Chapter 4

Dane

She looked like a deer caught in headlights as I wrote down her measurements. She was even smaller than I''d thought—nothing but skin and bones. If I''d moved my hands up any higher, I would''ve felt every single rib poking out. It made me sick. She should be strong, powerful. Alpha blood ran through her veins, for crying out loud.

I also caught how her face scrunched up when I took her measurements. It wasn''t fear—it was pain. She was definitely hiding something under that baggy maid''s dress.

"I know you want to say something, so just say it. I''m not buying into whatever garbage Trey fed you. You don''t have to wait for permission to speak. You can say whatever you want. Are you hurt?"

"No."

She was lying. I could feel it.

She shook her head like that would somehow make her answer more convincing, and a strand of black hair slipped free from whatever was supposed to be holding it back.

Neah was going to be tough to crack. A lifetime of being starved had made her pretty damn protective of herself. I''d make Trey pay for what he''d done to her.

"You''ve got to talk to me, Neah. I can''t read your mind. When I mark you, at least I''ll know what you''re feeling."

"Mark me?"

I didn''t think her eyes could get any wider.

"Yeah, I''m going to mark you."

She looked completely floored by the idea. Her pink lips parted slightly as she kept staring at me.

I thought she knew. I figured that''s why she''d come so willingly. My Beta kept asking if I was sure I wanted her as my bride. But there was no doubt about it—she had this strange scent, but something was drawing me to her. I couldn''t take my eyes off her when I first saw her. My wolf Aero was going crazy for her too, though he hadn''t said a word about it. Just pissed at me for not bringing her home yesterday.

"You... you brought me here so you could mark me." She stepped back, bumping into the kitchen island. She winced and quickly tried to hide the pain, forcing her face to relax.

"If Trey had bothered reading the contract, he would''ve found out you''re supposed to be my bride, not a slave. He also would''ve seen that if he or his ridiculously stupid mate tried anything else with you, that pack would become mine. Or rather, yours. I never bought you, Neah. You were always meant to be mine."

"I''m a murderer." She gasped. "Why would someone like you want me as a bride?"

''Blood,'' Aero growled, cutting through my thoughts.

I glanced down at her baggy dress. A bloodstain had appeared right where I''d had my hands around her waist.

"What''s that? Are you hurt?" I demanded. I''d barely touched her.

She covered the stain with her hand. "It''s nothing. Just a cut that I keep bumping. It opens up again. I forget it''s there."

Forget? How do you forget about a wound?

''Why isn''t she healing?'' I could feel Aero''s panic. ''She''s been with us less than two hours and she''s already bleeding.'' His need to protect her was overwhelming.

It hadn''t occurred to me that her lack of abilities included not being able to heal. I''d have to find someone who could reverse the binding, and soon.

"Show me."

"It''s fine," she mumbled.

I was already sick of hearing that phrase.

"It''s not optional," I muttered. "If you won''t show me, I''ll have to find a way to look myself."

Her heart skipped a beat. She looked around the kitchen. "Can... can we go somewhere more private?"

"Private?" I didn''t really do privacy. What wolf did?

She nodded but kept her focus slightly off me, almost afraid to look me directly in the eyes.

''Office,'' Aero muttered.

''I was just going to suggest that!'' I snapped back at my wolf. I felt his eyes roll as he retreated to some dark corner of my mind.

"This way." I gestured toward the door.

Neah waited for me and followed closely behind. The scent of blood kept getting stronger—this was way more than just a cut. I already knew that.

In the office, I hit the remote and the blinds started dropping, blocking out the sunlight. Neah hesitated, then slowly began unfastening the buttons of her dress, but only where the large bloodstain was. Keeping everything else covered.

She pulled the dress to one side. The wound was about four inches long and already pretty infected.

"See? It''s fine," she whispered.

"You need to stop saying that."

She closed her mouth and started fastening the buttons again.

"No." I grabbed her hands—I''d caught sight of another bruise. "Let me see the rest of them."

This wasn''t optional.

She gasped as my fingers ripped apart the remaining buttons.

Her sports bra had seen better days, same with her underwear. But it was the bruising I was most worried about. Bruise on top of bruise, scars from whips. Her hip bones and ribs were sticking out too.

I turned her around and pulled the dress off completely. Her back was just as bad. But weirdly, there was nothing above her chest and nothing below her thighs. Her arms were completely clear of wounds too.

There was only one reason someone would do that—either to hide what they were doing, or to keep up appearances. They didn''t want visitors to see. More importantly, they didn''t want me to see, considering this meeting had been arranged over a month ago.

She fumbled with the dress, pulling it tight around her thin frame.

"You need to see a doctor."

"It''s..." she trailed off when she saw the anger on my face. "It always heals. Eventually."

"Did Trey do this?" I muttered through gritted teeth, gesturing at her body.

She looked down.

"Cassandra?"

Still no answer.

"That asshole who follows Trey around? All three of them?"

She pulled her dress tighter and silently nodded, bringing her hand up to brush her cheek, wiping away a tear that had escaped.

"Anyone else?"

"The pack," she whispered.

''I''m going to kill them all,'' Aero growled.

He''d have to get in line.

"Because of what you supposedly did to your parents."

She nodded.

"I don''t believe you were responsible."

She looked up at me, her brow furrowing as her eyes finally met mine. "Because of the wolfsbane in my blood?"