Chapter 4

I stood frightened, afraid to answer her.

"Nothing," Josh said.

I turned my attention to him right away, terrified, hoping he could get me out of that mess. After all, it was he who had started it. I didn't call him into the laundry room. He'd come on his own, desperate to know who I was.

"Nothing at all," he again told Phyllis. "I just came in here to see if she was fine and she is." He looked at me and smiled.

I lowered my eyes.

"And what could be wrong with her?" Phyllis asked him, upset.

"I'm needed in the living room," he said, and exited the laundry room, ignoring my evil grandmother.

Phyllis watched him while he left and until he closed the door behind him. She impatiently twisted her right hand, wanting to punish me. The two of us were left standing in the laundry room, eyeing each other.

"What were you two doing in here?" she snapped.

"Nothing," I quickly answered her.

"Nothing?" she asked sarcastically while she walked over to me angry as hell.

Knowing what she was planning to do to me, I ran across the room. She grabbed me by my hair, pulled me toward her and pushed me into the wall.

"Were you allowing him to touch you in here?" she asked.

"No, no," I lied to her.

"You lying bitch!" she shouted angrily. "The first man you see you want to fuck. Every day you make me realize you're just like your rapist father," she cursed me.

She raised her hand, wanting to hit me.

"He only wanted to know my name," I told her through my tears, before her hand connected with my face.

She lowered her hand and stared at me in disgust.

"He doesn't have any interest in you, even though he wants to know your name. After all, who could love you?"

I lowered my head in shame.

"Did you answer him?" she asked, curiously.

"No," I said, shaking my head.

There was no name I could give him, even if I wanted to, for I had no name. We both turned around, as we heard a knock at the door.

"Miss Phyllis, are you ready?" I heard the other man ask.

"We're coming," she said.

She looked at me, her eyes serious.

"If you ever disgrace me in any way outside, I will surely do what I should have done the day you killed my daughter," she warned me.

I widened my green eyes, terrified.

"Did you hear what I said?" she asked, pointing her forefinger at me.

I nodded.

"Follow me!" she ordered me.

We both exited the laundry room. I walked behind her, slowly, staring at the floor the whole time. Soon we were in the living room.

"We can leave now," I heard the Alpha's nephew say.

I raised my head, hearing his sweet voice, and saw his dark brown eyes fixed on me. He sat comfortably on a couch. He was even more handsome than I had thought. He was the most beautiful man I had ever seen, even though he was the only man I had met. Beside him stood an older man. His body was well built and, like Josh, he looked strong.

Feeling shy, since he was gazing at me as if I was the only one in the room, I again lowered my head and stared at the light brown carpet.

I felt a warm heat against my face. I looked at my hand, and there I saw something bright and yellow. I quickly looked in the direction that it was coming from. My eyes widened.

It was the light from outside that I'd always seen peeking through the cracked walls of my cell. It was so beautiful and bright. I smiled widely and turned excitedly toward Josh.

"Are you alright?" Josh asked me.

"Light!" I shouted, and pointed toward the window. I'd forgotten that Phyllis was right beside me. She grabbed my hand to calm me down. I lowered my head in shame.

"Be gentle with her," Josh said.

Phyllis unhanded me and took a quick look at Josh.

"We're ready," she said, her voice stern.

I could not believe that Josh had said that and that Phyllis had obeyed him. Who was he, I wondered? Could he protect me from her?

"Don't worry about your house," the older man said to Phyllis as we were about to leave. Some guys are coming to check on your house later and prepare it for the storm."

I slowly raised my head and glanced at Josh. He gave me a wink. I quickly lowered my eyes when I remembered what we had done in the laundry room.

"Mr. Josh," I heard Phyllis say.

I raised my head right away and stared at her, wondering what she was about to tell him.

"I don't like what you said earlier," she said, trying to hide her anger. "Also, please stay away from my granddaughter."

Hearing her call me her granddaughter, twice in one day, surprised me. She hated that I was related to her and did not want me to call her grandma. If I did, she would punish me, she'd said.

"Yes," Josh said, shaking his head and staring sideways at me.

Phyllis stared at us we stared at each other.

"Again, remember she's retarded," she warned Josh.

I looked at her right away, wishing she would stop lying about me like that. I was not retarded. I turned my head to look at Josh, hoping he didn’t believe her.

He slowly removed himself from the couch and went to open the front door, not answering her.

"Let's leave now," the older man said, and smiled as if he was about to laugh about what had happened.

It was like I could hear what he was thinking: “The Alpha's nephew loves a retarded she-wolf."

I hated it.

Josh opened the door.

I turned toward him. I wanted to run to him and ask him if he was mad at me, but I couldn't. I didn't want any more trouble with Phyllis.

My green eyes widened and filled with tears at the sight of the bright light outside. It was the most beautiful sight I’d ever seen. I felt like I was in another world.

Phyllis gripped my hand, wanting me to stay close to her while we exited her home. She pulled me along with her until we were outside.

I took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air outside, unlike the heavy, dusty air in the old underground cell I had been locked up in for years.

"Come quickly," the older man leading us ordered us. "We have others we need to gather into safety."