FIRST SHOWER

ERAH'S P.O.V)

I tried to move around in my sleep, but I felt a sudden restraint and an amazing warmth. I opened my eyes and was met with a bare chest. I froze and blink several times trying to figure out why I was snuggled up next to a man. Then I caught the scent of fresh rain. It was Vasty. I gently lifted my head and was met with his beautiful face. I blinked several times again. My god, everything about Vasty seemed oddly familiar to me, but I couldn't place it. It wasn't just the mate pull I was feeling, it was something else. Almost as if I knew him, before all of this. But that couldn't be possible, I would remember meeting something this handsome. Handsome? Forget that, he was drop-dead gorgeous.

I felt him, move a little and pull me closer, and I felt even warmer than before. His scent made me dizzy but in a good way. I felt like I was in a daze with how close we were to each other. As much as I wanted to stay like this, I had a sudden urge to pee. I tried gently to get out of his grasp, but, h away again but to no avail.

"Vasty?" I said softly, but he didn't respond. "Vasty," I said a little louder, but still nothing. I decided to push a little harder, but then he pulled me in full force.

"Why do you keep pushing me away, my love? I'm trying to sleep peacefully,"

"I need to use the restroom," he grunted and took a deep breath. He finally let me go, and I jumped out of the bed and run into the bathroom before my kidneys burst. Once was I finished with my business, I brushed my teeth and washed my face. I decided that I needed a shower, but I realize that I didn't know how to use the shower in the bathroom. I stared at it blankly and bit my lip.

"Erah, are you ok?" Vasty asked.

"Um..." I wince in embarrassment but I really wanted to take a hot shower for once in my life. I opened the door and saw him looking at me concerned.

"Can you help with me something?"

"What's wrong?"

"I want to take a shower,"

"Why do you need help with taking a shower?"

"I don't know how to turn it on," I said softly and scrunched my face. He didn't say anything and just look at me."I've...never...taken...a...shower,"

"What?" I could hear the anger in his voice. "Erah, if you've never taken a shower, how did you clean yourself?"

"The pond, outback,"

"What!?" he roared, and I cowered to the floor. I hadn't heard an Alpha roar that loud before. As if sensing my fear, Vasty took a deep breath and calmed himself. He bent down and helped me back to my feet. Without saying another word, he led me to the shower and turned it on for me. I saw him test the water temperature before walking out of the bathroom and closing the door behind him. I waited another minute and finally undressed. I didn't want Vasty to see the bruising that I know hadn't healed yet. I opened the door to the shower and stepped in. For the time in ten years, hot water covered my body, and let out a moan without even realizing it. It felt so wonderful. It felt so invigorating. But it also felt like it was burning my skin because of the bruises. I pushed past the pain, and gently massage my skin. The pain eventually subsided, and I finally decided to wash my hair with actual shampoo.

I reached down and looked at the bottles and found them. I wasn't sure how much I needed, so I started to a small quarter size amount and when I felt that it wasn't enough, I added a little more, and a little more until my hair was nice and lathered. It smelled so nice. I smelled sweet and refreshing at the same time. I run my fingers all the way into my scalp and cleaned my hair thoroughly. For the first time in a long time, my hair actually felt clean. When I felt that it was enough, I washed it all out and moved on to the body wash. I looked at the bottle, and it was a man's body wash. I felt a little strange using Vasty's body wash, so I just use the bar of soap that was in the shower. I gently massage my skin again and make sure to get into all areas of my body that I never got to wash in detail. I never felt so alive. How did Vasty hold me all night when I was this dirty? I washed my face one more time with the soap and got rinsed off. I didn't even realize how long I was in the shower trying to cleanse myself until the water started to turn cold. I looked at the nozzle for a bit and figured out how to turn off the water. I grabbed the towel and dried myself off. I dried off my hair the best I could. I turned around to grab my clothes when I realized, I didn't have any clean clothes to change into. It was all out in the room. I wince in defeat knowing that I had to go out in a towel, in front of Vasty.

I looked in the mirror, and my shoulders and my chest still had a lot of bruising on them. I waited a minute trying to decide if I just put on the dirty clothes, or if I should just face him. I felt so clean, that I didn't want to put on dirty clothes from yesterday. I hung my head and pouted. I went to the door, and cracked it open,

"Vasty?"

"Yeah," dammit, he was still there.

"Um, do you think you can give me some clean clothes and undergarments? I.. ah.. kind of forgot to bring in them with me,"

"Sure," I waited for a minute and I saw him pop up through the crack of the door. He handed me a shirt, leggings, and underwear," I squeezed it through the door, so he didn't see me and closed it again. I quickly got changed and went back out. Vasty was sitting in bed playing on his phone.

"Um, you can use the bathroom now," he looked up for his phone and smile at me. He put it down and walked towards me. I stood there, frozen.

"Your hair is still wet," he said playing with it. "Come on, let's dry it off," he led me back into the bathroom and pulled out the hairdryer that was in there. He turned it on and started to dry off my hair for me. I just stood there while he did his thing. It felt nice, but it also felt weird. When he was done, he fluffed my hair a little bit and then kiss my cheek.

"What was that for?" I ask holding my cheek.

"I felt like it," he smile at me through the mirror. His tea eyes just glistened in the light of the bathroom. "Come on, let's get out and get some breakfast before I meet with Max,"

"I just can make us something,"

"Uh, not in a burnt down kitchen you can't,"

'what? What happened to the kitchen?" I asked turning around.

"Well, Nicole and Nefali kind of set in on fire last night when we came back from dinner,"

"How?"

"They put aluminum foil in the microwave,"

"Oh my goodness," I said and covered my face. Nicole and her mom really were that stupid. I don't even have an education and even I know not to put metal in the microwave. How was Nicole surviving on her own outside the packhouse?

Vasty quickly brushed his teeth, change into some clean clothes, and then led me out of the room. As we were descending the stairs, Alfred was coming up.

"Oh, perfect timing," he said.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Vasty asked.

"I'm coming up to get you for the meeting,"

"What? The meeting isn't until noon,"

"Well, Max and his father want it now,"

"F**k," Vasty grunted. "I'm sorry love, but we have to postpone breakfast,"

"That's okay, I'm still full from last night,"

"Alfred and I need to go to this meeting, so I want you to go back to the room and wait for me. Do not let anyone come in, I don't trust anyone in this house right now,"

"Okay," he kissed my cheek again making me freeze, and then walked away with Alfred. I stared into blank space for a minute before I shook my head and went back to the room.

(VASTY'S P.O.V)

Alfred and I made our way down to the conference room with all of the other Alphas and Betas. The door was still ajar, and we entered the room,

"Ah, Alpha Vasty, how kind of you to finally join us," Maximiano said.

"There better be a good reason for you moving up the meeting," I sneered at him.

"Well, I'm sure you would like to get back home, and so does everyone else, so why not?" he had a point. I didn't want to have to stay here any longer than I had to.

"Alpha Vasty, where is the Luna?" Alpha Richard of the Golden Moon pack asked me.

"She's resting in our room, her body is still healing from the events of the last couple of days," after I said this, I heard a growl come from MAx. I just smirked.

"Shall we get started?" Alpha Kianno of the red Moon pack asked. Alfred and I took our seats and the meeting got underway. This was going to be a long few hours.