*** Bridget P.O.V continues ***

I woke up slowly and was surprised to see alpha William’s fingers on my face. He was standing right in front of me when I opened my eyes. I looked into his gorgeous eyes. “Darling, we have gotten there.” He whispered. I nod and sat up. I quickly collected my bags as we walked out.

The outer view of the jet is very spacious and a white Lamborghini was already waiting for us. The beta held the door open for me to enter the car and I thanked him.

“Take us to the pack house,” Alpha William told the driver as he entered the car and sat next to me.

We then began to move through a very occupied town. I’ve never seen so many fields and farms before. I heard the sound of a chuckle beside me that draws my attention.

“It’s a lot, is not it?" Alpha William said to me with a grin. I shook my head and turned around to peep out through the window. We pulled up in front of a very magnificent mansion with sliding doors and a green doormat.

A guy came to open my car door. He showed me the way. The whole vicinity was filled with lovely maidens whom I assumed to be maids.

I had to work to live and satisfy everyone in my father’s house. There’s a spacious resting area around a furnace where human beings are sitting. Some are speaking while others are on their phones.

The Alpha crossed over and talks to the lady who looked at me before giving him a white envelope. I heard some phrases that draw my attention.

Then I saw someone dashing towards me with a happy smile on her face. She is wearing a darkish grey skirt, navy blue satin top and a thin white belt She draws me close for a hug and almost knocked the breath out of me.

“Holy shit!!” She said with anxiousness. She dragged me backwards and put her arms around my neck

“Oh hun, I’m sorry. I’m just so excited to finally meet you,” she said. I returned my gaze returned to the ground.

“Please pardon my mate. She has been waiting for William to find his mate for a very long time,” The Beta said, resting a hand on his mate’s which is around my neck.

“Yes Beta, no problem,” I nod. “Where are my manners? I haven’t introduced myself. I'm Liam Winters and this is my glamorous mate Daniella,” He said. “It is nice to meet you both,” I laughed.

“I see you have met Daniella,” Alpha William said as he makes his way to us. “Daniella, can you show Bridget to her room Liam has prepared for her. I have to head to the office to finalize the plans,” He hands over the white envelope to her.

“So the meeting went well then. I completely forgot to ask,” Daniella says.

“It went well and we decided on a plan too," Beta Liam says as he kissed her forehead.

“We may come back a little too late,” Alpha said as they walked to the door.

Daniella turned to me, “Advice number one, when they say that, it's the opposite. They work hard for the pack.” She placed her arm around my shoulders and led me to a hallway. We walked to an elevator and walk-in. She pressed the buttons for the top floor. “So dear, tell me about yourself,” she said as she leans against the wall of the elevator.

“I'm Bridget Smith. I am thirty years old and I am the daughter of Alpha Johnson Smith,” I replied, looking at her before facing the floor again. Her smile disappeared. “ Oh, hun . . .,” she trailed off. Oh no, did I say something wrong? Did I get her aggravated?

“A Gamma from your pack came to our pack about 12 months back, Gamma Lucas. He advised us about a few things that went on in the Alpha's pack,” I interrupted,” Ma’am, you should not talk about it.” I felt so scared about interrupting her but I didn’t discuss matters concerning it.

Gamma Lucas used to be the nicest person to me in the pack. When my dad threw him and his entire family out of the pack, it was the first time I felt alone.

On some occasions, he had stopped my dad and brother from taking advantage of me and also stopped the beatings. But after he walked out and there was no one, the situation became worse.

The door to the stairs opened and pulled me out of my thoughts. Only then, did I notice Beta Daniella staring at me?

“I’m sorry Beta Daniella. I did not mean to shun you. I would simply not speak about what happened at the Alpha's pack,” I said shyly.

She just laughed warmly. “Please, my name is Daniella. Can we be friends? Secondly, you are right. I shouldn’t pry. If you ever want to talk, I’m here, okay?” She said as we make our way out of the elevator and head down the hallway.

We stop in front of the last door marked A. She hands me the envelope.

“Inside this envelope is the key to this floor."

“Floor?!,” I asked in surprise. She giggled then opened the envelope and pulled out a plastic card before swiping it over the keypad. The keypad beeps and turns green.

We go into the room and it is like nothing I have ever seen. The walls are painted in a deep shade of green. The floor has large white tiles. The room has high ceilings and even beautiful chandeliers. She walked to the kitchen which is on the right side of the room.

I strived to keep up with her fast pace and not get distracted. She makes her way to two doorways in the back. We walked into one of the doorways and straight into a beautiful room with a darkish wooden ottoman and tv. She stops at the door on the left and enters. The room is a little bit bare but nevertheless, it is also beautiful. It has a king-size bed, a dresser, a tv and two extra doors.

“So the restroom is behind that door while the closet is just here,” Daniella points at the doors.

“Where will I be sleeping Bet... Daniella?,” I asked shyly.

“Here. This will be your room for now. The Alpha's room is opposite yours,” she explained.

“Where are your clothes dear?” She looks around for bags.

“I don’t have any,” I say in a whisper.

“Hmm. Well then, we will just have to go shopping tomorrow,” She says with a huge grin on her face.

“How about this? We are going to order some food and I will show you around the floor? Sounds good? What do you want to eat? We can get anything you want,” she looked at me eagerly.

“Oh! I don’t want to be troublesome. I don’t consume much,” I replied nervously.

She walked over and placed her hands on my shoulders. “Bridget, please. You’ve had a long day and I know you haven’t had something to eat. Please, let’s get you some food. “

“I bet I should devour a steak. “ I almost whisper in reply. A beautiful smile spreads throughout her face. “A girl after my very own heart. Let’s get some steaks. You like potatoes, and salad too?” she asked as she pulled out her phone. I nod excitedly. I haven’t had steak in years.

“Hey, Dan! I want to place an order for the Alpha room. Yeah, I need two steaks with those potatoes I like and two plates of salad. That's all. Thanks, Dan you are the best.” She hangs up the phone.

“Ok, so it will be here in a bit. Let’s show you around.”

She grabbed my hand and leads me out of the room and into the hallway.

We head down the hallway again to the elevator. “This here is the gym," She says as she swipes the lock with the key card. It opens and revealed a giant room with extra exercise types of equipment than our pack education facility has.

There are TVs on the walls in front of the treadmills and weight machines. Some of the machines I do not even know what they do.

“You can use this any time you like. This ground is only for the Alpha, however Liam and I occasionally come up here to use it. No one else,” She explained. We walked out into the corridor and moved to the other rooms.

“This is one of my favourites,” she said, stopping in the front of a door as she opens it.

“This is the cinema. We try a get-together during weekends and watch a movie. The guys need leisure time or they’d work themselves to death,” She says with a chuckle. The room has three rows of four seats each facing a huge white screen.

The walls are all draped with darkish fabric making the enormous room dark. We head out again to the hallway.

We walked past a few doors and she tells me they aren’t used for anything yet. Then we stopped in front of a room.

“This is what we’ve referred to as the library," She opened the door of the room and I looked at the bookshelf which is filled with books.

Everything in the room is made out of woods. The bookshelves are darkish wood, the ground is timber with a thick woodland rug. There’s a large wooden table and chairs on one side. There's a small bar on the other side. In the middle are two neat brown leather-based armchairs.

“The boys come here after a long day for a drink. But typically it’s empty,” She explained.

“Oh, the food has just been delivered! Let’s go!” She excitedly grabbed my hand and led me back to the condominium.

When we got there, the food smelt so great that my belly began to growl. Daniella giggled and we take a seat to eat. Everything tastes so good that I’m a bit sad when it is over.

Daniella also had them bring up some wine. I have never tasted the wine but I sipped it tentatively. I know without a doubt that I don't like this very much but Daniella seems to enjoy it.

“You’ll get to love it,” She says to me noticing my distaste for it.

“So Bridget, can I call you Smith?” She asked.

“I’d prefer Bridget.”

She laughed. “Okay, Bridget, tell me what you like to do? Any hobby?” she asked as she stacked our empty plates on top of one another. “Well, I like to paint and draw,” I say shyly.

“That’s lovely. How often do you paint?” She asked.

“Not often. Father wouldn’t let me paint unless he wanted some money. He’d make me paint and sell them as quickly as I was done. I cooked and cleaned back at home. Don’t get me wrong, I love baking too. I’ll cook and clean here too. I’ll do whatever you want. I shouldn’t have said those things about my father. Please don’t tell him,” I start ranting nervously almost panicking.

“Shhh hun, it’s ok,” she says reaching out for my hand.

“You won’t need to do any of that here. And we won’t be telling your father anything. Why don’t we go and watch a movie? Have you ever been to a cinema?” she asked. I shook my head. She just laughed and pours herself another glass of wine before standing up. We head to the cinema.

She asked what I want to watch but I don’t know what to say. So she chose a movie called 'When Harry Met Sally. I loved every bit of it. I could tell Daniella was a bit distracted but the movie really had my attention. I was over happy when she decided to watch one more movie.

She chose another movie called “The Notebook” which I also loved. I must have dozed off though because the next thing I remember is being carried into my room and tucked into bed.

Alpha Jackson’s face is next to mine.

“I will make you scream in pain if it’s the last thing, you and your purple eyes do. “

He hissed in my ear and plunged the blade into my body literally trailing it down. The pain is radiating through my body but I can't make a sound.

Tears are streaming down my face. I started to breathe faintly. “Why won’t you scream!?,” He spat out in anger. He took the blade and runs it across my stomach.

It hurts and it’s pure silver. I screamed and took in a deep breath. He drives the knife in, pain rips through my whole body. But I will not scream... I won’t scream.

.

.

……

*** Bridget P.O.V continues ***

It was so late at night when I woke up with a start. I took a look around the room and I was all alone. I was still scared from that dream that I clutched a pillow and a blanket and then moved into the bathroom.

I flip the light on and lay the blanket down in the bathtub before crawling in. I immediately slept off. When I woke up hours later, I put away the blanket and the pillow.

Then I walked to the kitchen to find a cup of tea. I prepared a cup and grabbed it. Then I grabbed a blanket off the couch and wrap it around myself before walking to the balcony. Everywhere is silent and it makes me like morning.

“Hey Bridget,” I heard a voice from behind. I jump up a little almost spilling my tea.

“Forgive me. It wasn’t my intention to startle you,” He said. He looked like he just finished working out because he is wearing a pair of fitness centre shorts and his stunning body is glistening with sweat. God, Bridget get to hold of yourself.

“Please forgive me. I am used to having a cup of tea before getting ready for breakfast. Forgive me, I’ll go back in," I started a little bit scared. I should have known that this is the time wakes up.

“Bridget, can you please have your seat? We need to talk,” He said and I sat on the chair by my side. No, I am not sure if Daniella delivered my messages to him. I have to do what he expected. Perhaps he’s going to reject me and send me back home. I began to panic and my breath free fainted.

He grabbed my hands, “Breath Bridget, you aren’t in danger. You are safe.” I took in deep breaths and closed my eyes.

“I’m sorry. Please don’t send me back home. I will do anything you want. I’ll cook, I’ll clean. I’ll help you in any way please let me stay. You can reject me if you want but please...”

“Bridget stop!” He cuts me off looking upset. I’m blowing this. “Smith Bridget, you aren't here to cook or clean. You are not a maid. You are my mate.” He grabbed my hand.

“Do you understand what that means?” He asks concerned. I shook my head. He sighed.

“How about I have Daniella provide an explanation for it to you when you are ready? But all you should know is I’m supposed to defend you, not use you.”

“But you paid for me. Don’t you want to. . get your money’s worth,” I whispered the remaining part remembering what my brother said. I looked up at Alpha to see his reaction and I heard a low growl as his eyes start to change colour. I pulled my hands away in shock.

“Bridget I am not like the guys you have met before. I know your father would not have let you go away if I didn’t supply him with something. Please don't ever compare me with those animals.” he said as he stands.

I can hear the anger in his voice. I shrunk into my blanket. I just feel like disappearing. I glanced up and saw his eyes on me. He looked sorry however he just turned away.

“Daniella will be here in an hour. I’m going to my workplace," He says from behind the door leading to the balcony. I just nod however I didn't turn around to look at him.

“Bridget, I’m...,” he trails off not finishing his sentence. I heard him leave. I just sit there until the sun comes up.

Daniella arrived thirty minutes later and came out to see me on the balcony. “Hey hun, I heard about what happened. Are you okay?” she was kneeling in front of me looking up. I nodded.

She laughed, “Good because honey we have some shopping to do.” She grabbed my hand and we head out to the door. We walked down in the elevator and into the foyer.

“ Good morning Beta Winter and Miss Smith,” the bellman in the lobby greeted as he opened the door. “Heading out for the day?”

“Yes, Dan. We are going shopping,” Daniella says with a smile as we get into an expensive-looking SUV.

“Have a nice time at the mall ladies,” Dan waves with a grin. And then we left. The car moved around for a few minutes before pulling up in front of a cute little boutique. A lovely woman with lengthy wavy hair greeted us.

“Welcome beta Daniella,” She said as she locked the door behind us.

“Stacy! This is Bridget, our future Luna. She needs to acquire a new wardrobe,” Daniella said happily as she made her way to the lounge. Stacy led me to an alternating room.

“Go in there, undress and I will seize a few things in your dimension. What measurement are you honey?” Stacy asked.

“Oh! I’m no longer certain. I suppose,” I said nervously. She laughed before leaving me there. I take off my pants and shirt and then stood in front of the mirror wearing only my underwear. I felt very uncomfortable. I can see all the scars that have been left on my body over the years.

“Okay miss, I have numerous choices . . . Oh Miss,” Stacy stopped when she saw my scars.

Daniella walked in and looked astonished. “Oh Bridget, my dear.” Her eyes fall on my scars. I tried to cover them with my hands but my hands even have scars on them so it's of no use. The tears fall silently.

“Bridget, please don't cry. What happened to you, my dear?” Daniella asked as she wiped my tears away. When I didn't respond, she said,” Okay, that is fine, whenever you are ready to speak, I'm here.”

She then changed the subject, “You have such terrific legs that will look good in a lingerie.” She turned to Stacy who nodded and walked to me.

She took my measurement and said, “We will play these up and give you both full-size or quarter-size sleeves. Okay?” She looked at me and Daniella. Daniella nodded and I took in a deep breath before nodding too.

They both leave and Stacy came back with many varieties of clothes for me to choose from. I tried the clothes one after the other.

I have never worn so many extraordinary styles of garments in my entire life. Daniella loved all of them.

“Stacy, we will take them all. It’s time to go to the next store,” Daniella says to Stacy who hurries off to wrap all the dresses.

“Next store? How many stores are we going to?” I asked.

“Well, I had decided on five stores. However, I don’t want you to be exhausted so let's just go to four stores,” She laughed at the horrified look on my face. Four stores!!?

By the time we left the third store, I was very exhausted. Who knew buying would require a lot of energy? We ultimately made it to the final store and I felt like I was going to faint.

“Daniella, will we just keep on shopping?” I asked shyly. Just then my belly decided to join the conversation.

Daniella giggles, “Oh my gosh! We have not even eaten all day. Let’s say we ask them to deliver all the shopping bags home and then we will get dinner.” I nodded.

“Then after dinner, we are going to go home and have a ladies' night, sounds good?” She didn't even wait for me to respond. She told me to select an outfit to change into and then we head to a restaurant that is just down the street.

My belly growls again as we sat down. Daniella and I experienced a top-notch meal together. “Bridget, tell me about your wolf,” Daniella asked at the end of the meal.

“My wolf? Well, her name is Deli and she is beautiful,” I told her.

“When was the last time you shifted?” Daniella asks.

“Oh, I’m . . . I don't...,” I shrugged.

“Bridget, you can tell me,” Daniella takes my hand.

“Well about two years." Daniella gasped at my response.

“When was the last time you spoke to her?” Daniella asked again.

“Um, a year ago I think." I felt so ashamed that I shifted my eyes to the ground as I pulled my hand away from hers.

“Well dear, maybe one day, I’ll be able to meet her.” As she spoke, I can see tears forming in her eyes. We walked back to the pack residence in silence. We made our way up in silence and when we get into the room, Daniella tells me to go bath.

She chose a beautiful nightie for me to change into before leaving the room.

I took bath and walked out of the bathroom to change into the nightie. As I walked out of my room, I saw Alpha William sitting at the table. He looked unhappy. I stared at him quietly.

He is wearing a white shirt, and white pants and his tie is hung loosely around his neck. His dark hair looked dishevelled. His hands resting on his legs with his head down. I cleared my throat and draw his attention. His green eyes bore to mine.

“Bridget please come and sit down with me,” He said and pulled out a chair beside him.

“Bridget, I want to apologize about this morning. I’m now not very good at controlling my anger. And when I think of what those people have done to you, it fills me with complete rage. But I want you to be aware that I’m not mad at you. I just want to show you we are not all the same. In fact, I have a surprise for you,” he said as he pushed a small pack to me.

Inside it was the most beautiful phone I'd ever seen. His hand lingered on mine and he leaned in, brushing his hand on my cheek.

Our eyes linked with each other. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and then lean in even closer so that I can feel his hot breath on my face.

His lips graze mine as his hand slides to my thigh. My breathing quickened as he trails his hand up my leg. His lips press into mine and his other hand held my neck. Oh! he wants me and there is nothing I can do.

But I’m not prepared for this yet. I don’t want this. I want to run away and hide but instead, I just closed my eyes.

When I opened my eyes a few minutes later, Alpha William had his hands on my shoulders with a scared look in his eyes.

“Bridget, are you alright? Your eyes turned crimson and it was like you had been frozen. What happened?” He’s so scared.

“Oh! It happens sometimes. When I get scared or if...” I trailed off not wanting to say what was on my mind.

“If something happens to you...,” he said looking sad.

“Bridget, you have to inform me. Do you experience anything when I come in contact with you?” He is looking into my eyes for something. I shift my eyes to the ground. He sighs and hands me the phone.

“It’s yours to do anything you. I have added my number in case you need anything. I also added Daniella and Liam's numbers too.”

“What about me?” Daniella asks walking into the room.

“I gave Bridget a smartphone and programmed your number in it. Can you please show her how to use it,” he said, turning to Daniella. He looks rejected. Am I rejecting him? He looked at me again and laughed but he’s broken, I can tell.

And it hurts me so much. . . I can feel his pain. Why...? How can I feel his pain?

Daniella dragged me to the couch and searched for something to watch. “Daniella, can you tell me more about the mate bond?” I asked and she stops to stare at me.

“Your mother did not tell you anything about it? Or your father?” she asked. I shook my head.

“Well, the mate bond is precious to all we, wolves. The moon goddess chooses the perfect mate for you. You both share a soul. When you two find each other, it is like being complete. You will be drawn to one another and will be able to feel each other’s feelings too. Your wolves can also communicate and when the bond is complete, they can even discover you,” she explained.

She goes on and tells the story of how she located Liam and how they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. We discussed for a few hours until she plays a movie and I doze off.

A few minutes later, I could feel someone carrying me and then putting me in bed gently.

“Good night, sweetheart,” I heard him say faintly. And that was when he appeared again. His breath smells like sour liquor. He is holding me down, trying to stop me from escaping.

“Oh little mouse, where will you go?” He hissed. “Be a good little sl*t and be still.” I retracted from his touch and he hits me across the face.

He grabbed my throat and squeezed it, literally choking me. If he doesn’t stop squeezing... This is it. I’m going to die. 'Please let me rest in peace,' I thought.

.

.

.

…..

It was very late in the night when I stood up from bed. My whole body was wet and sweaty. My heart was beating so fast I was afraid it would come out of my chest.

This happened once before at night and I will be aware that whoever had a nightmare is Bridget. I can feel her fear from the other room. I got up and go to check up on her.

I found her asleep in the bathtub again. I want to pick her up and put her again into bed however thought against it. I am surprised as to why she spends her night in the tub?

Is this probably the only protected area she knows? I can sense her helplessness. My head flashed back to when I kissed her and she went blank. Her eyes turned purple and her physique went stiff. This is not what I predicted in having a mate would be like. She can not even sense the mate connection

When I realized she was fast asleep, I returned to my room to lay down. I tossed and turned for a few hours before getting up. I got dressed and headed to the gym. I tried to block everything out.

“Alpha, the room has been redecorated like you asked,” Gamma Lucas's mind linked to me. There was a pause before he said,” Alpha, I was wondering if I can come to see her soon?”

“Thank you, Lucas. Give it a few extra days for her to settle down.”

“Yes, Alpha. “

A couple of minutes later, I was pacing around the gym wondering if she has woken up already. I want to show her the new room before going to my workplace.

When I got home, the residence was dark and quiet so I decided to go take a bath and when I finish, I’ll go check up on her. When I finished my morning duties in the bathroom, I got dressed and headed to the kitchen.

That was when I saw her making tea. She stopped upon seeing me.

“Would you like some, Alpha?” She asked.

“Please call me William,” I smiled as I stared at her.

“Would you like some coffee, William?” She smiled.

Mark purred at the back of my mind hearing her say my name for the first time.

“No, thank you. Bridget, I have another surprise for you,” I said as her eyes flick up to mine in excitement.

“Follow me?” I walked to the front door. She appeared to be a little worried but still followed me. We go down the hall and stopped in front of a door.

“Can you guess what is inside this room?” I asked with a cheeky smile. She shook her head.

“Then let’s find out.”

*** Bridget’s P.O.V ***

He opened the door and we walked into the most stunning art gallery I have ever seen.

There is a wall and floor-to-ceiling windows. There are canvases and new paints. There is a drawing desk and a sofa that looked so comfortable. I felt like a youngster holding my favourite candy as I kept on walking from one side of the room to the other.

Everything is perfect. I hear a chuckle drawing my attention back to him. He’s leaning against the wall just observing me.

Then I heard it. A voice I have not heard for a long time. “Mate!,” She growled again at the back of my mind.

*** William P.O.V ***

“Wolf! I can sense her wolf! She has stated she wants us!” Mark growled again in my mind. I am observing her as she looked at all the things in the room.

“Daniella told me you like painting so I had them make this room for you. You can come right here whenever you want and paint anything you like. If there is something else you want, you can go out and get it or ask Dan if he can get anything. Oh and here, take this,” I handed over a credit card to her. She walked over and takes it.

“Feel free to use it for anything you need,” I told her

“Thank you, William,” she said as she looked into my eyes and grazed her hand over mine. Tingles ripple through my hand. I saw her cringe like she can sense it too. But it is long gone as fast as it came and she walked backwards.

*** Bridget P.O.V ***

What was that? Was it static electricity? Maybe it is the mate connection Daniella informed me about.

“Well, I hope you love the lodge. I have to go to the office now. Would you like to have dinner with me tonight,” he questioned hopefully.

“Yes, I’d like that,” I replied with a chuckle. “I’ll see you tonight Bridget.” And with that, he left.

I returned and clutched my coffee before sitting down in my studio... Many ideas and initiatives I’ve wanted to do started filling my mind. Daniella mind linked me to inform me she will be here to help me get ready for my date and see any artwork I’ve made. I began to work and didn’t stop all day.

Then someone knocked, It was Daniella. “Hey, hun! Oh! It’s beautiful in here!” She says as she looked around. “Have you been in here throughout the entire day? It’s like about four pm already,” She said staring at all my work. Then she stops in front of a painting.

“Hun, this is beautiful. What’s this one from?” She asks.

“Oh, that’s Deli, my wolf,” I explained. It’s a painting of an all-white wolf with purple eyes.

“This is your wolf? Hun, she’s beautiful,” Daniella says. I then tell her about hearing from her today, claiming William. She appears very pleased about that.

“Well, we should be ready for your date tonight dear.”

“But you have spent so many hours in here. You need to take a break now,” She said, giggling at my expression as she drags me out of my studio.

She shoves me into the bathroom to bathe as she selects my outfit. I spent plenty of time in the shower trying to get the paint off of me. Then she makes me sit down and starts working on my hair.

Once she finished styling my hair, she applied makeup to my face. Goddess! I can't even recognize myself. After that, I put on the gorgeous dress she chose for me.

She picked a darkish red mini dress with long tight sleeves. It matches the colour she dyed my hair into. She made me wear red blazing heels. Then we heard William calling from the residing room.

*** William P.O.V ***

I pass the corridor around 7 pm and heard Daniella talking to Bridget in her room. I walked to the residing room. I heard Daniella chuckle before the door opened Daniella rushed out. “I bring to you, your dear Bridget Smith.”

That's when Bridget walked wearing a short tight darkish red dress. Her auburn hair flows halfway down her back. She looked stunning and I didn’t feel like taking her anywhere else but my bedroom. I'd prefer to sense her soft palms and skin underneath my palms. I want to bury my face in the croon of her neck. I'd prefer to style her.

“William,” Daniella shouted, bringing me out of my daydream.

“Doesn’t she look nice?” She says as she glared at me.

“Yes of course. You look beautiful Bridget,” I said stepping forward. “Are you ready to go?,” I asked, offering to hold her hand.