Chapter 202
Kara
"I'm going," I said, squeezing both my parents' hands one last time. Their skin was warm and real and alive, and I had to physically force myself to let go. "But I'll be back tomorrow. First thing. I promise."
"We're not going anywhere," Celeste assured me, though her eyelids were already drooping with exhaustion. "Not ever again."
Don't make promises you can't keep, I thought but didn't say. Instead I just nodded, let Blake guide me toward the door, Cole and Asher falling into step on either side.
At the threshold, I paused, needing to say one more thing.
"Mom? Dad? These Alphas—Asher, Blake, and Cole—they saved me. They tore through Diana's entire operation to find me. They didn't give up even when it looked impossible, even when they probably should have. I need you to know that. I need you to know they're good. That I chose them, and I'd choose them again."
Even if they did make my childhood hell. Even if I still sometimes wake up expecting to find myself locked in that storage room. Even if part of me is still waiting for them to remember they're supposed to hate me.
Connor's eyes met mine, and I saw understanding there beneath the exhaustion. Understanding and something that might have been approval. "Anyone who'd fight that hard for my daughter," he said slowly, each word clearly costing him, "is someone I want to know better. When I'm stronger. When I can actually stand without falling over."
"When you're stronger," Asher promised, his Alpha authority making it a vow, "we'll sit down properly. Answer any questions you have. Prove we're worthy of her."
You already did that, I thought but couldn't say. You proved it when you came for me. When you didn't give up. When you looked at me like I was something precious instead of something broken.
"You already did that," Celeste murmured, her eyes sliding shut. "You brought our baby back to us. That's all the proof we need."
The words settled into my chest with unexpected weight, and I had to blink back fresh tears as Blake guided me out of the room. The hallway was blessedly empty, just sterile white walls and the distant beep of medical equipment.
"Kara." Cole's voice was gentle, concerned. "Are you okay? Really okay?"
"No," I admitted, too tired to lie. "But I will be. Maybe. Eventually."
Or maybe not, I thought. Maybe I'll spend the rest of my life waiting for the other shoe to drop, for my parents to disappear again, for my Alphas to wake up and remember they're supposed to hate me, for Diana to crawl out of that burning building and finish what she started.
But I didn't say any of that. Instead I just let them guide me down the hall toward whatever examination room Dr. Harrison had commandeered, trying not to think about all the ways this fragile happiness could shatter.
The examination room was sterile and cold, all white tile and harsh fluorescent lighting that made my skin look corpse-pale. Dr. Harrison waited with the kind of patient concern that reminded me why he'd always been my favorite teacher, back when I'd been just another student instead of a Luna-in-training carrying the future heirs of the Silver Frost Pack.
God, when did my life get so complicated?
"Kara." He gestured to the examination table, his expression carefully neutral in that way doctors had when they were trying not to alarm you. "Your Alphas have filled me in on the basics, but I need to hear from you directly. Are you hurt? In pain? Any bleeding or cramping?"
"I'm fine," I started automatically, then caught Blake's warning growl. Right. No more pretending everything was okay when it clearly wasn't. "Mostly fine. Some bruises. Diana's people weren't exactly gentle when they grabbed me, and the building collapse didn't help. But nothing feels broken."
Just bent, I thought. Just twisted into shapes I'm not sure I can bend back from.
"Show me."
I hesitated, suddenly hyper-aware of all three Alphas crowded into the small room, their combined presence making the space feel claustrophobic despite its clinical sterility. Through our bond, I felt their desperate need to see with their own eyes that I was intact, that Diana hadn't broken me beyond repair.
They need this, I realized. Need to see the damage so they can categorize it, plan how to fix it, convince themselves I'm really here and safe.
Slowly, I peeled off Blake's leather jacket that I'd been wearing since the rescue. The leather was stiff with dried blood—some mine, most not—and crusted with the residue of blood magic that made my skin crawl. Underneath, the white dress Diana had forced me into was torn and filthy, more rag than clothing at this point.
I pulled it over my head with shaking hands, acutely aware of three pairs of eyes tracking my every movement. The bruises were worse than I'd realized, now that I was looking at them in the harsh fluorescent light. My left shoulder was mottled purple and black where Viktor had grabbed me, finger-shaped marks standing out in stark relief against my skin. My ribs showed the ghost of impacts I barely remembered—probably from when I'd fallen during my escape attempt.
But it was the long scratch down my right calf—still oozing slightly despite the makeshift bandage Anna had tied around it—that made Blake's fire-and-gunpowder scent spike with rage.
"Who?" The word came out more growl than speech, his eyes flashing gold with barely controlled wolf. "Who did this to you?"
"Does it matter?" I met his gaze steadily, refusing to flinch from the fury burning there. "They're dead now. The building collapsed on top of them."
I hope, I didn't add. I really, really hope they're dead and not just trapped, waiting to crawl out and come after me again.
"Kara." Dr. Harrison's voice cut through the tension, professional and calm in a way that made me want to scream. How could he be calm when I was standing here covered in proof of how badly I'd failed to protect myself? "I need to examine you properly. That means your Alphas need to step back and give me room to work."