Page 8 of Petals and Strings
Fuck, what did they give me?
It was like I was at war with reality.
“Let’s get you to the bathroom then you can have a little tour,” she said with a hum, strapping me to the wheelchair and positioning me just right before wheeling me down the hall. “I’m Nancy, by the way. Your primary nurse.”
The beta exuded kindness, but it felt so misguided. Like she thought I was mentally incapable of understanding.
What the fuck was I even doing here?
I tried to focus on my hazy memories. Flashes of the pack. Their intense stares and soft smiles.
Hands on my skin.
Mates.
No.
Metal bars. Sharp teeth tearing at my flesh. Pain. Cold water.
Cages?
“Oh, don’t cry, lovely. We’ll get you cleaned up right as rain. Samantha is meeting us in the shower room to get you all clean and ready for your day.”
“I can shower myself,” I slurred, making her chuckle again.
“On a normal day, maybe. The first few days here are disorienting and we will be nothing but professional, sweetheart,” she promised, patting my shoulder before continuing on.
“No.” It was the most clear I’d sounded since I got here but she just tsked me.
“Here at Ash Recovery Center, we pride ourselves on taking exceptional care of our patients. You’ve all been through enough,” she said with a hint of sadness in her voice now.
What the hell had I been through except being ripped away from my pack. My alpha’s face slipped through my mind again, a whisper of my former life.
My last heat they were so sweet. Delicate.
Where were they?
Now, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to escape. I was in prison, even if it had a pretty name and a nice nurse.
“Ah, on our way to clean up?”
A growl echoed out at the voice. The one who I met yesterday who’d slapped this awful bracelet on my arm.
“I always get that reaction,” Director Cross sighed. How could he sound so upset by that?Hetrapped me here.
“Yet they always come around,” Nancy reassured him. I guess her kindness extended to him, too.
Then we were on our way again, the nurse chattering as she pushed me through the main hall.
“Usually, we’d use the bathroom on the floor, but since you just arrived and have a doctor appointment we figured it would be best to use the bigger bathroom in the common area.”
She pointed things out as we passed. Barber that came once a month. Commissary when we earned the ability to shop there. Common room, though each ward has a common area. Library. Dining Hall. Therapy offices. Art room.
The building was strange. Dark hallways and low lights. Shining floors and tall ceilings. A chandelier in the common area. Fancy, yet weathered.
Then I was pushed into a bathroom.
Nancy might be nice, but the whole shower was humiliating and did nothing to make me feel safe here. It was more unwanted touching and my cheeks blazed as shame replaced the dirt.
