Because of Them

Chapter 21

Winnie was nervous. She wasn't so sure wanting to meet Isabel was a good idea anymore.

She made some cookies, watching the time tick closer to when she was going to arrive.

Christian was like her shadow today, keeping a watchful eye on her. She knew it was because she was anxious. She also knew that he probably wanted to intervene, but she had something to prove.

She slid him a plate with a warm cookie and he smiled.

"These are fantastic, as always, baby."

"Thank you," she said. "I won't know what to say, Christian. I've never made a friend before."

"She probably won't want to talk about her past," he said, and she nodded. That was a given, but she still stored that information away. "You'll have to find something in common to spark conversation. It's probably going to be awkward until you do."

There was a knock on the front door that Lex yelled he was going to answer. She followed Christian to the foyer, staying behind him. She heard Wilder coming down the stairs. His hand skimmed her back as he passed.

"Warrior Zeke," Christian greeted. "Please come in."

Lex shut the front door, trapping the hot, humid air outside.

"Thank you, Alpha," Zeke smiled. "This is Isabel, my mate."

Isabel wasn't what Winnie was expecting. She expected Isabel to be like her, but she was tall and willowy. She wore tight, dark clothes that made her look mature and not approachable.

"You know Wilder, and this is Lex, and this is our mate, Winnie."

Zeke seemed surprised about the fact that she had three mates. They had done their best to keep things under wraps for Winnie's sake.

"Winnie was really looking forward to meeting you, Isabel," Christian said, moving everyone over to the living room.

Lex leaned down to Winnie, cupping her cheeks. "Do you want us to stay?" he whispered.

She could do this. She told him no, and he brushed his lips with hers.

"We'll be upstairs baby," he told her.

Winnie watched them leave, sitting opposite of Isabel on the couch.

"I'm Winnie," she offered politely, chewing on the inside of her lip nervously.

"Isabel," she said. It was the first time she had spoken, and Winnie felt like something wasn't right. "You have three mates?"

Winnie nodded. Silence covered them. She thought of Christian's words just moments before."I made cookies. I have a garden, too. We could-"

"So you were playing house while the rest of us were suffering?" Isabel asked sharply.

Winnie blanched at the accusation. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest. Isabel somehow already hated her.

"Isabel," she whispered. "I didn't honestly know that you all were there. My memory is blank from trying to block it out."

"Or maybe it's because Tom treated you like a house pet instead of a filthy slave like us."

"That's not true-"

"You know, you're a really shitty Luna. Have you even bothered to visit-"

"Enough," Christian growled. "We invited you into our home with good intentions. It's incredibly inappropriate of you to disrespect your superior so foolishly."

Isabel blushed as Zeke helped her up.

"I apologize Alpha, and Luna," Zeke mumbled.

Lex lifted Winnie up and she wrapped around him as tight as possible, placing her face into his neck.

"I recognize that you've been through something horrific, Isabel, but that does not mean Winnie has not either. You should never downplay someone's trauma," he scolded. "You wouldn't be safe if it wasn't for Winnie."

Zeke opened his mouth to speak, but Wilder stopped him.

"You both can leave now," he said, walking past them to hold open the door. He shut it harshly, not giving either of them a chance to speak again.

Christian sighed, "I knew it wasn't a good idea. I had a bad feeling today."

Lex sat on the couch, trying to coax Winnie to relax her ridiculously tight grip.

"Honey," Christian cooed sitting beside them. Wilder sat on the other side of Lex.

She released all of the turmoil she had been holding back. She let out a painful sob.

"I just wanted to make a friend on my own," she cried.

"Shh," Lex soothed. "You're okay, Win."

She pulled away to try and dry her tears, but it was no use. "I didn't remember. I didn't mean to be useless."

"You're not useless," he said. "You saved all of those girls."

"No, I didn't," she protested. "You all did that."

She dried her tears with her palm, standing up from Lex.

"Where are you going?" Wilder asked, reaching for her.

"I just want to be alone," she whispered, going to her own bedroom. It had been so long since she had been in there. She almost completely shared with her guys now.

She sat on her bed, running her hand along the blanket. She remembered feeling like she had slept on a cloud when she first arrived, and even now, it was still the softest thing she had ever felt.

She should have told them where she had come from as soon as she got here.

"It wouldn't have done any good," Christian said, standing in her doorway. He could almost always tell what she was thinking.

"What?" she asked.

"If you had told us sooner. It wouldn't have changed anything. No one died, Winnie, so there's nothing you should be blaming yourself for."

He sat next to her. "They're facing years worth of trauma. Expediting our mission wouldn't have made that much of a difference. We took our time planning so this would be finished completely and safely."

She shifted closer, and he wrapped his arm around her.

"I think he treated me worse than them," she admitted.

"You do not need to compare yourself to the others," Christian said. "All of you faced something horrific."

He cupped her cheeks, turning her sad eyes up to meet his. "And you know what? You made it through. You were the one who took that first step. You risked your life to become who you are now."

He dried her last few tears.

"No more tears, okay?"

She nodded. "Did I hurt Lex's feelings?"

"I don't know. Maybe you should go ask him," Christian said, leaning down for a kiss.