Page 49

The closer we get to her apartment, the more her anxiety fills the car. Her honey scent becomes almost acrid with fear, making my wolf howl in protest. My hands tighten on the steering wheel until I hear the leather creak under my grip.

“I’ll be with you the entire time,” I tell her, needing to reassure both her and myself. “Justin isn’t going anywhere near you. It’s never going to happen with me there.”

She looks over at me, those beautiful hazel eyes wide with uncertainty.

“I think it might be better if I go alone,” she says.

“Absolutely not,” I growl, and she looks mildly startled. “I’m not letting you face him by yourself, Mia. That’s non-negotiable. But why him? And why did you stay with him for so long?”

The morning sun catches in her chestnut hair, highlighting strands of gold that make my fingers itch to run through them. She’s quiet for so long that I think she might not answer, but then she sighs defeatedly, making my chest ache for her.

“I just wanted to get away,” she finally says. “My adoptive parents were... strict. Controlling. Justin was just a way out at first.”

“Do you know your birth family?”

She pauses, picking at a loose thread on her sweater. “I never knew my real family. They gave me up when I was a baby.”

The ache in her voice slices through me. My omega, abandoned and alone for so long. My hands flex on the wheel, imagining how different her life could have been if I’d found her sooner.

“By the time I realized what Justin was really like, I didn’tknow how to leave,” she continues. “I didn’t have anywhere to go.”

Her voice breaks on the last word, and then she’s sobbing into a napkin she grabbed from the glove compartment. Each gasping breath tears at something primal inside me.

“Shh, it’s okay.”

“I’m sorry,” she chokes out between sobs. “I don’t know why I’m crying when he’s been nothing but horrible to me.”

It would be so easy to tell her now.

To explain that she’s an omega, that she belongs with me, Jace, and Kane. That she’ll never be alone again because she has a pack now- alphas who would tear the world apart to keep her safe. That we’re waiting for the marking ritual to make her ours forever.

I reach over and place my hand on her thigh, squeezing gently. Her skin is warm through the thin fabric of her leggings, and the contact sends a spark of possessiveness through me.

“Don’t apologize,” I tell her firmly. “Not for anything.”

She sniffles, lowering the napkin to look at me with eyes still swimming with tears.

I park the car in front of her apartment building, a run-down complex that makes my lip curl in disgust. My omega deserves so much better than this place. I turn to look at her fully for the first time since we got in the car.

She’s so beautiful it hurts, even with reddened eyes and tear-stained cheeks. The bond I already feel to her tugs painfully in my chest. This broken omega in my car is mine to protect, mine to heal, mine to cherish. The thought of what that bastard has done to dim her light makes me want to tear his throat out with my teeth.

“Are you ready?” I ask, even though I’d rather take her far away from here and never look back.

She nods, wiping away the last of her tears with acrumpled napkin. She doesn’t protest when I get out and come around to open her door. As I walk beside her to the apartment, we’re close enough that our arms brush with each step.

When we reach her door, she hesitates. “Maybe you should wait out here.”

“Not a chance,” I reply, shaking my head.

She takes a deep breath, unlocks the door, and steps inside, with me right behind her. The apartment is a mess, with empty beer cans, food containers, and dirty clothes scattered everywhere. The stench of unwashed male and stale beer makes my nose wrinkle in disgust.

Justin is sprawled on the couch, controller in hand, staring at the TV screen. He doesn’t even look up when the door opens. He doesn’t see me standing behind Mia.

“About fucking time you got home Mia,” he snaps. “Did you bring any food? And who the fuck did you spend the night with?”

Before Mia can respond, a growl rips from my throat. Justin’s head jerks up, and his eyes widen when he sees me in his home.

“She’s never bringing you anymore fucking food,” I snarl, stepping forward to position myself in front of her. “She’s leaving, and this is the last time she’ll ever see your pathetic face.”