CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
ROXANNE
“Good morning Ma'am and this is your breakfast tray,” An handsome man said as he placed the tray on the bedside chest.
“Oh my days. Are you real?” I whisper as I reach out to touch his cheek.
“Um err yes ma'am,” he said as he stepped away from me, bewilderment evident on his face as he watched me.
Screw Ryker. Who knew he had gorgeous people up here and he had been hoarding them.
“You're beautiful, almost surreal,” I said to him and I could see him go pink in the nose.
Talk about them, the sorts of people you bite on their lips and they feel the pleasure in their neck instead. Now I'm not even judging.
“Thank you ma'am.”
“Nah those credits have to go to your mom or something. Not me. I stated the obvious,” I said.
I took the tray that was covered in all sorts of beautiful foods and held it close to me. My eyes welled up with tears as I gazed at all the meals that seemed to have been made by Artemis herself.
It felt good to perceive good food again and by its scent my stomach was occupied. I was finally done with that sick old people's food.
God I was beginning to love this life.
And Ryker, I was going to do him dirty. Why didn't he give me a taste of what living was really like?
“So all of this are for me?” I asked, beaming at the boy.
Please say yes. Please say yes.
He bowed, “Yes ma'am.”
“But it's not my birthday today. It's a lot. I'm not complaining I'll definitely devour it but you do understand what I'm trying to say right?”
He huffed. “This is what a normal breakfast is like at Red Moon. Within these walls because the people are warriors and they have to train so they need to eat healthy.”
I see now.
“Ma'am I'm still waiting,” the guy, whatever he was, said.
I placed the steak in my mouth and then froze. “It'd only be fair that I die with a tasty steak in my mouth.” My previous words came back into my mind.
I put the tray away and watched the guy through the corner of my eyes. He seemed rather impatient.
“Are you guys going to kill me or what?”
“Excuse me Ma'am?”
Damn this was tasty.
Ignoring the guy, I savoured the taste of good food. Now watch and see if my body doesn't heal. If they switched shoes with me, would they heal from eating tuna and bread with green tea, all the time?
I grinned at the guy. “I had requested for tasty steak if I was going to die and like magic, it's here.”
“It's not magic Ma'am. It was prepared by the hands by the best culinary i—
“Thank you. Wait, why are you still here?” I interrupted, frowning hard at him. “Or do you like how I put the steak in my mouth?”
He flushed as his attention went to the door.
“Flirting with my workers is prohibited. Woman!” His firm and annoying voice said.
I swallowed as he walked in, terrifying aura, neatly brushed hair, neat clothes, neat everything.
He looked like one of those people that were always ready to start the day.
“Good morning Alpha,” the worker said and bowed.
“Get out,” Ryker spat and without wasting any more time, he raced out.
I frowned. “Do you have a thing for barging into people's rooms? I need some privacy.”
He scoffed. “Do you like putting things in your mouth? Because I'll definitely put something you won't like in it.”
“I'm not sucking your cock,” I said more to myself than him. “I don't want kids in my mouth.”
“And you always have to say the most outrageous things,” Ryker said as he stood before me.
“Isn't that a lot of work,” I ask, acknowledging his appearance.
“No, it's habitual.”
I nodded, “You see, I don't only have a problem with morning people. I have a problem with people who always fix everything.”
“You don't have responsibilities, you can lounge in a dress you've been wearing for weeks and that messy hair. No one would care.”
I wanted to tell him that but I didn't.
“You're just going to watch me eat too?”
“What am I supposed to do? Eat you out?”
I sighed. Can he be any stupid?
“I'll flay the skin around your mouth and spin your fingers like a spider does its web if you dare try it,” I warned.
And he smiled. That sick smile that makes you know something is going up in someone's head. Like they're enjoying every bit of threat.
“I like my meals clean,” he whispered.
“Don't you all get dirty together and clean again?” I asked as I licked sauce off my fingers.
He leaned in closer till our faces were inches apart. I put out my free hand to push him away. It was pointless but well, he'd know I didn't want him there.
“There's something called personal space, buddy. You should use it with me all the time.”
“And you said buddy so casually like you were telling me the sky is blue. Jesus!”
I raised a brow at him. “ Don't think you've crossed the stranger line yet. I don't see you as a friend.”
“And what do you see me as?” He frowned. “A threat, I presume.”
I bit into my pork. “Just some lucky bastard who became Alpha.”
“I've got to do something about your mouth.”
“Maybe kiss it? You keep making remarks. Trust me I want to control it but—”
“Roxanne,” he growled out.
I hope he didn't take me any seriously because why is his gaze resting on my lips?
I bit my bottom lip as he came closer, I didn't like how delicious he smelled all the time.
“Your beards are itching my neck,” I whispered as I tried to get away from him.
He placed his hands at my sides and leaned in closely. So close I was scared. I couldn't move and all I could hear was his erratic breathing. I wanted to run away but he blocked every exit.
“What are you doing?”
My words came out more like a whisper and I could feel his grip on my thighs harden and my pleas— he ignored them like he didn't hear them.
He gazed at my neck then at my lips and then my nose and back to my eyes.
Darker shade.
I tried to push him off and protect my food at the same time but I couldn't.
“I don't know if you know this but it's rude to stare,” I said.
“You don't flirt with my people,” he growled. “Be it man or woman.”
“Fine. Get off me. Your worker was mesmerised by me. He watched me eat,"I point out.
Ryker growled again and it was scarier this time. “He didn't watch you eat Roxanne. He wanted to know if you needed anything.”
“He could have said so.”
“It's etiquette. You could have told him you needed nothing and he could leave.”
“They aren't dull. Are they?”
He scoffed.
“Now if you're forgetting, you're above me and it makes it difficult to eat.”
But his gaze was wandering, lower and lower. He inhaled me again and I pushed his forehead. “Back off.”
“You're rude,” he said, but he backed away, thankfully.
“I'll stop talking,” I said and dug into my food again.
“We will need to get you clothes,” he said, “but we have to wait till you're healthy again.”
“You brought my things, yeah? I'll go through it. There should be something to wear.”
“That's fine. Eat up, I'll have the guards show you around so you get familiar with your surroundings.”
“I thought this was about you know? What your mother told me,” I said.
“You still owe me. When it's time, I will let you know.”
***
Alive. That was the best way to describe how I felt. I felt free again and although Ryker was an asshole, I was glad he let me go.
As the water poured on my hair I felt relieved. It felt good to bathe again. I shampooed my hair and scrubbed my body. The room Ryker gave to me was perfect. It was beautiful like he had it specially designed for me and it had a really soft and comfortable bed.
I needed to get my strength myself. I had been through a lot but I was determined to keep going. This new life, I had no idea what it brought. With people attending to me all the time it felt unreal.
It was exactly what I had cried about to the moon goddess every night in my bed when I was at white moon.
I wrapped my hair in a turban and stepped out of the bathroom. I avoided mirrors now. I was scared I was going to see something that would mess my head up again.
I knelt and checked one of the boxes Ryker brought for me. I wasn't in the mood to go through my stuff yet. I found a long cream coloured dress and pulled it out. Out of it fell two pictures. I reached for it.
It was a picture of Zane and I. The first one was pictures of us as children. I can't remember why he was crying but I was laughing in the picture.
A sad smile tugged at my lips.
I stared at the second picture. It was a picture of us and in that picture I had lost my smile. And he— he looked really happy but somehow the rest of my body was scratched out.
Tears fell from my eyes. I never remember scratching myself out of the picture then it had to be Zane.
Was that how much he despised me?