Coldsnap: The Billionaire Alpha's Fated Pregnant Princess (GL)-Chapter 44 - Harsh Wake Up Calls

Chapter 44: Chapter 44 - Harsh Wake Up Calls
A
bleating
sound jerked me from a
fitful
sleep. I bolted upright, heart racing and black fur bristling.
Cotton sheets and a
lumpy mattress
. The hum of an ’air conditioner’ I remember finding so
fascinating
for a few minutes, before I fell asleep.
Right. The
motel
. So much for my grand declarations of
adaptability
and resilience.
I groaned and rubbed at my face... while returning back to
fully human
form. With the door locked secure last night, I’d stripped down to nothing for comfort -
luckily
I did not just stretch or tear a set of my only undergarments in my panic.
Just a bit, I understand why the Duskpaw forewent those sorts of clothes. But this is the city and -
for the most part
- I should be safe enough not to have to worry about needing the werewolf forms.
Smooth palms
pressed onto my closed eyes, with hands that still smelled faintly of ’complimentary’ soap... according to the
little card
I’d read last night. A scent from after I used the toilet in the bathroom here.
I truly cannot believe that was all it took to put me
over the edge
and
spend more money
that is not mine.
Apparently... that there was nowhere
polite
for my upset and stressed insides to lose their burden was enough for this
spoiled princess I am
to go running for the nearest lodging with at least an ’eight’ rating on the map.
When I was
fine
just using anywhere out in the forest. When I could have just used a ’convenience store’ bathroom then
returned
to my alley.
I knew that. I just
refused
to let myself
think
that I knew that.
Because that place had become a ’five’ at some point as I had
tried to sleep
, while every single building in the area around me had
higher values
.
"Pathetic."
I muttered the accusation aloud before glaring at the ’alarm clock’ that was still making
so much awful noise
. As if it were
personally responsible
for my moments of weakness.
The
glowing red numbers
blinked back at me, so similar to the lower bounds of the | Survivor’s Wisdom | scale. But the mechanical device is utterly unmoved by
royal disapproval
.
Or maybe this body just doesn’t have the face for it? The cut of Helene’s eyes are softer and missing the
lines of kohl
usually applied.
Not that I could do that sort of
cosmetics
application myself. Truly
spoiled
.
I smash buttons and toggle switches ineffectively, looking for the way to
make it stop
, and eventually succeed. By
pulling the cord
out of the wall.
> 6:00 AM. Who in the nineteen hells sets an alarm for that early for someone that checked in at midnight? <
A thought tickles out of Helene’s memory that this
should not
have usually worked. That old devices like this usually used ’batteries’ as
backup energy sources
.
But I really do not care. The
noise has stopped
and that is enough!
"Mmgh..."
When I flopped back onto the
scratchy pillows
... my irritation over being awoken began to be replaced with a grudging sense of gratitude. If I’d slept any longer, I might start being
more reluctant
to leave.
To waste the day by just
holing up
and
doing nothing
. But I won’t.
The bone-deep exhaustion that had dogged my steps when I made it to the city yesterday, after the few days of travel, was now more of a
dull ache
. A few hours of
mostly uninterrupted sleep
and relaxation at the spa had done wonders for body and mind.
Enough that the prospect of facing another day in this strange world didn’t seem quite as
daunting
. I have... to be
thankful
for that.
> Oh, stop it. Stop it, stop it! Why should I go running to actually tell her thank you again? <
Vrika whines at my
refusals
and turns his back on me again. I guess this is going to be
a daily occurrence
at minimum, isn’t it?
However, I knew I couldn’t afford to
get used to
relying on this. Being grateful is one thing, but
being in debt
is another.
The access to funds that woman had given me might have bought me a brief respite last night, but
sooner or later
, I will have to be able to fend for myself. To survive without relying on the
dubious charity
of a stranger CEO with unsettlingly... attractive orange eyes when she turns into a beast.
Because when she doesn’t get
what she wants
out of me, will I not be cut off from these funds? When she finds out there are things about me that she
doesn’t like
?
That is how
people in power
are most of all. They hold the cards that you need and dangle them in front of you so they can
take what they desire
.
"I’ve done it myself. As much as I’d claim that attempts at fairness between parties were involved. And this time I have no leverage to even things at all..."
No point in
dwelling
on things I couldn’t change. I push myself
out of bed
and plod toward the bathroom.
The jacket I’d worn yesterday was hanging on a hook, only
slightly
unclean. A few dirty marks easily scrubbed out.
My pack stuffed under the sink counter contained only a few
basic supplies
. A
single
bottle of water and some ’wet wipes’ that had been handed over to me by that charitable woman.
It wasn’t much at all. The days in the forest had felt
liberating
in some ways, reminding me of my
youth
.
But it’s clear how much I’d
taken for granted
being served at the palace or the homes of lovers. In the middle of the city, I have
no idea
what I should be doing or focusing on.
How to
gather funds
, the most efficient ways to feed myself... there are so many things to learn. I’ll have to find a place with
that sort of knowledge
when I go out.
I step into the weird mixture of tub and shower while fiddling with the
flaking chrome
fixtures. The pressure isn’t as good as at the spa, it seems to take a while to warm, and the temperature it does reach is
unsatisfying
.
"Stop complaining, you’ll just somehow talk yourself into how this place is utterly unacceptable. Learn to control yourself, Citra."
Drying off and
trying
to fix my hair back up the way I watched the stylist do it, I then picked out one of the neutral tops and denim pants. When I look at the
result in the mirror
, I can only sigh.
"Passable. Consider it passable. You look fine."
Stuffing everything back inside my backpack, I couldn’t help but feel something uncomfortably close to longing as I glanced at the
rumpled sheets
. The temptation to
burrow back inside
was almost overwhelming.
But I
squashed
that feeling ruthlessly. Along with any stray thoughts of the woman whose
generosity
had made that comfort possible.
I didn’t need anyone’s
pity
or protection. Even if a small,
treacherous
part of me whispered that it might be nice to have.
> Like when my second brother used to indulge me, before he decided that showing me attentive favor and getting scolded for it was more trouble than it was worth. <
More of my past reasoning for distrust pressed at the wolf spirit, who could only seem to think of the
short term kindness
shown to me. Drunk on the magical draw that this world’s
Lunar Goddess
allows to happen.
And if my hand lingered for a moment on the card in my pant pocket as I closed the motel room door, well...
That
feeling
a little
beyond
gratitude was no one’s business but my own.