Page 31 of Claimed By the King's Gamma

”I didn’t mean to upset you, Abbie,” I say softly.

“You should’ve told me it was see-through,” she snaps, her hands fumbling with the buttons.

“Where did the scars come from?”I ask, ignoring her frustration.

“Same place the rest did.The orphanage,” she replies curtly, her tone shutting me down.

“They look like claw marks,” I say, reaching for the bag to grab my own clothes.I shift back quickly and pull on my shirt, keeping my chest hidden.As I put on my shorts, I turn back to see her finishing the last few buttons on her dress.

“We should head back,” she says, scooping up the rest of her things.

Her mood has shifted completely.I don’t understand why she’s so upset about the bra—it’s not like I haven’t seen scars before.Her silence bothers me as much as the tension in her shoulders.

As she ties her hair into a bun, I notice a scar on the back of her neck, partially hidden beneath her hair.It runs across her neck and behind her ear.Reaching out, I trace it with my finger, and she jerks away.

“Ivy has a similar scar,” I mutter, mostly to myself.“It’s on the opposite side, though.”

Abbie touches the back of her neck self-consciously, avoiding my gaze.She grabs the bag and slings it over her shoulder, but I take it from her.

“What did I do?Why are you in such a rush?”I ask, gripping her hand.She pulls away, her gaze distant, as if she’s looking right through me.

“Abbie?”I prompt, trying to get her attention.

She blinks, snapping out of whatever thought she was trapped in.

”What do you want with me?”she asks, her voice robotic, devoid of emotion.

“Pardon?”I ask, confused and she seems to realize what she said.

“Never mind.We should head back,” she says, walking off before I can press further.

“Abbie, what do you mean?”I ask, catching up to her.

I grab her arm, jerking her to stop.She sighs but I can tell she is not only humiliated by something but on the verge of crying.“Your intentions,” she says flatly.“Everyone wants something.Everyone takes something.So what do you want?Why are you always being nice and why are you hanging out with a servant?”

Her words hit me like a punch.She doesn’t even look at me as she speaks, but I notice the way her nose twitches, subtly sniffing the air as if preparing to run.

“I just like hanging out with you.Why is that so bad?”I ask.

“Because you’re a man.You’re a Lycan.And I’m a servant.A rogue,” she replies, scanning the trees until she finds the track and starts following it.

“I don’t want anything from you, Abbie,” I tell her honestly.

She glances over her shoulder at me.

“Tell me—where the scars come from?Why do you and Ivy have matching ones?”

Her hand instinctively touches her neck.“More than my life,” she murmurs.

“What does that mean?”I ask.

“It means exactly that,” she says, brushing past me and walking ahead when I try to move in front of her.

The rest of the walk back is filled with tense silence.Her mood weighs heavily on me, and I can’t figure out what I’ve done to upset her.The moment the castle comes into view, she rushes ahead.

“Abbie!”I call after her.

“I have chores to do,” she calls back, her voice sharp.

That’s a lie.I cleared her afternoon with Clarice.Frowning, I follow her scent back to the stairs and see her slip into her room, shutting the door firmly behind her.

I stare at the door for a moment, debating whether to knock, when Damian’s voice echoes through the mind link.“Gannon, I need you in the king’s office.”

“I’ll be right there,” I reply with a groan, turning away from Abbie’s door.Whatever’s going on, I’ll have to speak to her when I get back from the trip.

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