The sharp pain shot through her body again, making her cry out.
Her scream echoed through the mansion. Within seconds, the door burst open. Edward and a few staff members rushed in.
"What happened?" Edward asked urgently, his eyes scanning the room until they landed on Lucille, who stood alone.
"Help!" The scream rang out again, this time from the bathroom.
Edward and the others hurried inside. They stopped, their gazes filled with shock.
Mabel was bent over the side of the tub, her bare back red and raw from the hot water. Seeing she was naked, the servants quickly turned away and stepped out, leaving Edward behind.
He grabbed a towel, wrapped it around her trembling body, and gently helped her up. When he saw her foot, red, blistering, badly burned, his face became filled with fear.
"What happened?" he asked again, panic in his voice. But Mabel was in too much pain to answer.
Edward helped her into the room. Lucille was still there, standing calmly, unmoved.
As soon as Mabel saw her, pain twisted into anger on her face. Her lips shook as she pointed at Lucille.
"You did this on purpose!" she cried.
Lucille's heart didn't skip a beat. She looked at Mabel coldly, watching her struggle through the pain.
"You wanted me to serve you, Mabel Fletcher. And I did," Lucille said, her voice steady.
"You're cruel! You burned me on purpose! My family will make you pay!" Mabel screamed, her voice cracking from pain.
Edward slowly realized what had happened. He had told Lucille to prepare Mabel's bath. Judging from the burns, the water had been far too hot.
"You told me to prepare your bath," Lucille said, her voice calm but sharp. "You didn't say how hot it should be."
Edward turned to her, anger flashing in his eyes. "How could you?" he asked, his voice tight with fury.
Lucille raised a finger and pointed to her cheek. Edward followed her gesture.
"Do you see these marks?" she said coldly. "She slapped me. Twice."
Her voice grew louder, filled with fire. "If I'm not mistaken, I'm supposed to serve you, Edward Jones. Not Mabel Fletcher."
Her eyes burned with rage. "And if I remember the rules of my servitude correctly, no physical assault!"
With that, she turned and stormed out of the room, barely containing her anger.
Edward stood there, stunned and speechless. He looked down at Mabel, who was moaning in pain.
"Hospital," Mabel groaned, her voice weak and shaking.
His heart pounded as he stared at her foot, it looked worse by the second. Her back couldn't be any better.
Then it hit him.
"Shift," he said, his voice urgent.
As werewolves, shifting could speed up their healing.
"Eddy…" Mabel gasped, clutching his arm tightly.
"Shift," he repeated, more firmly now. "It'll help. You have to."
The sound of bones snapping filled the air as Mabel gave in to her wolf. A dark brown wolf emerged, shaky and weak, then dropped onto her belly, letting out soft, pained whimpers.
Edward's heart twisted at the sight. Even in her wolf form, she was clearly hurting. He quickly dropped to the floor in front of her and gently rubbed her head.
His eyes moved to her hind legs, one was trembling. That must be the burned one. Her back was still twitching too.
Slowly, the wolf rested her head on his thigh, still whining softly.
"You'll be okay," he whispered.
His mind spun with thoughts. This was bad. Really bad. Mabel wasn't just anyone, she was an elite, from one of the top executive packs. And now she was injured like this, inside his house.
After a few minutes, the wolf finally calmed. Her body stopped shaking, and the whimpering faded away. Her eyes closed.
"You're fine now," he said gently, waiting for a response. But then he remembered. They couldn't talk like this. She wasn't his pack member. She wasn't his mate. And he hadn't marked her, so there was no bond between them. No mind-link. No way to communicate.
He let out a quiet sigh and watched her sleep. Her dark brown fur looked thick and healthy. Her build was strong, her form perfect for an alpha female, but she wasn't his type.
As he studied her, her tail flicked. Then, slowly, she lifted her head and looked straight at him with dark eyes.
She placed her front paws on his thigh for a moment before pulling away and rising to her feet. Then, she leaned closer and brushed her mouth against his cheek.
Edward drew a scowl. A wave of disgust crawled over him, but he forced a smile, hiding how uncomfortable her action made him feel.
"You can shift back now. You should feel better," Edward said calmly, hiding the disgust that still clung to him.
The wolf didn't move. She just stared at him, as if trying to read what he truly felt.
Growing impatient, Edward stood and looked down at her. Maybe she got the message, because right then, the sharp crack of shifting echoed through the room. Her wolf faded, and her human form returned.
She lay on the floor, curled into herself, completely bare. Edward's eyes flicked to her back, still red, but healing. Her foot looked just not as bad.
"We need to get you to the hospital," he said quickly, his tone firm.
There was no time to waste. Even though it seemed like a small incident, this could destroy everything. His name, his family's reputation. He needed to clean up the mess fast, before it aggravated.
Mabel pulled herself up, her eyes falling on her injured foot. Anger burned in her chest. The pain was one thing, but the scar it would leave? Unforgivable.
"Thanks," she muttered bitterly, the fury clear in her voice.
"Put something on. We're leaving," Edward replied coldly. He didn't care for her gratitude right now.
She limped over to her suitcase, grabbed a robe, and slipped it over her body, tying the belt tightly.
"I'm reporting this!" she snapped, her eyes blazing with rage.
Edward looked at her, his deep gaze lingered for a while. Then he asked quietly, "Did you slap her?"
"Why wouldn't I?" Mabel snapped, her voice sharp and full of fire.
"So you really hit her," Edward said, disappointment clear in his voice.
"Eddy! Do you even know what she did?" she cried, frustrated.
But Edward was already heading for the door, not sparing her another glance.
"I'll be waiting in the car," he muttered before opening the door and walking out.
Mabel stared after him, stunned. Her eyes widened, her mouth dropped open. He didn't even listen. Was he taking Lucille's side?
The thought hit her hard. So, it was true. He was interested in Lucille.
Her chest tightened with fury. Her hands clenched into fists as her face darkened.
"I'll deal with this myself, Edward," she swore.