Six months ago Xander became alpha of Blackwood Pack, the second largest pack in North America. Tired of watching his pack suffer under his father's abusive regime, Xander challenged and beat his father in an alpha contest to the death. Regrettabl...
Two weeks had passed since the girl had awoken. If Xander thought too hard about the passage of time, it was easy for him to become discouraged by the lack of progress. She still appeared completely terrified of everyone and everything. They had yet to find out her name, and rarely did she respond to anyone. Brexton was probably the best at getting any reaction other than fear out of her, but even he struggled to get consistent responses. Most of the time she ignored any questions posed to her, even if she only needed to nod in response.
Xander had to remind himself daily that his mate had undoubtedly had an extremely rough life. Trust clearly did not come easy to her, but he was convinced things would get better once she learned that he was worthy of her trust. Xander had started making a habit of bringing his mate a gift multiple times a day. Even if technically it was bribery, anything that would make his mate more comfortable around him and content to be in his pack was well worth it. Lilliana, Zack, Brexton, and even occasionally Mason had all offered their assistance. They were constantly bringing Xander things they thought the girl would like. While they could have given the things to the girl themselves, they were letting Xander take the role of her provider. If she learned to trust her mate, she would eventually learn to trust the pack. Consequently, Xander had a nice pile of trinkets in his office to choose from, whenever he could find the time to steal away to visit her. However, his next gift was by far the most significant.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Xander stood in the doorway and watched his tiny mate. She knew he was there, but was currently ignoring him as she ran the hair brush through her blond locks. It was clear that the brush remained her most prized possession. He was relieved that most of her bruises had faded and disappeared. There was still a faint bit of purple on her right cheek, and unfortunately her scars would always be a reminder of the abuse she had faced. Xander thought she was the most beautiful she-wolf he had ever seen. Her scars may have made her look a bit like a rebel, but he just saw inner strength. She must be so strong to have survived whatever they did to her.
"May I?" Xander asked as he approached his mate with his hand out expectantly.
Elsbeth contemplated male in front of her. The only thing in her hands was her brush. He didn't mean to take it away, did he? He had given it to her, it was hers. 'If only that were true,' Elsbeth thought to herself. She had already seen one alpha give and then take away. It was their right, they were in charge. Reluctantly with overflowing sadness, Elsbeth slowly put the brush in his hands. She had begun to hope that this pack was different. This pack and this alpha had seemed more like the pack she had been born into, not the one that had raised her.
Elsbeth kept her head lowered as she wondered if she had done something to anger the alpha. So far he had been very generous with her, almost always bringing something for her to enjoy. Flowers, chocolates, food, books (not that she could read them) and even occasionally some warm clothes to wear. He never seemed angry when she ignored him, only somewhat disappointed. Today he had come with empty hands.
"Turn around," Xander said softly.
Elsbeth glanced at him one last time trying to decipher his intentions before obediently turning her back to him. If he was angry enough to hit her, she supposed it did not matter which way she faced. He looked strong enough to make it a miserable experience regardless of which side he hit. She just hoped she would get to keep the brush when he was done.
Elsbeth held her breath and tensed her body as she waited for the first strike. It was an utter shock when she felt the brush being gently pulled through her hair. The alpha was brushing her hair!?!
Tears filled Elsbeth's eyes. It had been nearly a lifetime ago since someone had done this for her. She had not felt this sensation since she had last seen her mother.
Xander was pleased the little one was letting him groom her. Not unlike the animal they turned into, grooming for werewolves was a way to show affection and bond. He had noticed her tension before he started, but was thrilled that she was allowing it.
All in all, Xander spent a full 30 minutes silently working on his mate's hair. Her hair didn't need the brushing as she had already gotten the tangles out, but it seemed to relax both of them.
Upon completion, Xander handed the brush back to his mate before speaking once again, "Little One, I have another surprise for you. Come. Follow me."
As he turned towards the door, Xander felt sparks shoot up his arm as his mate touched him for the first time. She had halted his motion by lightly grabbing his arm. He turned back and examined her once again.
Xander lifted an eyebrow in query as he waited for his mate to speak. When it became clear that he was waiting in vain, he started to query her, "Did you like me brushing your hair?"
Elsbeth gave him a tentative smile with full nod.
"Would you like me to do it again sometime?" Xander asked.
Elsbeth's smile grew and her nod became bigger.
"Sure thing, Little One. I won't forget," Xander said calmly fully pleased with himself.
"Now come. I have something to show you," Xander gently commanded.
Elsbeth was nervous as she left the hospital room for the first time. The alpha had captured her hand in the nook of his arm as he led them through the pack house. She contemplated taking it back, but she didn't wanted offend him after he had been so nice. This was her first time seeing the house as she had been unconscious when she arrived. It was much larger than her previous pack. She knew there were many members, but was surprised at the luxury around her. It appeared that the pack was very wealthy. Elsbeth was nervous about seeing the other pack members, but the hallways were suspiciously empty.
After climbing two sets of stairs, Elsbeth was growing weary. This had been the most she had moved since she had come to this place. It seemed they had made it to the top of the house. There was a grand door at the end of the hallway. Elsbeth surmised that it led to the alpha's private quarters. As he walked in that direction, she became more and more worried. Surely, he didn't intend to force her into his bed? Fortunately, Elsbeth didn't have too long to panic as the alpha stopped at the room next to his.
Turning to his tiny mate, Xander produced a key out of his pocket. "Little One, this is your room."
Elsbeth looked blankly at the key and then at the male in front of her. What did he want from her?
"Take it, it is yours," Xander said quietly as he guessed some of his mate's fears. "No one else has a key to this room. This is your room, nobody else's."
Unsure whether or not to trust him, Elsbeth tentatively took the key while once again trying to decipher the man in front of her.
"Go explore. There are some surprises for you to find," Xander encouraged before turning to his own room.
