Chapter 23 Early Morning #2
“Okay, let’s take a look at this nasty mark.
” Mara pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose, then lifts Skyla’s chin the way a jeweler lifts a fragile gem.
The overhead light catches the rough crescent at the side of her neck.
The beta’s face changes ever so slightly.
There’s a sharp tightening of her features that says she recognizes a bad thing when she sees it.
“Tell me about your cycles.” The doctor squints at the wound.
Skyla’s answer is a thin mumble at best. “They’re…a little irregular.”
“That’s fine,” Mara says. “Plenty of healthy omegas run irregular. It’s not a mark against you.
” The kindness in her words is plain and practiced, like she doesn’t really mean it.
But I catch the way Skyla’s shoulders drop a millimeter like she almost believes the reassurance. “When was your last heat?”
All the color drains from Skyla’s face as she shakes her head. “Uh…a few…months back. Maybe.”
“Two months? Three?”
Skyla stares at her knees, refusing to look at anything else. “Longer.”
Mara’s brows pull together, but she doesn’t say anything that makes me think that’s bad. How often do omega’s have a heat?
“Alright.” Mara’s expression hardens as she turns to Knox. “So, what happened to her neck? Did things get a little out of hand?”
Knox’s answer comes out a little tight, like he’s holding back the urge to growl. “She’s newly claimed by us.” His jaw ticks. “That,” his dark eyes cut to Skyla, “is from her old pack.”
“Old pack?” Mara’s brows lift as she looks at Skyla. “Were you rejected or—”
“Yes,” Skyla says as she squeezes her hands together.
“Okay.” There’s a pause. Like Mara is chewing that over. Tension threads the room as we all wait. “What agency did you use?”
Agency?
Shit.
Knox hesitates, and the silence hits like a dropped weight. My chest locks tight, terror spiking, as if this woman in her pale scrubs might somehow see through us, might somehow know we claimed Skyla from an illegal black market.
“Why do you need to know the name of the agency?” Knox crosses his arms, glaring down at the doctor. “That kind of information isn’t going to heal Sky’s neck.”
The doctor doesn’t flinch. Instead, she squares her shoulders and turns the full weight of her glare on him, like she’s ready to go to battle. My gut twists at the sight. It’s not very smart for a beta to challenge an alpha like Knox. He never loses a fight. Ever.
The air feels brittle, ready to snap—until Skyla blurts, “Devinion.” She forces a thin smile. “They got me from Devinion.”
The doctor nods once, like she’s heard that name before, then shoots Knox one last tight glare before turning back to her patient.
“You were lucky your old pack surrendered you to a place like that.” She pulls a pair of blue latex gloves from the wall box in one swift motion, then slips them on.
“Packs willing to reject their omegas tend to abandon them in the middle of nowhere or worse. Alphas are so easily embarrassed for the dumbest reasons.” She glances at Knox, shaking her head like it’s a damn shame.
“They do terrible things just to save a little face, even when doing the right thing is easier.”
“They do.” Skyla forces a sad smile that breaks my heart into a dozen sharp pieces.
What the fuck happened to this sweet girl? How did she end up at the Morder?
Was she sold? Abandoned? Abused?
I have to clamp my jaw shut to stop a growl from tearing out of me.
“This doesn’t look great.” Mara presses the tender skin around the wound.
“It’s far too deep, jagged. And there’s surrounding inflammation.
” She keeps her gaze zeroed in on the wound.
“It could be a localized infection. I’m going to clean it properly, swab it, and start you on a broad antibiotic while we wait for culture results.
” She looks at Knox matter-of-factly. “We should consider a tetanus booster depending on her history, and I’ll have the nurse set up wound care instructions. ”
“Sounds good.” Knox nods in agreement. “I do have a question.”
Mara drops her hands and looks up at Knox, waiting.
“Will we eventually be able to place our own marks on Skyla, or is her skin too damaged?” His brows pinch together as he studies our omega’s neck.
Skyla immediately ducks her head, forcing her curly blond hair to fall into her face. Her fingers twist in the hem of her borrowed shirt, clearly nervous under the weight of all our attention.
“The uninjured side looks like it might be over-marked,” Knox goes on, voice gentler now. “And I don’t want to hurt her. None of us do.”
Alex and I both straighten our backs, silently showing our agreement with our pack alpha, while Dakota leans forward, brushing his fingertips over the side of Skyla’s leg. The omega glances at him, and he smiles, whispering softly, “It’s okay. There’s no need to be scared.”
Mara exhales through her nose, her expression firm, but not unkind. “The truth is, I can’t answer that without looking closer. Let’s take a deeper look.” She pushes her stool toward the cabinets, the wheels squeaking across the cold tile.
Opening a lower door, she pulls out a small, compact device—a handheld screen about the size of a large smartphone, with a tiny wand connected by a curly cord.
She presses the power button, and the screen flickers to life, casting a soft glow across the room.
A quiet chirp sounds, signaling it’s ready.
Skyla’s body shifts under the doctor’s careful hands, then she flinches when the wand presses against the raw side of her neck. My jaw tightens, heart thumping in a mix of anger and helplessness. Every wince, every subtle curl of her shoulders, wrenches in my gut.
Knox inches even closer to our omega, a silent wall of control beside her, hand barely brushing hers as if to remind her she isn’t facing this alone.
“What does that thing do?” Dakota leans forward, staring at the device in the doctor’s hand.
“It's similar to a sonogram,” she says, moving the wand in small, measured circles. “It lets me see the scent glands and the underlying blood vessels.”
Skyla flinches again, letting out the smallest whimper. Alex exhales through his nose, the sound rough, like it physically hurts him to hear her cry. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from growling.
She looks so damn small and fragile.
Finally, the doctor glides the wand away from the wound to the smooth, healed skin on the other side.
“How many alphas were in your old pack?” Mara asks as she stares at the screen.
“Two,” Skyla says, and the doctor freezes.
Mara’s eyes go wide as she looks up at Skyla’s pretty face. “Only two alphas?” The doctor’s tone is incredulous, like she can’t wrap her head around the number of marks she’s seeing and the number of alphas that actually did this.
“Two alphas bit you this many times?” Mara gestures to Skyla’s neck.
“No,” Skyla whispers, so soft I almost don’t catch it. Her shoulders curl inward like she’s trying to fold herself out of sight. She won’t meet any of our eyes, and for a second, I think she might cry as she forces out the words, “Just the pack alpha.”
Suddenly, all I can smell is Knox and Alex’s pure rage filling the room. Their bodies are stiff, muscles flexing beneath their fitted T-shirts. For some reason, it brings me comfort to know they’re as enraged as I am.
“Well, then.” The doctor glances at Knox, the pair sharing a tense, knowing look, before she slides the wand carefully along Skyla’s neck again. A beat passes, then Mara’s brow furrows. “That’s interesting.”
“What?” Knox asks. He’s trying so damn hard to sound calm, but his voice edges sharp, making Skyla frown.
“Her scent glands are sitting a little low.” The doctor presses the wand to the juncture of Skyla’s neck and shoulder. “It’s here.”
“That’s really low,” Alex blurts, his voice cutting into the quiet.
Skyla clearly catches the words, and her brows pull together.
Dakota smacks the side of Alex’s thigh, shooting him a hard glare.
The alpha’s expression falters. He clears his throat, fumbling to repair the damage.
“I mean—low, but in a way that’s…different.
Unique. Because she’s really fucking special. ”
Dakota stares at Alex, exasperated. “Really?”
“It's not uncommon,” Mara says, “but it’s definitely not an excuse for this mess.” She eyes Skyla's neck before looking the omega right in the eyes. “Your old pack was very sloppy. I mean, even with all these bites, he still didn’t even hit your gland.”
Skyla’s breath hitches a little, and I can see the relief flooding her. “Really?” Her shoulders lift as she raises a hand, grazing the collarbone near her healed mating bites. “He didn’t actually mark me?”
“Not on this side,” Mara says. “But this side…” She moves the wand back over the wound, and Skyla’s body stiffens again.
“Yeah. This gland has been punctured,” the doctor says, and Skyla’s face falls.
“See, right there?” Mara turns the screen so Skyla can look. “That’s scar tissue from the puncture.”
And abruptly, Skyla completely deflates, her smile vanishing.
I hate it. I want to scream at this woman for taking that little bit of joy away from her.
“How’s your mental bond with your old pack?” Mara asks, back to business. “Has it sealed off yet, or are you having any lingering emotions from them?” The doctor lowers the device, and Skyla’s lips press into a thin line.
“No,” the omega finally says. “I don’t feel him.”
“That’s good,” Mara nods. “And when was the last time you felt their bond?”
And I swear, all the color drains from Skyla’s pretty face.
Knox reaches forward, slipping his hand around hers, mimicking her soft voice. “It’s okay, Sky. Tell the doctor.”
Skyla draws in a trembling breath and whispers, “I…I can’t remember.”
Knox’s hand squeezes hers, a whisper of reassurance. “That’s okay, baby.” He looks at the doctor, his gaze sharp like he’s daring her to push the matter.