Chapter 7
Jury kept her mouth clamped shut. Internally, she scolded herself for being stupid enough to challenge Koe the way she just had.
And in front of Thrall and Daemon, no less.
It was an affront to an Alpha that couldn’t go unpunished.
She got it. She knew better. Angry tears flooded her eyes at her own stupidity.
A flash of anguish hit hard for what was going to happen to her poor, abused body.
She felt guilty now knowing her damaged skin couldn’t endure much more trauma, but because of her big mouth, it’d have to.
With a snarl, Koe slammed to a halt. Then, with movement so fast that it made her belly dip, he hefted her off his shoulder.
In a blink, he had her lying flat on the soft grass, his big body over hers, his arms braced on either side of her head, his knees caging her lower half.
Nose to nose with her, he snarled, “Stop! Just fucking stop, Jury.”
Confused, she said nothing.
“My wolf can’t take the scents coming from you right now. Not with what we’ve just seen.”
She assumed he meant the scent of her sorrow. Funny, self-pity had never affected Bragga this way. In fact, it only increased the intensity of her punishments. The sadistic fuck enjoyed her suffering. Did Koe expect her to believe he didn’t?
Looking down at her now, Koe’s typically hard eyes were soft, almost pleading.
Swallowing hard, Jury wanted to give him what he was asking for. She’d never wanted to acquiesce to a male before. But the tortured expression on Koe’s face had her stomach feeling funny.
Pinching his eyes closed, his expression going pained, Koe breathed, “Please!”
The word had Jury tensing, her heart rate doubling. Please? It was a word she rarely heard. And a word she’d never heard from the lips of any male.
“I…I’m sorry,” she offered tremulously.
“Don’t,” Koe snarled, his eyes snapping open. “Don’t fucking apologize, Jury. Not to me, not to anyone.”
Shoving up off her, he shot to his feet and held out a hand.
Unsure what else to do, Jury lifted a quaking hand and inhaled softly when Koe grabbed it and gently pulled her up.
Once she was up, he didn’t release her hand as she’d expected.
Instead, he kept his large hand wrapped around hers as he led her back toward the manor.
Jury had to walk fast to keep pace with Koe’s long strides. All the walk, she fought not to think about what was coming once he got her inside the manor. She didn’t want him stalling them out again. Best to get it over with.
They hit the manor yard, and Koe bellowed, “Hiro!”
In moments, the Enforcer came running, “Alpha?”
Koe hadn’t stopped walking, and they’d made it across the yard and were just about to enter the manor when he snarled at Hiro, “Get me Oliver! Now!”
Warm hand still encompassing hers, Koe led Jury into the manor and through the foyer.
He escorted her to the secret door that led to the cells, as she expected, but instead of opening it, Koe opened the large wooden door beside it.
Jury had never entered this room and was trepidatious, but once the door was open, Koe led her in with what she assumed was an intended reassuring, “It’s fine, Jury. ”
But things didn’t feel fine. Where was he taking her? What was he going to do? Why did he need Oliver? Jury knew Oliver was the pack medic. It had her heart racing.
Inside the room, Koe finally released her hand and turned to face her.
Jury took in the room. It was pristine white with stainless-steel counters and carts.
There were stainless-steel cupboards with clear glass fronts built into the walls above the counters.
Inside the cupboards were vials, bottles, and all manner of what appeared to be medicines and drugs.
In the center of the room was a patient bed, like in a doctor’s office. She was in the compound’s medical unit.
“Take off your shirt and jeans and get on the bed.”
Giving her attention to Koe, Jury froze.
She waited for the oppressive mass of his authority to crash over her, but it never came.
The directive was a request, not an Alpha command.
And while she should respect that he wasn’t using his Alpha status to force her to do his bidding, her fear over what was to come had her remaining still.
Koe held her gaze before looking away and taking several breaths before he closed his eyes.
His jaw ticked a few times before he drew in another long breath and then slowly un-fisted his hands.
Eyes opening, he drew in a few more breaths before finally looking back at her.
“I’m not going to hurt you. No one here is going to hurt you. No pain, Jury, never again!”
Jury nervously shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Her hands fisting and un-fisting.
“I’ve summoned Oliver to look you over. If he can help, he will.”
Confused, Jury’s brows furrowed. “Th-they’re scars. There’s nothing to be done.”
Just as Oliver entered, Koe muttered, “We’ll see.”
“Alpha,” Oliver nodded to Koe, his attention slicing to Jury and flitting up and down her frame. “Is someone injured?”
Jury stood motionless, apprehension building.
She hadn’t shown anyone the full damage done to her body, not even her sister, Narae.
No one had seen her until Koe had just used his Alpha authority on her and had forced her to expose herself.
Being asked to strip for Oliver was too much. She felt too vulnerable.
“No,” she answered for Koe. Her eyes shifted between his suddenly angry gaze and Oliver’s confused one.
Ignoring her words, Koe motioned toward her. “She needs an exam. She’s suffered in the past, and I need to know if there’s anything we can do.”
“There’s nothing anyone can do,” Jury snapped. “They’re scars, Koe. And old ones at that!”
Oliver’s gaze flitted from Koe to Jury, then back as they glared at each other.
“Jury, you will strip to your underwear so that Oliver can examine you.” Turning hardened eyes to Oliver, Koe continued, “Oliver, you will touch her as minimally as possible. Understand?”
Oliver’s response was immediate. “Yes, Alpha.”
Angry tears flooded Jury’s eyes. She could have balked.
She could have tried to disobey, but she knew all too well what came from insubordination.
Angry eyes on Koe, she started stripping, and before she was fully done, her rage had transitioned to humiliation.
The room felt brighter, more revealing than the bank of the creek.
Maybe it was because Koe was closer and could see more clearly.
Feeling her face flush, she could only watch as shock registered on Oliver’s face as his brows shot up, his eyes gliding up and down her frame.
Crossing her arms over her bra-clad chest and dipping her chin, Jury knew how wretched she looked.
“Oliver!” Koe boomed. “Stop fucking staring and examine her! Jury, get on the bed.”
Oliver hurried to one of the stainless-steel rolling trays and pulled open a drawer to fish out some exam gloves, while Jury shuffled to the med bed and hopped onto it.
She shot Koe one last lethal look. His hard gaze was still on her, and her humiliation intensified.
She felt ugly and ashamed, and those weren’t emotions she’d ever concerned herself with back with Biter’s pack.
As Oliver approached Jury, so did Koe, and when Oliver raised a gloved hand, Koe snarled, “I said don’t fucking touch her!”
His words had both Oliver and Jury looking at him.
He sounded almost possessive, but Jury told herself she was just being stupid.
Internally, she admonished, “You know better than to look for grace where it can’t possibly exist!
” Alphas weren’t protective. They only concerned themselves with seeking power and weeding out weakness.
Regardless of what she’d seen from Koe so far, she knew better than to let her guard down or to be dragged in by anything so foolish as hope.
Sucking in a steadying breath, Jury lay back on bed and forced herself to relax her arms at her sides.
As a means of defense, she just started talking.
“I told you. Scars. Old ones. They go back to the beginning of my time with Bragga’s pack.”
Oliver was leaning over her, his face close to her arm as he studied her. “How long ago was that?”
She opened her mouth to respond, but Koe answered for her. “Fourteen years.”
Brows spearing down, she wanted to ask how he knew that, but kept silent as Oliver lifted a gloved hand and looked at Koe.
“May I?” he asked.
Koe’s jaw twitched, and through gnashed teeth, he growled, “My wolf is having a hard time with what was done to her. He’s barely leashed.” His eyes narrowed on Oliver. “Barely,” he repeated, then added, “He’s feeling protective. So be respectful and damn careful. You’ve been warned.”
Oliver nodded, “Of course, Koe.”