Page 46 of Claimed

“Get your ass in here, Hunt,” Chase says through the bond. “I told her you’re gonna make us all steaks.”

“You can play chef. I want to sit with my mate,” Hunter grumbles back as he heads down the hall, but when he steps into the kitchen, he looks perfectly relaxed as he starts to pull out ingredients.

After a few minutes, he yells over, “Cherry, how do you like your steak? Well done?”

We all turn to her, curious about her answer, and she nods, letting out a quiet, “Yes, please.”

A burning question starts to take root in my mind, one I’ve been meaning to ask her since she first shifted, and with the perfect opening in front of me, I know it’s my chance to ask.

“Cherry?” She turns to me at the sound of her name. “Why don’t you like raw meat?”

Her eyes darken, and I hate that I put that look there, but I am even more desperate for the answer now.

“That’s all they ever fed me. At the facility.” Maddox’s arms tighten around her, and he kisses the top of her head as Chase relays that info through the bond to Bain.

“Now even the smell makes me feel sick,” she says, looking down at her fingers playing with the hem of her shirt.

“Thank you for telling us,” Maddox says, and I nod, knowing I should have been the one to thank her for answering my question, but my mind is reeling around the fact that she only ate raw meat for ten years. At least they fed her, but I understand why she’s now developed an aversion to it. I’d probably be the same if I were put in that situation.

Everyone is quiet as we watch TV and Hunter cooks. Bain quietly enters and assists him a few minutes later. If it wasn’t for his constant glances this way, I think dinner would have been ready in half the time.

“Okay, it’s ready!” Hunter says as the sound of several plates hitting the table rings out through the room. Chase switches off the TV and stands as Maddox gently places Cherry on her feet.

She takes one step forward and instantly stumbles. The three of us all reach for her at once, not letting her get anywhere near close to falling.

“Are you alright?” Maddox asks, and she nods as she tries to stand up straight.

“Yeah, sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” I tell her as I wait for her to move.

She nods and starts to walk to the table, but after several steps, she stumbles again. Maddox immediately scoops her up in his arms and brings her over to the table.

“I can walk,” she argues.

“Apparently not,” Chase snorts in amusement as he pulls out a chair for her. Maddox sits her down, then takes a seat beside her. Chase places his hand on the chair on her other side, but suddenly, Bain is there, narrowing his eyes at him as he yanks it toward himself.

They glare at each other until Maddox speaks through the bond. “Cut it out, you’ll frighten her.”

Chase sighs, releasing the chair and choosing the seat opposite her instead, beside Hunter. I sit between Maddox and Chase, enjoying the new round table that came with the house. It lets you see everyone.

Bain and Maddox fill Cherry’s plate so full that the french fries start falling off ‌it.

“Just eat what you can,” Hunter says, noting her wide eyes staring at the large amount of food.

I watch as she awkwardly picks up the knife and fork, holding them in her fists as she attempts to cut the steak. I stare at her, unsure if I find this alarming or adorable. She’s like a toddler trying to use utensils for the first time.

The moment I realize why, shame fills me.

“Fuck,” I hiss through the bond. “She hasn’t used utensils in over ten years, since she was fourteen. She’s lost her dexterity.”

Chase opens his mouth to speak, but someone kicks him under the table, making his jaw snap shut as he winces.

“Don’t draw attention to it,” Hunter warns him. “She might pull back and shift.”

Bain calmly moves his chair closer to hers and gently takes her knife and fork from her. She looks up at him with wide eyes as he proceeds to cut a tiny piece of her steak off and hold it up to her mouth. She only hesitates a second before biting it.

He nods his head in approval as she chews, and he cuts another. “Open up,” he says quietly when the next piece is ready, and she obeys. “Good girl,” he says as he cuts another. I see her cheeks turn pink, and when he goes to offer her a third piece, she reaches up and takes the fork from him. His brow furrows, but when she holds out the piece of meat for him to eat, his eyebrows almost disappear up his forehead.