Imperial Moon [Complete]

Chapter Three - Colosseum

Katja was surprised to be led into the back of the mansion, through a room filled with lockers, various garments thrown on benches against the wall.

"Shower is through here," Tate indicated the door to his left. "I'll get you the right clothing for when you're ready."

Katja nodded and Tate left.

She stepped into the shower room, marveling in the beauty of the space. Black marble coated the entire room, making it difficult to tell where the floor met the walls.

It smelled even better, soap and citrus and soft powder tickled her nose.

The shower was intimidatingly large.

Katja considered it, she could wipe her eyes and brush her hair quickly, maintaining her scent-covering body mixture. Or, she could have a real shower, which she hadn't had in months. What would it matter if they learned her scent? If she won they'd let her go free and they wouldn't need to track her. If she lost, well... a scent is useless to a dead wolf.

A proper shower, it is.

Katja grinned as she stepped under the warm jets of water. She scrubbed her scalp raw with shampoo that smelled like freshly squeezed oranges, groaning as the water streamed across her sore shoulders.

She watched months of accumulated dirt rinse off her arms and legs.

For at least ten minutes she just sat on the floor of the shower, the water beating down over her head. She held her breath as long as she was able, before sticking her head out of the stream to gulp air.

If this was her last moment of tranquility, she'd milk it for all it was worth.

She washed her body and face until it was practically sparkling.

There was a sharp knock at the door and Kat sighed as she turned the water off, stepping out of the shower and wrapping her hair in a towel on top of her head.

She studied her naked form, taking in any new scars and bruises.

Kat had always been slim, but she was too slim now. In her eyes, she had always felt more powerful with a bit of meat on her bones.

It surprised her to find that her previous bruises had gone completely, her few scars faded so much, they were barely visible.

One scar, however, would never fade. Katja traced the large crescent moon engraved in her hip with her fingers. She stroked the spaces in between each tooth-mark. She remembered how it had felt, she could never forget it. He had bitten straight through her hip. It had taken her so long to heal from that one.

She looked down at the surface in front of the mirror. A toothbrush, still in its packaging, awaited her.

She almost squealed with joy, the memory of the scar instantly pushed to the back of her mind.

She brushed her teeth with vigour, so hungry she considered eating the toothpaste.

"Kat?" Tate's voice sounded on the other side of the door. "I'll leave your clothes here, get dressed and I'll meet you outside." 

She heard his footsteps disappear out of the room.

Katja focussed on her mouth, concentrating so that her wolf canines descended, and she brushed those, too.

She patted her body dry and then let her hair down, frowning as it fell to her waist in dark silver curls.

It always annoyed her when it did that. It never stayed curly, not when it dried.

She picked the hairdryer up with a grumble, the novelty of blow drying her hair would always outweigh her want for curls.

After she had finished, she assessed herself.