Daughter of the Darkest Moon

Bad Hair

Ben, Randy, and Mac left an hour and a half later with the files. I worked on cleaning the kitchen and dining area. I wanted to go home and help with everything, but Ben told me I needed to take care of Liviana. He felt it would be best to keep her out of the pack’s territory until we knew more about her.

When I finished cleaning up, I went to check on her. She was sitting in the bed looking sad and concerned. Liviana smiled when she finally glanced up and saw me.

“What’s got you worried, Liviana?” I asked.

“I guess I’m pretty easy to read then.” She laughed. “Please call me Livy. I really do prefer it.”

“If you call me Oliver.” I smirked.

“But I like calling you Beta-boy.”

“And I like calling you Liviana.” I chuckled.

“I guess we both have to be unhappy then.” Livy sighed with a smile.

I sat on the bed and patted her hand.

“What’s wrong?”

“Is your Alpha mad that I was a mess? I didn’t even think to clean up. If you’d told me he was coming, I would’ve made sure my hair wasn’t as bad.” Livy responded quietly.

“Ben doesn’t care about that. What sort of Alpha would care if an injured girl was well-groomed? It’s not nearly as important as the fact that you’re alive and you helped us when you didn’t have to.” I took her hand in mine and squeezed.

“Could I wash my hair? I was so tired before, I didn’t notice how nasty it was. I’m really on edge and it would be nice to have something I can control.” She murmured.

“There isn’t a bath here and I don’t know if you could stand in the shower for very long…” I looked around. “I have an idea.”

I stood up and crossed to the kitchen. Picking up dishes and a hand towel, I dried everything I used to make lunch and put it away. Then, I cleaned the counter and the sink, filling the sink with hot water and grabbing a cup from the cupboard by the stove. I returned to the bed and picked Livy up.

“What are you doing, Beta-boy?” She asked.

“We’re gonna wash your hair in the sink. When you’re up to standing, you can have a shower. I’m gonna help you this time.” I told her.

“Why are you being nice like this? I didn’t think what I did was worth that much.” She blushed.

I set her on the counter and held her chin in my hand so she would look at me.

“You saved my best friend’s wife and children. You saved a lot of my friends and family. Without knowing anything about me, you risked your life to try and save me, too. I’m going to pay you back in any way I can. Right now, that means washing your hair and playing nursemaid until you’re better.” I stated sternly.

“And what does it mean later?” Livy questioned.

“I guess we’ll find that answer out later. Right now, let me help you feel better. Okay?” I implored.

“Alright. I’m too tired to fight about this.” She sighed.

I helped her lay down on the counter and leaned her head back until her scalp touched the water. I went to the bathroom to get my shampoo, conditioner, hairbrush, and a towel. When I returned, I worked the water into her hair which was thick with dirt and blood.

After I’d gotten most of it out, I drained the water and started massaging the shampoo into her hair. I decided to wash it twice, just to be sure it was thoroughly clean before adding conditioner.

Liviana was being quiet and not moving much. I was glad she could relax, even with me touching her. I rinsed her hair again and started working the conditioner through when she started whimpering. I looked down to find she was asleep.

“No. I don’t want it. Please, stop. Stop.” She whispered as tears rolled from her closed eyes.

“Livy, wake up.” I said as I dried my hands quickly and took her hand.

I didn’t want to risk frightening her when she woke up. I leaned down close enough that she could smell me. The scent of another wolf calmed her before.

“Come on, strange girl. Wake up. I’m here. You’re safe, Livy. Wake up.” I told her.

She stirred and opened her eyes slowly. Liviana pulled her hand from mine and threw her arms around my neck, holding me to her tightly. I returned her hug, rubbing her back and murmuring soothing words.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep. You’re very good at hair washing, Beta-boy.” Livy said as she pulled back.

“I just have to rinse the conditioner and we can go dry and brush you out.” I smiled and helped her lay back.

“You’re not going to ask?”

“No. You can keep it for as long as you want. If you want to tell me, then you can.” I replied.

She didn’t need me pressing the issue. When she felt like she could talk about it, she would. I’d be here when that happened.

“Thank you, Oliver.” She sighed and closed her eyes as I poured warm water over her hair to get the conditioner out.

Once her hair was finished, I ringed it out and wrapped it in a towel. I picked her up and set her on the couch.

“If you sit on the floor, I can sit behind you to dry and brush.” I offered.

“You don’t have to. I can do it.” She smiled.

“You’re tired and still recovering. Let me pamper you a little. Come on, princess.” I grinned.

She winced. “I’ll let you on two conditions.”

“What are they?”

“First, I need a cushion or pillow to sit on. Second, never ever call me ‘princess’ again.” Livy chuckled.

“I can do that.” I said and grabbed a pillow from one of the armchairs, placing it on the floor in front of the couch.

Livy moved down and crossed her legs. I slid onto the couch behind her and she leaned between my legs while I worked on patting her hair dry. I remembered when I used to do this for my little sister. Our mom was always been busy and our dad was the Beta for Ben’s dad, so I took over a lot of the parent stuff for Gina.

She moved to the North Cascade pack, with her mate, a couple years earlier. They would come visit with their kids sometimes. I love my little niece and nephew. It was my only real regret about deciding not to mate. No mate, no kids.

“Ouch!” Livy hissed and pulled away.

“I didn’t feel a tangle there. How did I hurt you?” I asked.

“The brush caught on the gauze and it rubbed on the silver burn.” She explained. “It’ll be a while before it goes away. It won’t start healing until after my other stuff’s healed.”

“Really? How do you know?” I inquired.

“Because, it was made for me.” Livy blushed. “I wore it from fifteen until eighteen. The open wound helps the silver stay in my blood stream. It forms within the first five minutes of it being put on. It can take a while to heal, but it never gets worse than it is currently. So, you don’t have to keep me around waiting for that. Once I can walk, you can let me go.”

“You wore it willingly? That doesn’t make sense.” I scoffed.

“I didn’t... I didn’t want to wear it. I’ll tell you tomorrow. I’m tired again. When will I be able to stay awake? This is annoying.” She growled.

The pain in her eyes told me that pressing it wouldn’t get me more information. When Livy didn’t want to talk, she wouldn’t. I’d drop it for now.

“At least you don’t look like a hedgehog anymore.” I chuckled as I climbed out from behind her and helped Livy stand. “Can you walk or did you want me to carry you again?”

“Sorry, I’m too tired to walk.” She admitted.

I picked her up and carried her, princess style, to the bed and got her tucked in again. Livy was smiling sleepily and grabbed my hand.

“Was I a cute hedgehog, Ollie?” Livy whispered.

“Definitely. The cutest hedgehog, Livy.” I squeezed her hand. She smiled and drifted to sleep.

I picked up the cushion and thought about going out to hunt for dinner. It was only about five in the afternoon, but she seemed pretty certain she wouldn’t be waking up again. I decided to drive into town and buy some meat instead.

Her nightmares worried me, but I knew she’d need meat more than she’d need comforting. Once I wrote out a note and left it on the little table next to the bed, I headed out to the detached garage in the back to get my car.

There was a little grocery store at the bottom of the mountain. When I’d driven in, I stopped there for vegetables, milk, juice, and beer. The prices weren’t great, but I figured you always over spend on vacation, so it was an acceptable loss. 

Remembering the sound of her voice when she’d talked about the collar, made me uneasy about what she was running from. I definitely couldn’t let her go back to a pack who would allow a teen to be put in a silver collar for three years. There was no crime that would justify such a cruel punishment. Just thinking of it pissed me off.

It was no wonder Ben and I couldn’t get a read on her. Her entire body had been polluted with silver. It could be years before she would be able to overcome the physical ramifications of the silver poisoning.

I wondered how she’d managed to shift with so much silver in her blood. It was impressive. Livy was definitely something else.