But Skyla doesn’t snap or roll her eyes. She smiles and says, “I’m good.”
I know she’s lying. She has to be. Still, she’s kind enough to spare me the truth.
“Alright.” I look her over, head to toe, and my eyes zero in on her neck. She still has the bandage on. But it’s peeling up at the edge. “Uh—wait.” I gesture vaguely. “It’s coming loose.”
Skyla combs her hair forward with her fingers, then sweeps it all to one side, baring her throat so I can see.
The bandage is barely clinging on. When I reach to peel it back, it falls away almost instantly, like the tape’s lost all its stick.
“Does it look…bad?” Skyla asks, but I don't know what to say.
The wound is ugly—jagged and uneven. The skin around it puffed and hot-looking. The bruise has faded to yellow at the edges, but the center is still an angry, wet red, like it refuses to heal. Infection, maybe. A week old, if I had to guess.
I squint, trying to figure out what could cause this. An accident maybe, or maybe she was attacked by an animal? But then I see it—the crescent curve.Teeth.
My gut goes cold.
This isn’t some random wound. It’s a mating bite.
A fucked up, violent one.
No alpha should ever mark an omega like this. It looks brutal and cruel, like whoever did it wanted to abuse her instead of bond with her. My stomach twists, bile pressing up the back of my throat.
I can’t stop staring at it, can’t stop thinking about how much it must’ve hurt. And the worst part? How normal she looks carrying it—like she’s used to pain like this.
“That bad. Uh?” Skyla ducks her chin, like she knows exactly what I’m thinking. Embarrassment rolls off her, thick as smoke.
I swallow hard, trying not to let my horror show. “It’s okay. Let’s show this to Knox.”
The second his name leaves my mouth, Skyla jolts. “No!” Panic flashes in her eyes as she scrambles to cover the mark with her hand. “Please don’t—don’t tell anyone. I’m fine, really. It’s fine.” Her voice begins to shake. “I really don’t want to bother anyone with it.” She forces a smile like she’s hoping it will somehow convince me she’s fine.
And I feel like shit.
She’s begging me for something so small—a little secret—but I can’t give it to her.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, guilt burning hot in my throat. “But Knox needs to see this.” My gaze flickers to her wound. “You should probably see a doctor.”
I reach up, just to tug the hoodie away from her wound, and she flinches so hard her whole body rears back—like she thinks I’m about to hit her.
Her reaction knocks the air out of me, and something inside cracks wide open. I’m flooded with a mix of fury and grief so sharp I can barely see straight.Who the hell made her react this way to a simple touch?
I want to punch the asshole who made her react this way.
But she’s right here, watching me, and I can’t let her feel even a flicker of my rage. It’ll only scare her more. So I swallow hard and force my hands to be gentle. Then I take hers carefully, folding them in mine, like I can shield her with the warmth of my palms.
“Hey,” I murmur, rough around the edges but steady. “You don’t have to be scared anymore. Not with us. We’ll show Knox your neck once we get home, and he’ll make it all better.” I lean down, looking deep into her eyes. “You’re safe now. I swear. You’ll never be hurt again.”
Skyla gives me a smile, small and sad, like she wants to believe me. But there’s so much doubt in her eyes. It makes me wonder if she’s heard these kinds of promises before.
The thought makes my chest ache so badly I can barely breathe. I want to grab hold of her pain, take it out of her, smash it to pieces so it can never touch her again.
But all I can do is hold on tighter, hoping she feels how much I mean it.
Outside
Skyla
“You’re safe now,”Dakota says with the most earnest look on his face. “I swear. You’ll never be hurt again.”
