Chapter 48
Chapter 48: Lucas
I carried Sutton upstairs and cleaned her up before tucking us into bed for the night. It had been an amazing evening, even with our setback. It actually showed me something important she felt safe with me.
To go from a near panic attack to letting my pleasure her within a short period of time was a big deal. As long as I was focused on her and her needs, she was able to enjoy herself. I knew that was because that bastard ex of hers never allowed her to know how good intimacy could be. But in this case, that worked in my favor. He hadn’t tainted that for her. For us.
It was a good place to start healing from. But I would have to know more about what she went through to help her heal further. Preferably while avoiding her having to suddenly relive past trauma so dramatically.
I was tracing the lines of Sutton’s fingers as she was tucked against me in bed. It wasn’t that late and neither of us was falling asleep quickly.
“Sutton…”
“Hmmm,” she hummed a reply.
“You don’t have to answer, but can I ask what triggered you tonight?” I asked nervously. I felt Sutton tense up. “I’m here, baby. I just want to help make it better. I don’t want…”
“It’s okay,” Sutton interrupted.
She sat up but didn’t turn to look at me. I didn’t push her. I sat up behind her, brushing the back of my hand down her arm to let her know I was here for her.
“I… I wanted to be with you tonight,” she finally said. “I wanted to… to do what we did.”
“Baby, I know that,” I assured her.
There had been no mistaking the determination in her eyes when she was on her knees before me. It was one of the most beautiful and sexiest things I’d ever seen. Rhonen had been beyond excited. Nearly foaming at the mouth to get our hands on her.
“I was…. I liked…” she was stumbling for words but I let her keep searching. She was finding her power. “It was… it was the knot.”
My chest tightened. Rhonen snarled, bearing his teeth as we both had an idea where this was going. I started to think this wasn’t the best idea. I started to doubt how well I would handle this. But I needed to do this for Sutton. I needed to be the one to help her through this.
“Mason… He had taken what he wanted before,” she started to share. “But he never… he always said it wasn’t worth the risk of a half–breed. But then… then there was one time. It was one of the times he had been kind to me. Well, kind for Mason. He had been for a while, actually. A couple of months. So, I wanted to… I tried to enjoy it… to make it different.” She swallowed, turning her head so I couldn’t see her face. “He finished and…” Her hands fisted the sheets but she squared her shoulders, showing her strength. “And said “Thanks. That was adequate but I’ve got better things to do.’ Then he left.”
“What do you mean he left?” I said, my tone eerily calm.
If he had knotted Sutton, there would be no leaving. The knot was intended to lock a male into his mate. The lock could be avoided by pulling out soon enough but if he hadn’t done that, he would have ripped her apart.
“I bled a lot,” she whispered. “The maid found me a few hours later. I… I nearly died that night.”
I was practically shaking with the attempt to contain my rage. I had to push Rhonen so far back that he was nearly lost in my subconscious. The last thing Sutton needed was us going feral in our home again. This was about her.
I shifted across the bed, sliding in behind her. I was afraid she would push me away, but she didn’t. We both needed each other’s touch.
“When?” I asked.
“Um… three years ago,” she said. “Alpha Anders was furious when he found out, but I don’t know why. It’s not like he was any nicer to me or anything. But he wasn’t happy with Mason. He never forced me again after that. The beatings continued but at least that had stopped.”
I slid my arms around her. I didn’t say anything. I wasn’t never one for platitudes and empty apologies. I wouldn’t insult Sutton by starting now. But I would be there for her. She would know that she wasn’t alone and that those things would never happen again.
“I’ve never told anyone before,” she stated. “I never wanted anyone to know. There were whispers around the pack about the beatings. They all knew something was going on. But never that. Only Mason, Alpha Anders, and the pack doctor. No one else.”
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3:21 PM
48
Chapter 48
“Thank you for telling me,” I told her. “I will make it right for you, Sutton.”
She leaned against me, resting her arms over mine as she took a deep breath. I could finally see her face. See the tracks of the silent tears that had fallen. But they were done now. I kissed her temple.
“Can I ask you a question now?” Sutton said.
“Anything, baby.”
“I question everyone’s intentions,” she began. “I question how people see me. To the point that I couldn’t tell you how I truly feel about anyone. Nothing more than surface level at least. I can’t trust anyone enough to know. But you knew. You knew how I feel about you. How? How can you be so confident?”
I chuckled. I wasn’t expecting the question at all, but it was one I could happily answer. Taking her hand, I lifted it, running her fingers over the curve of her neck where it met her shoulders. She gasped. Her brow furrowed as she turned to look at me.
“The mark…. it’s gone.”
I smiled. “Almost,” I said. “The discoloration is still faintly there, but the scarring is gone.”
“But I thought…”
“I told you that bond wasn’t real,” I stated. “If one mate dies or they reject each other, the mark will fade eventually depending on the strength of the bond. It usually takes years. The fact that yours is nearly gone is a testament to how wrong it was to bear it in the first place. And to how strong our bond is already. It wouldn’t fade this fast if you didn’t want me, Sutton.” I hooked a finger under her chin. “Our marks will never fade. Ever.”
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