Zeus

• XI •

                  

Sorry for the wait; I was having troubles on how to write this chapter. I'm content with it, for now. Enjoy! -May

I'm elbow deep in warm, soapy water, helping Rebecca clean the plates and cups from the late lunch we all just had. Rebecca simply served sandwiches and homemade potato chips and offered any drink you would like. Something I have realized while staying here is that not many people come to Rebecca's breakfasts and lunches, but when the clock strikes dinner time, that's when everyone enters the grand dining room.

                Rebecca hands me a plate covered in crumbs. "You don't have to help me clean. You do know that, Aurora?" She comments, giving me a look of amusement.

                The plate gets pushed down into the water by my own hands. "I need to find something to take up my time." I truthfully answer.

                I scrub the plate with a sponge covered in soap before rinsing off all the suds. I set the clean, wet plate on the marble counter before noticing that Rebecca is still looking at me. She doesn't say anything, though, as she hands me a cup. Once I'm done cleaning the cup, I shut off the running water and turn to face Rebecca to know why she's watching me.

                Every time I look at her, I'm amazed by the beauty she still holds. Her brown hair is healthy and long—a gray hair not in sight, and I never notice any wrinkles around the corner of her bright eyes or her mouth. She radiates natural beauty, smiling and laughing whenever she can. Maybe it's a wolf thing since everyone around here doesn't look a day over thirty.

                "Why are you giving me that look?" I question.

                Rebecca sighs in defeat and then places the cup that was once in her hand on the counter. She gives me a sad smile.

                "I understand what you're going through, Aurora." I'm about to interrupt her, wanting to tell her that nothing is going on, but Rebecca lifts her hand while smiling. "You feel as if you don't know what is going on around you, even though you're around the people all the time. No one has told you everything, and you're bored out of your mind—I understand. I was in your same shoes many, many years ago."

                "But you were born a wolf, Rebecca. You already knew all the laws—"

                "Aurora, omegas do not know everything. The pack house keeps secrets that never walk out the front door, no matter how dark are. If you want to know, you need to ask—no, demand. Do you understand, Aurora?"

                I'm speechless. What brought up this topic? I never said anything to Caitlyn, Zeus, or Ryder about how I feel. How can she actually know?

                I look down at my dripping hands, blonde eyebrows furrowed in confusion. The droplets gather together at the finger tips. Seconds pass and the droplets then drip off my finger tips and onto the kitchen tile. I shake my hands before looking up at Rebecca.

                "Why are you telling me this now?" I gently ask.

                Rebecca, in response, smiles and picks up the cup again. She hands me the cup, and I wordlessly wash it in the sink. I'm fully concentrated on washing this damn cup. For some reason, it feels as if a heavy rock is stuck inside my throat. Tears suddenly blur my vision of the now running water and glass cup.

                Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry, I chant to myself. A sob embarrassingly escapes me and the cup shatters inside the stainless steel sink. My hands grip the edge of the sink while tears begin to roll down my cheeks like rain.