Page 59 of His Fated Luna

“Love is shown more in deeds than in words.” – Saint Ignatius

Rose's POV

I was pleasantly surprised to see Josie arrive with Auntie Hilda when I was discharged with a clean bill of health a few days later. Then I was even more perplexed when they sped right by the house I lived in with my father and aunt, arriving straight at the alpha residence.

“Everyone’s so eager to see you,” Josie gushed. “Dr. Danvers wouldn’t let anyone else in to see you after…” Josie faltered, not wanting to mention my panic attack.

“After I freaked out?” I supplied dryly. “It’s OK, Josie, you can talk about it. Dr. Danvers had a psychologist come in as well and make sure I didn’t have any residual trauma. I’m fine now, just disgusted that slimeballs like that exist in this world.” My voice dripped with disgust. “They shouldn’t be allowed to live.”

“I agree.” Josie nodded vehemently as we got out of the car. “Tanya is so excited to see you and Jake’s been asking about you too. He wanted to stop in but tonight, I thought it should be just us. We’ll have a nice family dinner. Lorraine cooked your favorite spaghetti.”

I didn’t miss the insinuation that I was family. Not wanting to argue, I heaved a sigh, running a hand agitatedly through my hair. Great, now I was copying Aiden. He always ran a hand through his hair when he was tense.

“Here, why don’t you go freshen up,” Josie offered, motioning towards the staircase spiraling up to the second and then third floor of the mansion. “I think you know where the room is. Hilda brought your clothes by yesterday.”

Before I could ask how Hilda had the forethought to bring my clothes over for tonight’s dinner, Tanya appeared out of nowhere, jumping into my arms.

“Rosie! Rosie!” Tanya squealed, throwing her arms around me. “You were in the hospital. Now you’re better, right?”

I gave a small laugh. Tanya always made me smile. “Yes, Tanya. I’m doing much better now.”

I bent down and hugged the little girl affectionately.

“Come on. I’ll take you to your room.” Tanya grabbed my hand, dragging me up the stairs.

“My room?” I asked quizzically.

She turned to look at Josie and Auntie Hilda. They looked nervous. My eyebrows drew together sharply. What was going on? I didn’t have a room here. Before I knew it, Tanya pulled me up the stairs, past the second floor and all the way to the thirdfloor. It wasn’t until she made a beeline for the room next to Aiden’s that I knew was the pack's luna sleeping quarters that I dug my heels into the carpeted floor.

“Wait. Wait. Tanya. Why am I up here?” I demanded. “I could have changed my clothes in any of the other rooms.”

“But this is your room!” Tanya exclaimed excitedly. “Mom and Auntie Hilda spent all day yesterday fixing it up just for you. Aiden said you’re going to live here from now on.”

“What?!” I shrieked. What was going on?! “Tanya, this has gotta be a mistake.”

“Nu-uh!”

Tanya shook her head furiously, pulling me towards their destination and opening the room with a flourish. I took in the room in awe. It had been a beautiful room to begin with but now it was amazing. The once gray walls had been replaced with light yellow paint, the floor-to-ceiling windows were covered with light yellow velvet curtains. The headboard of the bed, which had previously been painted white wood, now had been upholstered with yellow fabric. The old purple lamp shades had been replaced with yellow chevron lines against white and the black wrought-iron lamp itself shined, having been thoroughly cleaned. The white side tables looked refinished, and the broken knobs had been replaced with square shaped, black iron knobs. The dresser had also been refinished, shining white and pearly with an array of all my favorite skin-care products along with some of my old lotions and perfumes.

I walked over to the dresser and pulled open the drawers. In the first one, I found my straightener and makeup bag. The second drawer held bras—some brand new, others familiar and well-worn. The third drawer was the same with underwear, a mix of new and old. But when I opened the last drawer, I froze. It was filled with lacy lingerie, all with the tags still attached. Myfingers hesitantly lifted a flimsy black lace piece that would leave absolutely nothing to the imagination if worn.

From the corner of my eye, I caught Tanya watching me with keen interest. My face burned, and I promptly dropped the scrap of lace back into the drawer, slamming it shut with a firm thud. Tanya, completely unfazed, kept chattering on about how much effort everyone had put into this room, how hard they had worked to make sure it was perfect for me.

The attention to detail was undeniable, but I wasn’t feeling grateful—I was overwhelmed. I needed a moment alone, away from Tanya’s endless commentary about how Aiden had handed over his credit card and told Josie that money was no object in getting the room ready for me.

Without another word, I stalked into the bathroom and shut the door behind me. But as my eyes swept over the room, I felt like my brain was playing tricks on me. The small, basic bathroom I had known was gone. The shower cabin had vanished, replaced with a decadent tub, complete with a pale-blue shower curtain for privacy. The single bar of soap and old bottle of shampoo were gone, replaced by my electric toothbrush, my favorite toothpaste, expensive-looking bottles of shampoo and conditioner, and multiple jars of bath salts. The walls were now lined with beautiful light-blue tiles, and light-blue frilly towels hung neatly in place.

I was on the verge of hyperventilating. They hadn’t just redecorated a bedroom; they had completely refurbished an entire bathroom—for me. A terrible thought hit me. Was I being kicked out of my own home?

I was startled and lost in my thoughts, when a knock sounded at the door.

Aiden's POV

“Rose, are you OK?” I asked through the door to her room. “You know I can vaguely feel when something’s wrong with you. Open the door.”

Rose flung the door open, her eyes full of rage.

“What’s going on?” Rose demanded.