** Warning. This chapter does get a tiny bit steamy with a bathroom scene. Thanks, Allamy **

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I stir and groan, not wanting to wake up.

For the first time in years, I had actually had a good dream. I had dreamt that Grayson had kissed me for the first time and it was honestly perfect and now I don't know how I feel.

I think I definitely trust him more after what happened last night but he still makes me nervous. Hopefully, things will get easier now though.

I smile and open my eyes, instantly searching the room for Grayson, but he's not there. His bedding is neatly folded on the couch and the bucket is no longer there.

Where is he?

Nervously, I pick up my phone and text him, asking him where he is. I lay back in bed for a moment before my phone vibrates in my hand. I smile and hold it above my face.

'I'm in the bathroom, gimme two seconds, Princess.'

I smile, crinkling my nose at the reply. As of last night, he's been calling me Princess and to be honest, I quite like it. It makes me feel special. I've never had anyone call me by a nickname before. Not even my parents.

Sitting up, I go to text back when I notice the bathroom doors open and out walks a slightly wet Grayson in nothing but a towel. I blush and feel my jaw drop slightly.

He looks like a freaking god. He's so damn sexy. His shoulders are strong and muscular, arms equally as massive whilst his chest is toned and his stomach ripped. A very defined v-line disappearing down into his towel. A light dusting of hair graces his lower abdomen and chest while an intricate tattoo sits on his right peck.

"You texted?" He signs, smiling at me.

"Yeah. I was nervous because I didn't know where you had gone" I reply sheepishly, closing my mouth.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Acacia. I was showering. I should've waited for you to wake up before I went" he replies, frowning.

"No, it's okay. I just got a little nervous because I didn't want you to be passed out or dead somewhere."

He nods and watches me for a moment.

"How are you feeling?" he signs, raising an eyebrow at me.

"I'm okay. I feel like I'm starting to have a little more energy" I reply nervously.

He juts his chin towards my medication on the bedside table.

"Did you...?" He asks nervously.

"Last night" I sign, nodding.

"Thank you."

We stare at each other for a moment before I break eye contact and quickly rake my eyes over his handsome stature once more.

"Grayson" I sign, nervously.

"Yeah?"

"Are you scared of me?"

I watch as his mouth drops open, the question completely catching him off guard. He quickly closes his mouth and frowns.

"No."

Bull shit. I can see it in his eyes.

"Tell me the truth"

I watch him sigh and run a hand through his hair.

"I'm just scared that I'll scare you more or fuck up and make you reject me" he signs back after a while.

I look at him in shock.

"Are you scared of me, Acacia? Be honest"

Oh god.

"Yes," I reply back nervously.

His expression darkens suddenly and his eyes change colour and I whimper, closing my eyes and bringing my hands up to protect my face.

He's going to hit me.

But it never comes.

I open my eyes and I see that he has moved further away from me, a mixed emotion of hurt and anger on his face. I watch him carefully and notice that his eyes are swimming with both his beautiful grey colour and the bright silver colour.

"Sorry" he signs slowly. "I just hate that my own mate is scared of me. My wolf got upset. We didn't mean to scare you."

"I'm way less scared of you now than I was before Grayson" I sign back with a small smile.

He smiles back at me, perking up at my reply.

I blush hard.

Why does he have to be so beautiful?

"Grayson. Can I have a shower? If that's okay?" I ask nervously.

"Of course. Do you want me to stay here and wait?"

"Please?" I sign nervously before playing with my fingers.

"Of course. Take your phone with you though, just in case anything happens" He signs, concern present in his expression. 

I nod and smile at him before grabbing my phone and getting out of bed.

I make my way to the bathroom and shut the door behind me. I don't bother to lock it because I know that Grayson won't come in. I carefully undress and look at myself in the mirror.

God, I'm so skinny. It's scary.

I can see why Teresa and Grayson want me to eat more. I run my fingers over all the bruises that have started to fade. They are still so dark, especially the ones on my lower abdomen, but I'm glad they are starting to disappear.

I cringe at the sight of me. I look like a mess. I really don't know why I'm Grayson's mate. What the hell does he see in me?

I sigh and turn on the shower, placing a towel and my phone by the door of the shower. I wait a moment for the water to heat up before getting in and letting the warmth wash over me.

I notice that the shower is stocked with everything I would need and I silently thank Grayson's sister. I don't have to shave because Teresa helped me do that the other day so I start to wash my hair but as I continue, I start to feel weaker and weaker.

Dizziness washes over me so I sit down on the shower floor and lean against the glass.

Now I know why Teresa would always help me shower. Dammit. I've only shampooed my hair but I have no energy left. Not enough to even stand up again yet. I sigh and reach up to turn the water off.

Sadly, whether I want it or not, I need help.

I push open the door and dry my hands before grabbing my phone. I want to text Teresa but I know she'll be busy with other patients so I have no choice but to get Grayson to help me.

The nerves kick in as I shakily open up the text chain to Grayson.

He's going to see me naked again. I sigh because I know that this is the only way I'm going to get clean.

'Help, please?'

I put my phone down, lean back against the shower wall and pull my knees up to my chest to cover my chest.

Soon, the door opens and Grayson walks in, looking super sexy in a white v-neck shirt and dark jeans. He eyes me up and bites his lip slightly when he sees that I'm naked but quickly pulls himself together.

"Are you okay?" he signs, a worried expression appearing on his face.

"I have no energy left and I was only just able to shampoo my hair" I reply, frowning.

His worried expression quickly softens and he walks over to me and crouches down.

"Would you like me to help?" he asks, signing gently. I nod and I watch as he walks over to the massive bathtub in the other corner. He turns on the tap and we both watch as the bath starts to fill, glancing at each other every so often. I watch, heat taking residence in my core as he proceeds to pull off his shirt and jeans, leaving him standing in just his underwear.

Soon enough, the bath is full but I'm shivering from the cold air and the water left on my body. He frowns and picks me up out of the shower and carries me to the bath, hopping in with me still in his arms.

I instantly start to warm up as the hot water envelopes me. I smile and close my eyes for a moment before opening them and looking up at Grayson.

He smiles gently before carefully sitting me on the ledge. He grabs a washcloth and soaks it in the water before wiping my face and neck before conditioning my hair and helping me wash it all off.

He then grabs a loofah and some body wash and proceeds to wash me, gently cleaning over all the cuts and bruises, making sure not to hurt me.

He gets to my lower abdomen and stops in shock. I know he's looking at the bruises rather than anything else and all the memories start to flood back. He's not seen these bruises yet. Only the ones on my stomach and thighs that he saw in the hospital before he stormed out.

Tears start to spill from my eyes and he looks up and instantly pulls me into him. He cradles me, keeping my body in the water to make sure I don't get cold as I sob into his chest.

I eventually stop crying and he gently sets me back on the ledge and looks at me.

"They did that to you too?" he signs, looking upset.

I nod and my bottom lip quivers. His eyes flash silver again and I expect him to get violent but it never comes.

Instead, he stands me up, ignoring everything else and gently kisses the massive purple bruises, sending tingles through my body, right to my core where a hot feeling becomes apparent between my legs.

Fuck.

So this is what it feels like to be aroused. I blush and he sits me back down before looking up at me.

"How did they give you those ones?" He signs, anger still swimming in his eyes.

I shake my head and take a deep breath, trying to stop myself from crying again.

"Not today" I reply weakly. He nods, not pushing the issue before continuing to wash me. He soon finishes and pulls me back into him.

For a while, we just sit in the bath, not saying a word. Me on his lap with his arms firmly around me while my head lays against his chest. His heat combined with the heat from the water is literal heaven and for the first time in years, I feel safe.

I smile and soon we get out and he dries me down and wraps me up in a towel before drying himself.

"Turn around for a moment" he signs and I do as I'm told.

I stand there silently, knowing he's probably taking off his wet underwear. After a few seconds, his hands are on my shoulders and he spins me around to face him and I am confronted with him yet again, standing in a towel like a god.

I blush as my eyes wander up his chest to his tattoo.

Dark trees stand before a beautiful mountain range with the moon above it, all encircled by what looks like an old compass. I resist the urge to reach up and trace it with my fingers. Instead, continuing my gaze up to meet his.

"I like your tattoo" I managed to sign, still entranced in his gaze.

A smirk tugs at the corner of his lips and I blush again, dropping my gaze.

"Thank you" he signs back eventually.

"Shall we go get dressed and have some breakfast?"

"Sure" I reply sheepishly.

Within seconds, I'm back in his arms as he carries me out of the bathroom and into the wardrobe.

He puts me down in front of what looks to be my side of the wardrobe before grabbing some clean underwear and disappearing out the door.

Welp.

I shuffle over to the first set of drawers and gawk at the contents. Before me lies drawers of colourful underwear and bras. Some lace, some satin, some just plain cotton. I rifle through and manage to find a plain black bra and underwear set before moving on to the next set of drawers.

Soon enough, I'm dressed in a pair of black leggings with black socks and a grey oversized t-shirt with flowers on it.

I look at myself in the mirror dividing the two sections of the wardrobe. Not terrible.

I quickly dry and scrunch my hair with my towel before wandering back out into the bedroom.

Grayson looks up from his phone as he sits at the end of the bed, dressed back in the same white shirt and dark jeans and grins at me.

God. That smile is going to kill me.

I watch as he gets up and walks over to where I am standing. He grabs the towel out of my hands and takes it into the bathroom before returning back to me.

"Thank you" I sign sheepishly.

"No problem, Princess" he replies, winking at me.

God, dinner smells heavenly. If only I had the appetite for it. After having breakfast together this morning, Grayson dropped me off at the library - which he had very kindly made sure no one else would be there - as he had to leave to go attend to come Alpha duties. However, I had hardly read anything as I spent more time being nervous about meeting his siblings tonight than anything else. 

Grayson watches me as we eat our food, every so often glancing at my plate to see how much I've eaten. I think my eating habits are making him nervous and I think it's kinda sweet that he cares. We finish and he cleans up, although I only managed to eat about half of what he had served me.

"When are your siblings getting here?" I sign nervously.

"In a few minutes," he replies with a small smile before putting the plates away. I nod and bite my lip and he comes around to me with a frown on his face.

"You don't have to meet them if you don't want to. You are more than welcome to change your mind," he signs gently.

"No, it's okay. I'll meet them" I sign back, not wanting to make him upset. He nods but doesn't smile, clearly still concerned. He looks at the door and frowns again.

"They're here. I have to warn you, they can be a bit, umm, intense and high-spirited at times" he signs, glancing at me. I nod and he gently leads me to the front door.

I suck in a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves.

He opens the front door and there on the porch is the incredibly beautiful girl from yesterday and her equally beautiful twin brother.

Bella and Beckett are literally exact copies of each other. Crystal blue eyes, dirty blonde hair, perfect grins. Beckett is tall and muscular like Grayson while Bella is a little shorter than her brother with curves in all the right places. I can see how they are related to Grayson.

All three of them are stunning. All three of them are like walking gods. The twins both smile at me and I nervously play with my fingers. Grayson notices and wraps his arm around my waist protectively. I calm down slightly and smile back at them.

"Hello" they sign simultaneously. I look up at Grayson nervously and he nods back. Nice to know they also both know sign language.

"Hello" I sign shakily back. Grayson must've said something to them because they both nod and smile at me.

Suddenly, Grayson picks me up and carries me into the living room with the twins following close behind. We all sit down and I go to move off Grayson's lap but his grip around me tightens.

Nervously, I stay put, not wanting to make him mad.

"Acacia" Bella signs, smiling at me warmly.

"I just want to apologise for yesterday, I didn't mean to upset you or make you feel like Grayson was cheating on you or anything. It was just a poorly timed situation."

I nod with a small smile, trying my best to not let my nerves get the best of me.

"So, in an effort to remedy what happen, I would like to properly introduce myself. My name is Bella Hays, I'm Grayson's little sister."

She turns to look at Beckett for a moment, who smirks at her, before turning back to me.

"That's Beckett, he's my twin brother. We are fraternal twins, although everyone tells us that we look identical. Personally, I don't see it, I mean it's not like we-"

"What my sister is trying to say is, it's nice to meet you Acacia" Beckett signs, cutting Bella off with an eye roll and an amused expression painted on his face. 

"It's nice to meet you too" I sign back, my smile turning to a genuine grin.

"Why don't you tell her a bit more about yourselves" Grayson signs before shifting underneath me slightly. 

The twins look at each other for a moment before turning back to me with grins plastered on their beautiful faces.

"Well, we are seventeen, my favourite colour is green, Beckett's in yellow, ummm-" Bella starts, signing but quickly stops as her eyes cloud over for a split second, her brother's having already done the same.

Beckett's grin changes back into a smirk and I watch as his eyes shift back to normal. I can see the mischief in his eyes and I watch intrigued. 

"Better yet, why don't we tell Acacia embarrassing stuff about Grayson from when we were little" he signs, causing Bella to giggle.

I feel Grayson groan against me, the vibration rippling through me and I turn to look at him.

He rubs his hand over his face before shooting them a look somewhere between annoyance and embarrassment. It's cute. Their sibling dynamics are rather amusing and I can tell he really cares about them. 

A giggle bubbles out of me and I quickly clamp my hands over my mouth, shocked. I haven't laughed since before I was kidnapped. It's a rather odd feeling, foreign and yet somehow very familiar. 

Grayson's eyes widen for a moment as a smile creeps onto his face.

"Go on then," he signs to the twins who proceed to high-five each other at his response.

I turn back to the twins who are conferring with each other. I watch as Bella whispers something into Beckett's ear, causing them both to laugh before turning their attention back to me.

"Brace yourself, Acacia, shits about to get real" Becket signs with a wicked grin. 

"Goodbye," the twins sign before walking out the door. I sigh as Grayson closes the front door and looks at me. I feel emotionally drained.

We've spent the last two hours talking to the twins and unsurprisingly, they are really sweet.

Both of them are super funny and even managed to make me laugh for the first time in ten years while telling me about how Grayson was as a teenager. It was fun meeting them and I know we are going to be good friends.

Sensing that I am exhausted, Grayson gently picks me up, carries me to his room and sets me down on the bed. I crawl under the covers as Grayson sits down in front of me. We watch each other for a while before I break the stillness.

"Your brother and sister are lovely" I sign with a small smile. Grayson nods but doesn't say anything. However, I can tell there are emotions brewing in his beautiful grey eyes.

"What's wrong?" I ask, confused.

"Nothing" he signs back, emotionless.

"I don't believe you" I reply, nervously.

I watch as his eyes flash silver once again and he gets up and stalks out of the room moodily, slamming the door behind him.

What the hell was that about?

A small pang of hurt runs through my chest but I shrug it off.

Confused, I quickly pull off my shirt and leggings before closing my eyes and trying to get some rest. 

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Hey Guys,

So I hope you enjoyed that chapter! Thanks, for sticking by me through all this and feel free to leave me a comment below letting me know whether you liked this chapter!!

If you feel so inclined, go follow me on my Instagram account @allamy_duffell for a look into my life outside of writing!

Thanks,

- Allamy xx