Page 15 of Shades of Scars

“I wouldn’t have given a fuck if they had, anyway.” Caito snorts. He lowers himself until he’s sitting on the floor beside the couch where our omega’s laying. I just barely stop myself from snarking at him that he’s hogging all of her space for himself, but then I note the glint in his eye when he swivels in his spot to face her again.

He’s still under the influence of his alpha and the blood lust. If anyone gets near enough right now, and he believes they pose a threat, he’ll end them on the spot.

Hopefully it ebbs by the time Kars shows up.

Wren isn’t the only one we need to worry about.

Taking careful steps, I move around the sofa until I stop on the other side of the coffee table. It’s hard to believe that this small woman is the other half of my soul. She’s absolutely breathtaking, even in this unconscious state.

She’s dressed in a simple pink sweatshirt ,and soft, cotton black sweatpants with a cute pair of ankle boots. Her shoulder length blonde hair spills out across the throw pillow Caito has positioned underneath her, and the light blue dyed tips bring a small smile to my lips. She’s so damn small compared to all of us. Lark being the exception, but even he has packed on muscles that’ll dwarf our omega in comparison.

She’s everything I didn’t know I’d been missing until this moment. “Fuck.” I breathe, unable to hold it back. So many emotions roil underneath my skin as my eyes continue to track over her.

Both of my pack brothers make noises of agreement without voicing any words. Then, Wren speaks. “We need to talk about what this means before she wakes up.”

“Lark should be here before that happens.” I warn, already knowing the clusterfuck it’ll cause if we have any discussion about our omega without him. We don’t make pack decisions without all of us present.

“He already knows about my suspicions,” Caito mumbles, and leans closer to her, scenting her slightly exposed neck without laying a hand on her. Judging by the way his shoulders tighten, I can tell he doesn’t like what he discovers.

“I smelled it on her too when you brought her in a bit ago.” Wren confirms, and I’m glad I already know what the hell they’re talking about, otherwise it would’ve incensed me more. “It’s floral and too sickly sweet to be hers.”

Caito dips his head, his entire body starting to tremble with the force to hold back his building fury. “I need to see it.” He growls, but then we hear the front door open again before he can reach for her.

A few heart beats later, Lark stalks in with Kars trailing behind him, his medical bag slung over one shoulder and a hard set to his jaw. “Which one of you is it?” He demands without any preamble. When his eyes roam over us and meet mine for a brief second, I bare my teeth at him in a soundless snarl.

He jerks his attention away from me quickly, and then his eyes land on our omega. His entire body goes stiff and he blinks at her in confusion. He’s lucky he’s a fucking beta, otherwise I think I’d have to kill him for the way he’s looking at her.

Fuck, I still might do just that. Or, at the very least, pluck out his eyes.

Wisely, he rips his stunned gaze away from her and makes eye contact with Wren. “What’s going on here?” He’s slightly less demanding, and that irritates the hell out of me. He knows not to step on Wren’s toes since he’s the piggy bank behind his little clinic. He doesn’t show any of the rest of the kind of respect we deserve.

I’ll make him regret it if he doesn’t do his fucking job in the next ten seconds.

“This is our scent matched omega. She was ambushed by two alphas a little bit ago.” It’s the only explanation Kars needs.

His face pales, but he quickly shakes it off as he moves to Caito still sitting beside the couch. At the beta’s approach, he lets out a soft growl of warning, but he doesn’t lunge for him when he lowers himself down to a crouched position.

He studies her for a moment with clinical detachment, not moving a single muscle. Then he swallows. Hard. “I need the sweat shirt off. I can’t properly assess injuries with so much fabric in the way.”

All four of us stiffen at that, both Caito and Wren letting out low rumbles of irritation. I know it’s a logical request, but I still don’t have to fucking like it. My fingers twitch with the sudden urge to rip the beta’s head off. Fortunately for him, I refrain.

“I’ll do it.” Lark steps forward. As a physical therapist, he’s certainly better equipped to do so. If she has any broken bones, his expertise will come in handy. I relax when Kars moves out of the way to make room for Lark.

With tender gentleness, Lark pulls at the sleeves of the baggy sweatshirt. “Help me sit her up so I can pull it over her head.” He directs Caito, who’s the closest. Together, they manage to slip the garment up and over her head without jostling her too much.

Our worst fears are confirmed when they settle her back against the pillow beneath her. My eyes narrow in on the mark that scars the pale skin of her shoulder. The skin over it is mottled in a way I recognize all too well.

It also tells me a lot. Not only is she hiding an active bond mark, but she’s tried to cover it up in the only way she knows how: by burning it.

Caito snarls, and Wren bellows a curse as he turns away from the horrific scene in front of us. Lark makes a low rumbling noise in his chest before he steps back so Kars can take his place again.

I’m fucking frozen when Kars gets his first glimpse at what has us all collectively losing our shit. He chokes on a shocked gasp. “What the hell is this?” He goes to take a step back, but I move incredibly fast.

I clamp my hand down on his shoulder, already predicting his next move. “Do your fucking job and examine her for injuries. That is the only thing you need to concern yourself with, lest you forget who you owe everything to.” I lean in close to growl in his ear, and he goes rigid under my touch.

“If you’ve bonded her against her will-”

Caito snarls as he rises to his feet, all that pent up fury bubbling to the surface and spilling over in the way that makes the beta still clutched in my grasp flinch. “It would be wise of you not to continue down that road of questioning, beta. Now use your fucking brains and do as you are told.” His voice is barely restrained violence, his alpha riding him hard to put this asshole in his place for even suggesting we’re responsible for the scars on her body.

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