Lorelei POV

I woke up to sunlight.

For the first time in weeks, warm rays of light touched my skin instead of cold darkness.

And for the first time in years, I was lying on a soft comfortable mattress. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

I didn’t even remember when I had fallen asleep.

The last thing I could recall was Raven saying we would arrive in five minutes before everything went black again.

Had she carried me in here?

My gaze slowly wandered around the cozy bedroom with cream colored walls and dark wooden beams stretching across the ceiling.

A large window overlooking unfamiliar trees with golden leaves glowing under the morning sunlight.

There was a bookshelf against one wall filled with worn paperbacks and tiny little trinkets. A vase of dried lavender rested quietly on the nightstand beside me, filling the room with a faint calming scent.

The entire place felt warm and safe.

This wasn’t a cell, neither was it the servant quarters.

This was actually someone’s home.

After quietly taking all of it in, my gaze drifted down toward myself and I suddenly froze when I realized I had been changed out of the rough bloodstained dress I’d been wearing.

Instead, I was now dressed in a soft purple nightgown.

Even the horrible stench that had clung to my body for days was completely gone.

Wait.

Not only had Raven carried me in here...

She had bathed me too?

And changed my clothes?

Oh goddess. How embarrassing.

Even my underwear had been changed.

Heat instantly rushed into my face and I quickly tried climbing out of bed in complete embarrassment only for my legs to immediately give out beneath me.

I staggered forward before collapsing right back onto the mattress with a painful gasp.

"You shouldn’t be moving that fast."

The bedroom door opened wider as Raven stepped inside carrying a tray in her hands.

She had changed clothes too. Gone were the formal garments from yesterday. Instead she wore a simple black sweater with loose gray pants, her brown ponytail bouncing slightly as she walked.

The tray held a bowl of warm broth, a few pieces of soft bread, and a glass of water with a slice of lemon floating inside.

I stared at the food silently. The smell alone made my stomach ache painfully, even as a warm feeling spread across my chest.

It was the simplest meal I had ever seen, but to me it looked like a feast. I couldn’t even remember the last time someone had prepared food specifically for me.

"Thank you," I whispered, trying to hold myself together.

"Don’t thank me yet. You still have a long road ahead," Raven said, pulling a chair beside me as she sat down. "They already know you’re missing. It’s only a matter of time before they come banging at my door."

At that, my eyes widened in horror and a shiver ran down my spine.

"What are we going to do?" My hands trembled as I spoke. "I don’t want you to get in trouble because of me." I would hate myself even more if that happened.

"No one is getting in trouble," she said softly. "I’m the last person they would suspect. We’ll figure it out. But you can only stay here no more than a week. By then, you should have gathered enough strength for the longer journey."

She leaned back in the chair, her blue eyes meeting mine.

"I have a place outside the pack territory. No one knows about it. That’s where you’ll stay. New identity, everything. It’s all planned out. So for now... just eat and rest."

Hearing that, I was stunned out of my mind. She had really thought of everything. The food. The safe house. The escape route. The new identity.

That had to be weeks, maybe months of planning. How had she managed to pull it all off in one night, and all for someone she barely knew? It sounded suspicious. Almost too good to be true.

"Why are you really doing all this?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, and this time Raven went quiet for a moment.

"Because no one did it for my mother," she said finally. "And I’ve spent my whole life regretting that I didn’t fight harder for her. I’m not making the same mistake twice."

I could hear the crack in her voice as she spoke, and it made my guard fully drop.

"And also because..." Her voice trailed off as her eyes darted between mine while I waited for her to finish, but then she exhaled and dropped it.

The way her voice cracked almost made my own chest hurt.

Raven quickly looked away after saying it, like she regretted letting even that much slip out. Her fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the tray before she cleared her throat.

"Eat before it gets cold," she muttered.

My heart ached for her too, but knowing it was a sensitive topic, I didn’t pry.

I reached for the bread and tore off a small piece, bringing it to my lips. The first bite was heaven. The second made me want to cry just thinking about how badly I had been starved.

By the third, tears were actually streaming down my face even though I was desperately trying to hold them back. They wouldn’t stop.

"Hey." Raven’s voice softened as she cupped my face. "What’s wrong?"

"I think..." I admitted, my voice cracking. "I think this is the first time someone has ever taken care of me like this. Without wanting something in return."

Even Jaxen, who I thought my whole world revolved around, had still ended up hurting me in the worst possible way.

"That bastard," Raven muttered under her breath. "I really thought he was finally starting to think for himself. How could he still be so easily deceived?"

My brows knitted together as I sniffled. "Who?"

"Who else?" she said. "I’m talking about Jaxen."

At that, my eyes widened. "You know about us?"

I remembered him insisting we couldn’t tell a soul.

"Yeah, I did." She sighed sadly, her thumb wiping away my tears. "He couldn’t stop blabbing about it to me. I thought he was finally growing some balls. You know, he really did love you. And I’m not just saying that because he’s my brother. I could see it... I just don’t know what happened."

Callista happened, I thought bitterly.

"But whatever got into his head is still not an excuse for his actions." Raven’s voice hardened. "He’ll regret it. I’m sure of that."

"I rejected him," I said suddenly, making sure she didn’t get the idea that I planned on going back to him or forgiving him but her expression remained the same.

"I figured that much when I saw his nose bleed." She scoffed. "Good. It’s better that way."

She let out a heavy sigh and rose to her feet.

"Enough of this depressing talk," she said, her tone shifting into something lighter. "For now, your health is your number one priority. Let’s focus on that, okay?"

I nodded, wiping the remaining tears from my face.

"Okay," I replied, and her lips curled into a smile.

"Good. Now finish your food," she said. "And when you’re done, let’s go for a stroll."