Chapter Eight

Ivory's Pov

"Thank you..."

Before I broke down and cried my whole heart out sitting there with him, that is all I could say. I wasn't sure why I was so comfortable around him and could relax enough to cry in front of an Alpha and not be afraid for my life to show weakness. I never was allowed to eat at home, and the rare moments where I had to attend pack dinners when we had a visiting guest coming, I was done eating when he was done, which never was very long. But Hunter had food brought up to me, and he had it brought to the hospital. Can I trust him? Why do I feel so safe with him? What is going on with me? "Ivory, are you okay?" Hunter asks as I feel his hand rest on my back; he is rubbing small circles. I wipe my eyes and bravely look at him, and immediately I'm sucked into the two ocean orbs that are staring back at me. "Yes, I'm okay. I'm sorry for not eating much at dinner; I wasn't all that hungry," I lied to him. I was starving at dinner, and that fish looked so great I felt so rude for dumping so much of it in the trash. "Will you eat something for me, Ivory?" He asked me again, and all I could do was nod yes to him.

He reached over to the table and uncovered the plate sitting there, and I was surprised it was another plate from tonight's meal, and it was fish too. My stomach rumbled as I looked at it; Hunter placed his hand back on my back, grabbing my attention for a moment. "You don't have to wait for permission anymore; you can eat when you please, so enjoy." He tells me as he sits back so that I can eat, but I don't move for a second as I am again second-guessing everything. It's not a trick, and he is a caring person; he isn't making this a trap. I finally decided to pick up my fork and slowly work on the vegetables on the plate. "Wow, this is amazing! It's been so long since we had real food like this, right Ivory?" I stop for a moment as I look around for the voice I just heard. I notice Hunter sitting up and staring at me, but he seems relieved and smiling. Did I hear Sasha's voice? I started to cry again, and this time it was tears of happiness. I thought I lost Sasha years ago with all the abuse, but she is still here, and I am so happy to hear from her.

Hunter's POV

As I sit there watching her eat, Ash starts to go crazy in my head. And then I see Ivory stop and look around, so I sit up on guard now. "Hunter, she's there. I heard her! She's there!" Ash starts to howl in joy to hear his mate and know she is okay and there still. "Ivory, can I ask you to tell me everything that has happened to you again?" She snaps her head to me, and she looks sad. I see something else too, but I can't place what it is yet. She nods her head and places her fork down as she turns towards me on the couch and pulls her legs up.

"Everything wasn't this way, so I used to be treated with respect and kindness. But after the death of my mother and our Luna, things changed cause I was targeted as the one that caused this unnecessary death. I was an impatient child, and I was selfish. After the rogues had killed my mother, my father erased me from his whole life, and that is when the beatings and lack of food and everything else started. I had everything taken from me; after that, my father took my free will and freedom, and then they took my only safe space, and I was given a closet to sleep in with a busted twin mattress that was so old and a broken mirror that I had found and two small boxes with clothing and some shoes. Then I was given chores daily, including cooking for the whole pack, cleaning the packhouse, and anything else asked of me." She stops for a moment. I know that this is where things start to turn into what she fears the most. "After a while, if I made a mistake or messed something up, the beating started happening, then they became a daily occurrence. Then they took my meals from me. I was allowed to eat with the pack when we had a visiting guest, and I only got what I ate when my father ate. When he was done, I was done and should be starting the dishes." I stared at the food before me and felt my stomach rumble again. "Ivory, you can eat; it's okay. You will never be going back there again. I gave you my word."

After we finished talking and she finished eating, we sat on the couch and watched tv; not long afterward, I noticed Ivory was leaning against me, asleep. I smile as I pick her up carefully and lay her on the bed. I write her a note and clean the dishes and then leave, locking the door behind me so no one can go in there and mess with her. Afterward, I head to my room, shower, and get ready for bed. I hope she lets me get to know her better. I want her to know how much I love her, but I don't want to scare her off yet.