The Fall Ball
Chapter 13

(Rose)

As I wake up, I open my eyes to see my parents sitting and talking to the Alpha. I g***n as I wake up. They stop talking and my parents rush over to me.

“Oh Hunny, are you okay? Do you need anything?” Mom asks me. Dad grabs my hand and squeezes it. It’s his way of letting me know that he is there for me without using his words.

I feigned a weak smile at my mom. “Yeah I think I am okay, I’m alive anyways. Could I get a glass of water? My throat is extremely sore.” I say to her.

“Oh yes Hun, I’ll run and get you some. Do you also want something to eat? It’s late now and you haven’t eaten since you were at school,” Mom tells me.

“Now that you mention it I am a little hungry,” I tell her. She nods at me and heads out the door.

I look out the window in my room and notice it is dark, meaning it is quite late. I look over to the Alpha, who has been silently watching the exchange between my parents and I.

“Oh, you were supposed to leave today. You didn’t stay because of me did you?” I ask him.

“I did miss the time I had planned on leaving, but I have already called the King and let him know that I would be there tomorrow. I wanted to be sure that you were okay before I left. You are pretty banged up, and I wanted to discuss what Ashlee’s punishment should be with you before I go.” Alpha Jake tells me.

“Oh okay. As long as you won’t be in any trouble for being late. I am sorry for the inconvenience that I caused you today. I was just coming in for the appointment that we had discussed this morning,” I say looking at my dad. Just then Mom comes in with my food and water.

I drink the glass of water, and eat the sandwich that Mom made me. I don’t know why but I still feel extremely hungry. Mom noticed how fast I ate. “Would you like another one?” She asks me, and I nod.

She walks over and grabs me another sandwich. Dad and Alpha are talking in the corner of the room. They are talking about me, but I can’t understand what they are saying.

I space out thinking about my day. The beating I had from Ashlee. I’m not as sore as I thought I would be. I reach up to touch my broken nose. And notice that it doesn’t hurt at all.

What the hell?? It was just broken, no way it could have healed that fast! Maybe it wasn’t broken like the doctor thought. I shake the thought away, better to not worry about pain that isn’t there anymore.

I prepare to sit up. Alpha Jake notices and walks over to me and offers me some assistance. But I don’t need his help. I am able to sit up all the way without pain.

Alpha Jake is staring at me with wide eyes, “Do you feel okay Rose?”

“Yes Alpha I feel perfectly fine. Maybe everything was just bruised and the pain meds are still working for me.” I answer him.

As he continues to watch me, my mom comes back in with my food. I smile at her and tell her thanks. As I am eating and making small talk with them all about my day at school, there is a knock on the door. We look up to see Doctor Owen come in.

He smiles at me. Then his eyes glaze over and I know he is getting a mindlink from someone. He looks over at me as his eyes clear of the fog.

“Miss Rose, how are you feeling?” he asks me.

“I feel fine, I think everything is just bruised and the pain meds are still working,” I tell him.

“Umm… okay. Would you mind if I look you over again? Just to make sure everything is okay,” he asks me.

“Yeah that would be fine,” I tell him. “If everything looks okay, can I go home tonight?”

“Let me look you over first, and then we can discuss when you will be discharged,” he replies.

When he removes the bandage from my face, the only sensation I feel is the tape gently pulling on my skin. It stings a little. Everyone is watching me. I feel like a science experiment.

“Well, let’s check your ribs,” he says and I lift my shirt for him to look.

I watch as he carefully removes the bandages from around my midsection. I don’t recall them getting put on, they must have done it while I was sleeping. As he pulls the last part of the bandage off, I hear my mom gasp.

Doctor Owen starts gently applying pressure to my ribs. Although I can feel his fingers and the pressure, I do not feel pain. I giggle at him as he reaches my ticklish spot. He looks at me in shock. And I see everyone else in the room with the same expression.

“What? Is everything okay? I know I’m gonna have bruises and a few cuts, but why are you all so shocked?” I ask them.

Then I look down and gasp.

On my side there are no bruises. I look to my other side, and there are no bruises. I jump up and run into the adjoining bathroom and look in the mirror. I also have no bruising on my face.

I walk back into the room, I sit on the bed. They are all looking at me.

“I don’t understand what’s going on,” I tell them with tears in my eyes.

Mom comes over and wraps me up in a hug.

“Rose, I have a few things to tell you and then I will let you be discharged, as you seem to be fine,” Doctor Owen tells me. I nod at him, afraid to speak at the moment.

“Once you fell asleep we took some x-rays. You have 3 broken ribs on your left side and 2 on your right. Your nose was also broken, and I had to reset it. You shouldn’t be healed right now, and I have no answers as to why you aren’t in pain.” Doctor Owen tells me.

“So with that said, I hope to replace some answers with your b***d work that we had taken earlier. Not only can it help to replace a relative, but it can also help identify supernatural beings and what they are exactly.” He continues.

I just nod, I’m still in shock.

He walks out of the room and Alpha comes closer to me. Mom lets go and moves and stands next to Dad.

“So Rose, what do you think should be done to Ashlee? She attacked a pack member and there is a list of punishments that are within the laws that we can use.” Alpha tells me.

I smile at him. “Nothing. I want her to have no punishment. I want her to see me just fine. This way she can see for herself that she is nothing, even to a simple human. It would cause her more distress to see me perfectly healthy than to give her any punishment.” I answer him.

He looks at me and nods, “You are correct. The beating she gave you, and then you walking away unharmed, will stay with her for a long time. I will just leave it be.”

“There is one more thing I want to let you know before you go home tonight,” He tells me as he looks at my parents. They look a little uneasy. It makes me fear what he is about to tell me now.

“Come morning Rose, you will be leaving with me, you will come to the palace with me.” Alpha says to me as he turns and walks out of the room.