THIRTY ONE

Zeke POV

I sat beside the bathtub; my fists clenched so tightly that my knuckles had turned white. My jaw ached from grinding my teeth, but the rage boiling inside me was impossible to contain. The only thing keeping me from storming straight to Neo's office and ripping his throat out was her.

Sky.

Her body—once untouchable, once something I thought could never be broken—was wrecked.

Bruises covered her pale skin, dark purple splotches spreading across her arms, ribs, and thighs. The sight of them made my stomach churn. She should never look like this. A few cuts still bled into the bathwater, staining the once-clear surface with streaks of red.

I swallowed hard.

"I should have stopped him." The words left me in a whisper, barely audible, but they carried the weight of my failure.

"Killing him now would feel good, but it would leave her unprotected." A low, lethal growl rumbled from Payne.

"Then what? We'd be dead, and she'd be alone." That was the only reason I hadn't torn Neo apart.

Not fear. Not hesitation.

Sky.

I had already failed her once. I wouldn't fail her again. I forced my gaze to move over her slowly, tracking every wound, every place Neo had made sure she suffered. My fingers twitched, aching to touch her, to soothe her, to erase what had been done.

But I stayed still.

She was fragile. And for the first time in my life, I was afraid to touch her.

Then I saw it.

Something worse.

The bruises weren't fading. They were darkening. Spreading. My heart clenched in my chest, a tight, suffocating weight pressing down.

"Why isn't she healing?" I asked, though the answer clawed at my subconscious like something I already knew but didn't want to admit.

"Come on. think." Payne snarled, his fury matching my own.

"If I knew, I wouldn't be fucking asking." I barked, frustration eating at me.

"Because Neo ordered her wolf to stand down. He's buried her so deep inside that she can't heal her. She's trapped." Payne explained, his voice calmer, but a tinge of annoyance still tainted his tone.

My blood turned to ice. Neo had taken away her ability to fight back. He had made her defenseless. Vulnerable.

Something vile burned up my throat, rage thickening my breath. I had never hated anyone the way I hated him in this moment. But I forced myself to push it down.

For her.

I reached for the sponge beside the tub, dipping it into the warm water before pressing it to her skin. The second I touched her, Sky tensed.

For a moment, I thought she'd pull away. But then, her body slowly relaxed, and the tension eased from her shoulders. That single reaction sent something dangerous through me.

Hope.

I took my time, dragging the sponge over her shoulders, down her back.  

Gentle. Careful.

She let out a slow breath, her lashes fluttering slightly. I memorized every bruise, every mark. One day, I'll make him pay for this. My fingers lingered too long on a particularly dark bruise along her ribcage. My jaw clenched.

"I hate that I can't protect you," I murmured, my voice rough. Her blue eyes, hazy with exhaustion, lifted to meet mine. Her lips parted slightly, like she wanted to say something, but she hesitated.

Then—

"You're here. That's enough."

It wasn't.

We both knew it wasn't.

I dipped the sponge again, dragging it lower, over her collarbone, down between her breasts. The air between us shifted.

Heavy. Charged.

I saw the way her breathing hitched, the way her lips trembled just slightly. She wasn't afraid.

Not of me.

But of this.

Of what it meant.

And so was I.

My fingers stilled, my pulse hammering against my ribs. I could kiss her right now. I could claim her. I could give in to the thing I'd been fighting since the moment she walked back into my life.

But not like this.

Not when she was like this.

I pulled away.

"Get some rest," I muttered, pushing to my feet. "Before I do something I can't take back."

I turned to leave, but before I could step away, I felt it—

Her fingers.

Delicate but firm, wrapping around my wrist.

"Stay." A single word. But it wrecked me. Sky never asked for anything—not from me, not from anyone.

But now?

She was asking me to stay. My throat tightened, my heart slamming against my ribs.

I said nothing.

I just sat back down.

She didn't let go.

I reached for the shampoo, pouring it into my palm before lathering it into her hair. Sky watched me carefully, warily, as if she wasn't sure if I would change my mind.

I wouldn't.

With steady hands, I worked the shampoo into her hair, my fingers moving in slow, gentle circles. Her eyes fluttered shut. A soft, involuntary hum escaped her lips. I felt that sound like a punch to the gut.

I exhaled slowly, carefully, ignoring the way my body reacted to her, to the way she leaned into my touch like she belonged there.

Like she wanted me there, this was more intimate than anything we had ever shared.

This wasn't sex.

This wasn't hate, or anger, or fighting.

This was care.

And that was dangerous.

"Thank you," she murmured, barely audible. Sky sighed, her body melting under my touch, the warm water lapping at her skin.

"Anytime." I managed after swallowing hard, my fingers still tangled in her wet hair. I wasn't sure if she meant for the bath. For staying. Or for something deeper.

And I didn't ask.

Because if she said it out loud, if she acknowledged whatever this was between us, I wasn't sure I'd be strong enough to stop myself. As I rinsed the shampoo from her hair, I realized something.

I wasn't just protecting her.

I was falling for her.

And this time?

I might not be strong enough to walk away.

"Or let her run!" Payne added bitterly.