Liberation: Oscar's Story

Chapter 27: Pt. 1

For a few minutes, Ananya didn't move. She lay on the bed like she was paralyzed, and she had virtually no feeling in her legs. Her chest moved like an animatronic; up and down, up and down, up and down, never missing a beat. Faintly, she felt Oscar's warmth sink in her skin, but she was only acutely aware of her breathing. Her heart pounded fiercely and didn't seem to be lowering its pace anytime soon.

"Are you okay?" Finally, Oscar spoke. He grunted and turned on his side, embracing her. He brought her into his lap, spooning her affectionately. "Did I hurt you, darling?"

"No..." Ananya managed to say. She blinked a couple of times and yawned, then snuggled into his chest. "No, you didn't." Her shoulder bones cracked with her movements and she winced. "Sorry."

"It's okay. You don't need to apologize." He stroked her back, peppering kisses on her forehead. His fingers were particularly intrigued by her scars, and he felt them rise and push against his prodding hands. "Come. Let me change the bedsheets."

"Do you have to?" Ananya groaned. "I'm fine like this."

"I do. It'll get uncomfortable." Oscar smiled. "And you need to use the restroom." He gave her a pat on the head and rose with a sigh. He paused in front of the bed and stretched, moving his muscles about. Then, he bent over the bed again and lifted Ananya into his arms.

"Oscar..." Ananya muttered, her eyes half-lidded. "Let me sleep."

He chuckled. "You can rest when I'm done cleaning up, my love." He set her on her feet and wrapped his arms around her hips. "Go to the bathroom. If you need me, call me. I'll be here changing the sheets."

"Mm..." Ananya snuggled into his chest, basking in his warmth, then pulled away from him and stumbled into the bathroom, pausing only to push her tangled hair out from over her eyes. She blinked several times, adjusting to the bright light seeping through the windows. She didn't realize just how dark it had gotten.

Quickly, she finished her business and returned to the main area of Oscar's bedroom. From the corner of her eye, she saw him moving around the bed in his boxers, pulling the bloodied sheets and tucking new ones on the mattress. While he worked, she took the time to observe his moderately decorated room. It was small compared to what she was expecting, with the bed taking up most of the space in the room. Across from his bed was a closet with four glass doors and a desk beside that. On the desk were various photographs, most of which an older woman posed with Oscar. She was beautiful and young-looking, but it was clear that she was his superior because of the chairs that they sat on. She sat on the taller chair, her hand on Oscar's shoulder.

"That's my mother," he informed her, taking her gently from behind. He brought her hips against his and ran his thumbs over the scars on her waist. "Hailey Yuen - that was her name."

"She's beautiful," Ananya gasped. "She looks just like you."

"Does she? I've not heard that a lot." Oscar bent and pressed his lips on Ananya's shoulder. He licked the mark he'd left above her pulse and hummed. "She was the only person who cared about me. Her and my aunt, Anvi."

"I see." Heat unfurled in Ananya's stomach. She brought her hand to her shoulder and touched the two bite marks he'd made on her skin. "Wait...did you actually bite me?" She blinked.

Oscar smirked. "I did. Wolves mark their mates by biting them. In concise terms, I've claimed you as mine. Other wolves will know that you're an Alpha's mate." He kissed her hand and took her into his arms, lifting her so that his arms were around her hips and her breasts were against his jaw. "In a few days, you'll see a small, light purple emblem. That's my pack mark."

"Really?" Ananya held onto his shoulders. "Does it work for humans?"

"Sure, it does. It works for all species." He laid her on the bed and crawled beside her. Throwing the blankets over their bodies, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and settled into the warmth of the mattress.

"Do you have a shirt, by chance?" Ananya piped up cautiously. "And can you grab my underwear from the floor? It's a bit chilly..." she blushed.

Oscar nodded. "Of course. Sorry, I forgot to ask if you were cold." He went into his closet, returning with a long white shirt, and he stopped by the bed to pick up her panties. "Do you need help putting anything on?"

"Just the underwear." Ananya stood and Oscar dropped to his knees. He held her ankles and lifted her feet one by one into the holes of her underwear, then dragged the garment up to her waist, the elastic snapping against her hips. Then, he took the shirt and slid it over her head.

"I got it from here, thanks." Ananya took the sleeve from his hand and fished for her arm. Once she had grabbed her wrist, she pulled her arms through the holes and huffed. "Aw, my hair is stuck."

"Here." With an amused smile, Oscar gathered her hair from under her shirt and lifted it out, allowing the dark coils to rush down her back. "Do you want to borrow some shorts too? Or are you fine?"

"I'm fine." Ananya sat on the bed and waited for him to finish putting his checkered pants on. "Oscar?"

"Yes?"

"Who's Anvi?"

"Anvi's my aunt." Oscar climbed into the bed again and switched the damp yellow light on, plunging the room into a cozy atmosphere. It was as though he'd lit a fireplace, and the warmth of his skin melted the coolness surrounding Ananya's legs. "She was under my stepfather's care when her parents died. We didn't know we were related until much later. She was my mother's sister, but their age gap was so big you'd think that we were cousins." He laughed. "Even though she's my aunt, I don't consider her as one. To me, she's more like my sister."

"That makes sense. It'd be weird to call her your aunt if she's the same age as you," Ananya reasoned. She studied her fingers, her gaze drifting over the dark red bite marks on her skin. She blushed. "Can you tell me a little bit about your mother?"

"My mother, eh?" Oscar smiled and kissed her head. "My mother was a kind soul, Ananya. She...she didn't deserve the life she had." His expression turned somber. "She did everything she could for Anvi and me, but I think she sacrificed herself for us. She stood up for me when Banastre would beat me. She did the same for Anvi. He wasn't her mate, you see. He'd done horrible things...he killed my father, the Alpha King's first mate, and so much more. But my mother...she was...selfless, to a fault." He sighed. "She died a while ago. She died never being able to live her life truly." His mouth went dry and he felt his heartbeat become slow. "I would have loved for you to meet her, my love. She...she would have loved you."

Ananya pursed her lips. "I would have loved to meet her too," she whispered, tears collecting in her large brown eyes. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...she didn't deserve that, neither did you..."

"Shh...don't cry, my darling." Oscar wiped her tears with his thumb and tried to smile, though his lungs tightened and his heart ached at the memory of his smiling mother's face. "I've gotten justice. I avenged her death. It's alright now."

"There's no way that it's alright now," Ananya argued. "It's not fair! She tried so hard to have a better life, and she didn't even get to enjoy it! She didn't get to see you be happy. She didn't get to have fun. She was robbed, Oscar, and nothing can ever avenge that!" Ananya wasn't sure why she felt so passionately about Oscar's mother, seeing as she'd never met the woman before. She assumed that it had to do with the control that navigated their lives. She'd never met Hailey Yuen, but Ananya understood - she truly understood - how devastating Hailey's life was because she knew first-hand what it felt like to be a puppet for someone else. Thinking of it made her remember Rutuparna's scornful face, and her arm prickled like a thousand needles were sinking into her skin. They pierced her arms and brought with them thick ropes of string, binding her to a wooden cross that Rutuparna could easily play with and manipulate.