Painted Scars

DAISY

Claire decided to tag along as I made my rounds, checking on the injured who were mostly sleeping.

As we moved from one room to another, ensuring everyone was okay, Claire asked, “Did anyone fill you in on what happened when you blacked out in Shade’s arms?”

I glanced at her as I shut the door to the sixth patient we’d visited. “They mentioned Shade managed to finish them off.”

Claire looked at me seriously. “It wasn’t just your healing that did the trick, though.”

We headed towards Kaylon’s room.

“For some reason, Shade fought like he never had before. Zack told me about it later. He was too hurt to fight, but he saw what Shade did.”

She looked at me. “He was carrying you on his shoulder as he practically painted a path with the Hunters’ blood, tearing them apart, one by one.”

She paused and looked at me thoughtfully. “Zack said he’d never seen Shade look so murderous before, and it wasn’t just the ruthlessness in him.”

Knowing where she was going with this, and seeing no point in denying it, I stopped right outside Kaylon’s door. “We’re mates.”

Claire gasped. “I knew it.”

I shrugged. “He doesn’t want a mate, though. He especially doesn’t want me as a mate.”

I gave her a half-smile, pretending it didn’t bother me. “Honestly, he’s never been on my radar. I think fate is having a laugh at our expense.”

Claire looked like she wanted to say something, but then closed her mouth. I shrugged again and opened the door.

Inside, Kaylon was sound asleep, his injured arm almost completely healed. His legs, however, needed more time.

Once I finished the checkup, I stepped back into the hallway and leaned against the wall, feeling a fresh wave of exhaustion. It had been a long day.

Claire stayed silent as I took a moment to rest. When I finally looked at her, her eyes were filled with sympathy and understanding.

I frowned. “Don’t pity me.”

“I’m not pitying you,” she quickly reassured me, “I’m just thinking that my situation with Zack was similar to yours in the beginning.”

I frowned deeper. “Don’t compare Shade and me to you and Zack, please. It’s not the same.”

She gave me another long look before she smiled faintly. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Deciding it was time to change the subject, I asked, “Speaking of which, how are you and Zack? Still figuring things out?”

They had only been mates for a couple of weeks and were still finding their footing together.

Some mated pairs decided to take things slow, while others decided to throw a Mating Ceremony and get hitched as soon as possible.

Zack and Claire fell into the former category, due to their unique circumstances regarding the mating process.

“Yeah, things are good.” Claire smiled tentatively as we headed for the exit of the infirmary, into the residential part of the Pack House.

“We’re still working on some issues, but ever since we addressed what was really wrong with both of us, things are going much smoother,” she added.

“I’m glad to hear that,” I told her, then chuckled. “How did dinner with Zavier and Sophia go last night?”

I’d forgotten to ask because of recent events, but last night Zack had taken Claire to dinner with his younger sister and older brother, and I’d been curious about how it had gone.

Claire made a face. “I love Zack and all, but his sister is a nightmare. She’s such a bitch.”

She frowned. “And Zavier is so strange. He enjoys arguing with Zack but treats me like I’m some fresh meat he can charm, despite the fact that I’m his brother’s mate.

She sighed. “And he treats Sophia like she’s a lesser werewolf, just because she’s female, nineteen, and not dominant enough for his taste.”

“Zavier is a jerk,” I informed her, “don’t expect much from him. He’s the most sexist man on Earth. And believe me, that’s a hard title to earn. As for Sophia…”

I felt sad just thinking about the girl. “She’s a piece of work, no doubt.”

I’d never been fond of the Greysons, but my dislike for Sophia was the strongest out of all the Greyson siblings.

She acted like a snobby, spoiled brat—she thought she was brave by warning Eve before she mated with Raphael. She’d even tried to flirt with Gabe.

But she was just being foolish. She was aiming way above her league, and I found myself constantly annoyed with her.

That annoyance was amplified now, probably because I’d heard her just a few days ago—claiming that she was going to be the one to break through Shade’s cold exterior.

Forget the fact that he was apparently my mate, but how naive could she be?

Even if he hadn’t been my mate, I wouldn’t have even considered trying to get under that particular werewolf’s skin.

Because something dark and dangerous lurked beneath Shade’s exterior. Something I didn’t want to uncover.

He didn’t just give off those sexy, brooding-bad-boy-danger vibes—his aura was of someone deeply scarred in his soul.

So much so that maybe there was no redemption for him.

And he was my mate. Lucky me.

“How did you only realize he’s your mate just now?” Claire suddenly asked as we stopped before the door to my room.

“I mean, you’ve known each other for a few years, whether directly or not, and I imagine you’ve made eye contact before. So why now?” she asked.

I didn’t want to answer, but there was no harm in explaining.

“There’s a certain look, a certain way of locking eyes that tells you he’s your mate,” I explained to her. “It’s all about the angle, the way you both look at each other, like no one else exists.”

“Most mates stumble upon each other by chance, drawn by some inexplicable force that compels them to meet each other’s gaze,” I went on. “But there are those rare instances where mates have to find each other on their own, without any help from destiny.”

This wasn’t common knowledge, but as a healer, it was part of what I’d learned.

“In my case, Shade didn’t want to find his mate. He was so against it that destiny mostly left him alone. I wasn’t exactly on the hunt for a mate either, so destiny didn’t push me.”

I let out a sigh. “Then, on the battlefield, after I saved his life, we ended up in a rather... compromising position. We were so close that when our eyes met, the truth hit us both like a lightning bolt.”

Claire’s brow furrowed. “I think I get it. That’s why, back in Houston, when Zack was giving his speech at that mating ceremony, he felt this urge to look over at me. And when our eyes met, he felt the connection.”

“But you didn’t, because of your extremely rare case of dual-revival,” I finished for her.

“Every pair of mates has their own unique way of finding each other,” I continued. “Sienna Mercer—the mate of the East Coast Pack’s alpha—once told me about her friend, Mia, and her mate, Harry. They’d been best friends for years before they recognized each other.”

I paused. “I think that happened because they’d been friends for so long that they suppressed their mating pull, never imagining it could be each other, until one day their eyes met at just the right angle.”

“That’s so strange,” Claire murmured, “but it kind of makes sense, in a strange sort of way.”

I laughed. “Yeah, well, remind me to explain how my healing powers work someday, and your mind will be totally blown.”

“Wait until I tell you all about necromancy, then we’ll see.” She gave me a wry smile, then glanced at her watch.

“I should get going,” she said. “It’s three o’clock. You’ll probably have a busy day tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” I replied, sighing. “Can’t wait.”

She gave me a hug. “Good night, Daisy.”

“Night,” I responded, and she left. Finally alone, I let out a loud sigh and walked into my room.

Which was not empty.

“What are you doing here, Gabe?” I asked, stopping in the doorway. He was sitting on the bed, looking up at me with eyes turning golden.

He didn’t say anything, just got up and moved closer. Suddenly, my stomach flipped and my heart started racing.

I backed away from him, but before I could blink, he was towering over me, the door closed behind me.

He trapped me between his arms and the door, his expression a mix of hunger and anger.

My stomach plummeted. “Gabe,” I said, my voice quiet but firm, “get out of my room.”

“No,” he replied, his voice gruff. “I’m going to show you what it feels like to make a fool out of me in front of everyone.”

My jaw clenched. “And how are you going to do that? By raping me?”

His eyes flared. “You want it. You know you do.”

Was he out of his mind? How deluded could he possibly be?

“Last season, I told you that I didn’t want anything more to happen between us,” I said.

Having him as a lover back then had been a mistake, one I still regretted. Because look where it had led me. “We were lovers. We’re not anymore.”

He growled. “You don’t get to decide.”

I let my own wolf surface at that absurd statement. “You can’t force me into a relationship with you. Besides, you lost your chance.”

He froze, then lowered his head until it was inches from mine. “Lost my chance?” he asked, a warning in his voice.

His hand suddenly tangled in my hair. “I haven’t lost my chance yet, baby. You’re going to be mine again, and this time I’m not letting you go.”

It was official. Gabriel was a jerk.

“I found my mate, you know,” I told him, holding his gaze with an unyielding stare. “You never stood a chance. I have a mate now.”

“And who’s that mate? Shade?” The scorn in his voice made me wince involuntarily.

“You really think someone like him is right for a gentle soul like you? You really think he’d want you, just a healer? He needs someone like Eve, or Claire, to take care of him. He doesn’t need you,” he said.

Anger surged from both my wolf and me. “The fact remains that he’s my mate,” I said through gritted teeth.

I realized I was shaking, my hands curling into fists. “Not Eve, not Claire, not anyone else. It’s me. And I’m not yours.”

A growl ripped from him. He suddenly pulled away and punched the wall next to me.

“Why does it always have to be Shade?!” he roared, losing control.

“Why did Raphael choose him and not me? Why did he get you as his mate? Why does he always take everything from me? And why the hell does everyone think so highly of him when he’s just a piece of trash?!” he bellowed.

My wolf wanted to attack him. It didn’t matter that my human side was stunned by the realization that Gabe was jealous of Shade—and for the most ridiculous reasons.

My wolf saw him as a threat, both to me and to my mate.

So I decided to let go of reason, and let a bit of her out.

My nails grew, turning into claws. In a flash, I had one very sharp claw against Gabe’s throat.

“Leave,” I growled, my voice echoing the wolf within me. My eyes flashed a frosty blue. ~“And never speak about my mate that way again.”~

Gabe looked shocked, unable to believe that I—Daisy Luxford, the head healer and one of the kindest souls he knew—had actually shown my wild side.

But that was the thing about finding your mate—your true self got a little twisted.

Seeing the deadly seriousness in my eyes, Gabe shot me a hateful look that was probably meant for Shade, spat on the floor, and stormed out, the door slamming shut behind him.

I took deep, ragged breaths, retracting my claws. A wave of longing hit me hard.

I needed Shade here, right now, to soothe me, to calm me down the way Claire did for Zack, the way Raphael knew how to handle Eve’s fiery temper.

I wanted him to be here for me. But he didn’t want a mate.

And I didn’t want a mate either, right?

I shook my head, swallowing back tears, and forced myself to shower and get some sleep.

Thinking about Shade would only lead to heartbreak. I needed to get back to being the practical, level-headed me.

I could handle this. I was strong enough.

Everything was going to be okay.