The King (Alpha Trilogy #3)

Chapter 26

Ivy

The longer I stay with Lorenzo, the better I feel. It's bizarre, but every morning when I wake up with him in the bed, I feel less and less pain.

Today I can even breathe normally!

Of course, the bite on my neck is not healed yet, but the swelling went down considerably and my throat is not so tight anymore.

It was a struggle to get used to speaking after so long, but I got used to it after a while. I'm currently sitting with this girl, Lia, who Lorenzo said is my good friend. She's been staying with me all the time for the last few days, telling me everything she knew about me. It sounds weird to learn about myself from someone, but I can tell I can trust this girl.

She's so different than me and spending time with her is really refreshing.

"What do you think about this?" Lia shows me a pretty flowery dress, smiling at me warmly. She's been trying to find me some clothes that I could wear around the house instead of the usual sweatpants and shirts I was forced to borrow from Lorenzo. As much as I like the clothes my friend is showing me, Lorenzo's clothes are beyond comfortable and warm. And they smell so nice, like Lorenzo. I found myself burying my nose in the shirt's collar quite a few times during the day, like a damn creep. But today is a special occasion and I want to look better than usual.

I'm having a date with Lorenzo.

"It's pretty. – I tell her hoarsely, my throat still hurting a bit – Did I use to wear things like that?" I see Lia's mood darken a bit as her sweet smile falters.

"Yeah... But not because you liked it. You told me once that it was your parents that made you wear specific things so you don't 'tarnish' their image. Even though you didn't really like everything your mother chose for you, you still were fond of flowery dresses."

"What else did I like?" I implore curiously, intrigued about my past that I can't remember.

"You liked a lot of things, studying while listening to classical music, watching sad romances while eating ice cream, wearing fluffy pajamas around the house with no care of the world." She grins warmly, sitting on the bed by my legs.

I had a feeling I didn't really have a good relationship with my parents, especially with what my father was like at the hospital. He didn't really seem concerned about me, he was just angry at me.

"Did you... did you know that Lorenzo is a... werewolf?" I hesitantly ask, fiddling with the blanket nervously.

"I had no idea. – Lia quickly denies – To be honest, I didn't even know him that well for the longest time. But I can tell he feels deeply for you, he cares about you a lot."

"I'm scared. Of him biting me, of the heat, of pain... What if he can't stop himself when I get in heat and try to do something? I'm so lost..." I pull my knees to my chest, curling up against the headboard of the huge bed.

Lia only sighs deeply. "I don't know what to tell you about that. I've never been in a situation like this. You have to decide yourself if you trust Lorenzo enough to let him do this, to mark you as his..."

"But if he doesn't mark me, I'll die." I whimper, making Lia let out a long breath. She can't argue with that, since it's the truth. I know I've been getting slightly better over the last three days, but Jake's bite is still not healing. I feel the burn every time I'm near Lorenzo. He said it's because the presence of my mate is forcing the bite out and that's why it burns, but I'm not so sure about that. When I checked the bite in the mirror after a bath, I saw it's extremely dark and heavily infected. There are dark vine-like lines spreading under my skin, making me look like I was splashed with ink or something.