Page 14 of Shades of Scars

He presses a button on the visor, and the door lifts, before he drives forward into the darkness. I realize a second later, when he parks between half a dozen other fancy vehicles, that it’s some sort of underground parking garage.

He puts the car in park before he twists to face me in the seat. This close to him, I finally allow myself to succumb to his scent swirling in the enclosed space around us. My body reacts to it instantly, until I find myself leaning towards him, my lips parting for my tongue to dart out and lick my too-chapped lips. He smells so damn good. Like a thin mint cookie.

It makes my mouth water thinking about whether or not he’ll taste as good as he smells.

My scent spikes, rising with his to mingle, making a unique combination. His pupils dilate and his nostrils flare. He lets out a ragged groan that shoots straight to my clit. Fuck, I want him to kiss me, but I’m terrified.

Thankfully—or not, depending on how you look at it—he leans back away from me, hand reaching for the door handle to push it open. I try not to get offended when he practically spills out to get away from me.

My disappointment is short-lived. He’s quick to round the car to open my door for me and help me out. My head pulses when he pulls me up, and I let out a soft cry, unaware I’d let him pull me by the arm of my injured shoulder.

He growls, and my world dims as his arms encircle me. The last thing I remember, before my world plunges into darkness, is the sound of my name ripping from his throat, raw and filled with terror.

9

Apollo

Shouting from downstairs filters in underneath my closed door, making the piece of charcoal clenched between my fingers pause over the canvas I’m working on. It’s quickly followed by a loud crash and an angry roar, which immediately has my hackles rising.

I jump to my feet, and in three long strides, I wrench my door open, letting in the riot of noise and chaos happening on the main level of our penthouse.

I’m at the bottom of the stairs and stalking towards the commotion coming from our living room set up past the kitchen in the blink of an eye. Adrenaline is already coursing through my veins at the possibility of violence. The peace I usually find when sketching has been shattered, and now I’m itching for a fight.

And something clearly has my pack brothers in an uproar.

“Get Kars on the phone, now!” I register Wren’s snarling voice first before I round the corner of the archway leading into the living room, but I freeze the moment the scene comes fully into focus.

Lark scrambles for his phone laying on the coffee table, and Wren is pacing back and forth in front of the large sofa where Caito’s hunched over someone else laid out on the couch. I takea few more steps closer to the sofa, and finally Wren and Caito look up.

Caito steps back, a low growl emanating from him just as a scent bowls into me, nearly bringing me to my knees. Spiced jasmine and the tart tang of citrus hangs heaviest near the sofa, and when I peer over the back of it, I spy the source.

“What the fuck have you done?” My tone’s deadly calm, but I can feel the fury rising up in me like an approaching tidal wave. My omega is unconscious on our couch, her head lolling to the side. I can smell the lingering bits of pain in her scent, even in her current state.

“Calm down, Apollo!” Wren barks, the sound booming out into the space around us, but it’s not even enough to make her so much as stir.

I narrow my eyes at my pack lead. “Don’t you fucking dare tell me what to do-”

“Enough. She was heading toRavenwhen some asshole alphas caught her scent. It’s my fucking fault they even got their hands on her. I was taking a call when she slipped out of her apartment and didn’t even realize she left until minutes later.” Caito’s absolutely livid, but he holds his hands up to me in a placating gesture, as if he can sense the darkness lurking beneath my skin, threatening to consume me and send me into a homicidal rage.

My eyes shift to my omega when she makes a soft noise in her current unconscious state, and I watch her beautiful face contort in pain a little when she shifts slightly. “Kars is on his way. Ten minutes tops. I’ll head down to bring him up as soon as he gets here.” Larks words slice through me like a hot blade, and I stiffen.

“Where is she injured?” I snarl, my hands clenching into fists to stop myself from throwing my pack brothers out of the way so I can get to her. Parker Kars is our pack doctor, for lack ofa better term. He does a lot of unsavory work for us under the table, and in exchange, we bankroll a clinic for him on the south end of the Parkway. It’s a trade off situation, and I’m not sure it’s the appropriate call to bring him here.

If my omega is injured, I don’t want some back alley hood doctor putting his hands anywhere near her.

As if Wren can read my mind, he growls, “Kars is the best we have at the moment. We haven’t vetted any other doctors in the city as well as him. My inner alpha will not allow a stranger anywhere near her right now.” My teeth grind together so hard, I’m afraid they’ll shatter from the force, but the fucker has a point.

Better the devil you know, and all that shit.

“Tell me youdispatchedthe motherfuckers that did this.”

Caito nods. “Unfortunately, there was little time for the torture I would’ve really liked to inflict on them.”

“They’re dead?” Wren’s tone isn’t accusatory.

“Yes. I’m sure we’ll be getting visitors soon. I’m sure there were plenty of witnesses around. I didn’t have time to remove their bodies. She was hurt.”

Wren shrugs. “This city may be a cesspool of rejects and loners, but they still have strict laws regarding omegas and their safety. When they learn she’s our scent match, you won’t be at fault for ending them.”

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