Page 88 of Shades of Scars

He disappears for a minute or two before he returns with the little dark haired omega by his side, though I note she does keep her distance from him by a good three or four feet. She sits in a seat on the other side of the bed from where I am, but her eyes are only for my little omega in her bed.

Kate is quiet for several minutes before she asks, “Have there been any changes?” She knows the answer, yet she feels the need to voice the question, anyway. I get it in a way. That need to feel like you’re doing something.

“The doctor just says she needs rest. We aren’t rushing anything.” A single tear escapes the corner of her eye, but that’s the only sign she’s even affected by the picture of her best friend’s broken body hooked up to half a dozen different machines.

A muscle in Warrick’s jaw ticks at the sight of the bead of moisture slipping down her cheek, and a fist clenches at his side like he’s physically holding himself back from reaching out to swipe it away. I almost smirk at him when our eyes meet for a brief second, but I think better of it.

I know exactly what it feels like to be around my scent matched omega when she wants nothing to do with me.

Another several minutes pass in silence. “She protected me, you know? Did everything she could to keep that monster’s attention off of me. She made me promise to keep my mouth shut while he made me watch.” My teeth clench at her words, but I keep my own mouth sealed. I didn’t want to be an asshole to Scarlett’s friend. Not after everything we’ve all been through.

But I absolutely fucking hate listening to the things my omega had to endure while we’d been struggling to find her.

“Our pack owes her a life debt.” War’s words are gentle as he speaks to his omega, but Kate’s shoulders tense at the sound of his voice. I watch her face tighten, an emotion I can’t quite place flashing across her features, and gone too soon for me to read.

“She deserves the world.” The fiery little omega says this as she lifts her eyes to me for the first time since she stepped into the room. I admire her bravery.

“She will receive nothing less than that, and so much more.”

We lapse into silence again after that. Kate eventually reaches over to grasp Scarlett’s limp hand, and she gives it a gentle squeeze. She stands and leans over my omega, brushing her lips against the top of her head, murmuring something too soft to her for me to hear.

Kate doesn’t say another word to me before she marches stiffly back out of the room. War hesitates, studying me for a silent moment, before he dips his chin to me and follows after her, shutting the door softly behind him.

Then, I am alone again with my omega and all of my pent up fury.

The minutes tick by where I just watch the rise and fall of her chest and listen to the steady beat of her pulse on the machine. Before I know it, Lark is wheeling Apollo into the room, and I finally perk up. I haven’t been by to see him since we’d gotten back with Scarlett, but I know he understands my reasoning.

He looks a hell of a lot better than he did the day we left on our rescue mission. He has a hospital gown on with the front open, exposing the white bandages wound tight around his chest and over his shoulders to secure it in place. Lark pushes the wheelchair right up to the side of Scarlett’s bed, and as soon as our pack brother reaches out to grasp our omega’s hand, something miraculous happens.

Those beautiful hazel eyes pop wide open, and I take my first real breath of air in five excruciating days.

58

Scarlett

Iwake for the scent ofhim. My alpha. The one I thought I’d lost. My brain is foggy, but as soon as my eyes connect with his, a soul wrenching sob bursts free from me. It’s dry and it hurts like hell, but I can’t help it.

Pain flickers across his features, and he grips my hand tight in his, leaning forward as much as the wheelchair will allow. “My love.” He breathes, moisture glistening in his eyes when he presses a tender kiss to my bruised knuckles, even with my fingers wrapped in a huge bandage binding them together.

I can’t speak yet, but my tears only pick up at the sound of his voice. I’m vaguely aware of the other familiar scents swirling in the air around me, just as comforting as his, but I don’t take my eyes off of him.

I open my mouth to say something,anything, but my throat cracks when I try, which only makes me cry harder. I have so much I need to say to him—things I never thought I’d get the chance to voice aloud.

“It’s alright, my love. You might not be able to speak for a little bit. They just took out your breathing tube yesterday.” I blink at Apollo before finally tearing my eyes away from him to get a good look around. I’m in a hospital room, as expected. The last events before I’d succumbed to unconsciousness are slowly starting to trickle back in through the fog.

My gaze collides with Lark’s, and when he smiles at me, my soul sings. He has his phone pressed to his ear, and then he says, “She’s awake, get down here as soon as you can.” He hangs up after that and then moves to stand beside Apollo. I close my eyes when he leans over to brush his lips against my temple, his fingers tender as they push back some of the tangled mess of hair out of my eyes.

“I am so happy to see those beautiful eyes again, Dream girl.” He murmurs against my skin, kissing away a few tears that continue to escape down my cheeks.

Eventually, he pulls back, and my eyes find Caito hovering nearby, a Styrofoam cup with a straw clutched in his hand. “Maybe some water will help,mo chroí?” He steps forward, bringing the straw to my lips. As soon as the cool liquid touches my parched tongue and throat, I instantly feel better. I drink until the cup is empty and Caito pulls back.

It takes several attempts to get my vocal chords to work enough to rasp, “How long have I been here?”

“Five days.” Caito responds, and I take note of the hollowness to his words. Dark shadows paint the undersides of all three alpha’s eyes, and I can’t help but to feel guilty about that. I shouldn’t. I know it’s irrational, but I can’t help it.

“What happened?”

Lark exchanges a look with Caito before he opens his mouth to speak. “It took us nearly three days to uncover Erossi’s scrambled tracks. When we got a location on you, we moved in fast. Found the asshole in the basement of the building he’d been holding you and Kate in trying to slow us down. Unfortunately for him, he’d been too late. Fraser already had eyes on the other two trying to smuggle you two out on the roof. Wren gave the order to take them out before Harlan could alert them somehow that we’d caught him. We couldn’t risk them taking you anywhere else.”

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