aren´t healing either. I have managed to get it out though.

My shift at the bakery will end in half an hour and then, I will make my way out to buy myself a blanket. I can not sleep another night like I did, curled up in a ball, shaking for hours as the coldness broke into my room through little cracks on the sides of my window without mercy. I feel like I´m gonna be seriously ill in a few days if I can´t find warmth. The dumpsters didn´t have anything useful in them, so I have to sacrifice the money I had reserved for food for a few days. Bit it will be fine. I´ll be fine.

I´m just starting to clean up after I have put the last badge of breads in the oven. I wipe the counter, sweep the floor, wash up, take off my work clothes and wash my face and hands. I let my hands stay under the water a little bit longer than neccessary because it has been ages since I´ve felt warm water.

Jonathan is standing at the front, talking to a nice old lady, a regular costumer here. I smile and greet her as she does the same. "Jonathan? I just put the last badge in the oven, I´ll be heading off now, alright?", I say quietly as soon as he has finished talking. "Yes Aiden, good work. See you tomorrow.", he says, waving at me.

As the yellow door closes behind me, I am hit by the ice cold winter air. I can see my own breath as I tuck my arms close to my sides, careful not to reopen the wounds on my right arm. I start walking, embracing the cold. I´m headed towards a store I found a few days ago when I walked pastthe big house. It must be a truly large chain.

It takes about twenty minutes to reach it and that is all it takes for my teeth to start chattering. The automatic door opens, as costumers flow in and out. One man bumps into me and he just continues to walk, slinging an arm around what seems to be his girlfriend´s waist.

I turn towards the entrance and make my way inside. Ohhh, the warmth in here is blissful. I reach for the inside of my jacket and feel my wallet in there. Good.

I´m hit with all kinds of different prizes, and things, things that I never knew anyone would need. There are so many options and selections that it´s making my head spin but I have to concentrate on finding the thing I came here for.

When I find the blankets, I´m again hit with diversity in prize, colour and material. I long for something fluffy and warm, I always used to dream of having something like that when I was in the pack house. But I have to find the cheapest thing here to save every bit of money I can. In the corner, there are some dark grey ones, they look rough and scratchy but those are the cheapest ones so I´m getting one of them.

I take one out and drag my hand along the material, a sad expression on my face as it´s not nearly as fluffy as I had hoped for.

Know your place.

I hear in the back of my mind again. Alpha´s right, I should stop complaining and accept the cards I´m dealt with. This will keep me warmer than before so that´s a win.

With new found determination, I stand up again and start walking towards the cash register.

In the corner of my eye, I spot different types of beds with nice covers on them. They look so comfortable, I could just throw myself onto them and lie there for ages. I slow down. It couldn´t hurt to just look at them.

These beds seems so unreal, so beautiful. I don´t remember ever sleeping so elevated. Well that´s because it isn´t meant for your rank, stupid Omega. I hear the voice of Alpha say in my head.

I stop at one particular bed with red and soft covers. It is one that is meant for two people from what I see and it is very pretty. I kneel down before the bed and make sure that there isn´t anyone here to see. There are very few people around right now, the closest ones a couple in the other corner of the big room, admiring a magnificently crafted bedside table.

It takes much courage but eventually, I raise my hand. It´s shaking. This is rude of me, I shouldn´t touch what is not meant for my rank. But I´m not in the pack anymore, I can do this. Alpha isn´t here anymore.

My hand is inches away from the covers as I hesitantly put my hand on the beautiful material and drag it along the soft fabric, not roughly, just enough to so I can feel the surface of it. It is such a heavenly feeling and it means so much to me...it feels holy to touch something so soft. I let out a shaky breath that I didn´t realize I was holding and a small smile makes its way to my face. I continue the motion, now softly gripping the material. Comforting.

I snap out of it when I am starteled by the loud voice of a young man talking to somebody. I retract my hand and take the grey blanket I had put to the side. I stand up and look around the corner of the big wardrobe that is standing next to the bed, covering me from the view of other people coming.

"It´s not my fault you just decided to rip the sheets in half. Seriously you need to get your anger under control sometimes." The voice says sarcastically. I smile as I hear several hearty laughs following that comment. They sound really nice.

I look around the corner to see four men in the distance, one of them has thrown his upper body on one of the beds, doing a dramatic pose, as the three gorgeous men standing around him, two of them smiling and the third one with a slight frown.

Then I take a closer look at the man on the bed. He´s young with brown hair and... oh no. Oh no no no. This can´t be him right?