Each word the doctor spoke was another brick added to a wall building around me, sealing me back into a prison I'd only recently escaped.Was I never fated to fully escape being a patient?
“It would be really remarkable if I could get out of here,” I murmured, more to myself than anyone else. Even if I’d screamed the words, the doctor and his nurses wouldn’t have heard. It was always that way—once they turned away from me, I became invisible.
But then I blinked over at Nitro. I saw the way his expression had changed. He’d heard. I bit my lip, embarrassed, looking away quickly.
I wasn’t supposed to be in a damn hospital again. I was supposed to be free, experiencing the world I'd been denied for so long.
My vision began to blur. I blinked rapidly, fighting back the hot tears threatening to fall. I refused to cry here, especially in front of Nitro. I didn’t want him to see me breaking. I wanted all the Alphas of DemonX to see strong, vital Lucy. Not a whimpering, snotty mess.
I swallowed hard, forcing the lump in my throat down, burying the grief and rage and frustration deep inside where it had always lived. If I let it out now, after all these years, I feared I might never stop screaming. So, I smiled.
It felt like I was slipping backwards through time.
Back to a frightened, isolated girl.
A girl I'd promised myself I would never be again.
NITRO.
No matter how much I concentrated on keeping still, my left leg wouldn’t stop shaking.
Nervous energy coursed through me with no outlet to relieve it now. I wanted to pull out the knife and wood, wanted to keep carving so I wouldn’t lose my mind, but I didn’t. According to Xander, the knife I’d plunged into the waiting room chair had almost put the hospital into lockdown after being discovered. I was still pissed I hadn’t retrieved it, but I’d bolted soon after Asher left, desperately needing to get fresh air, and forgotten all about it.
I’d never, not in my entire fucking life, forgotten one of my blades.
I watched the doctor's hands as he examined Lucy's wound—the expertly stitched injury that was a constant reminder of how I'd failed to protect her. No, worse than that, it was a reminder of how she’d tried to protect me. Me! I still couldn’t believe it. Couldn’t wrap my head around it. How stupid would a person have to be to nearly die trying to save their abuser?
The scar would be permanent, another mark alongside those left by years of medical intervention. Only, this one wasn’t a result of sickness. This one was on me. On all of us who should have kept her safe.
I found myself watching Lucy's face—the subtle tightening around her eyes, the way she swallowed hard after eachrecommendation, the practiced smile that never quite reached those gold-flecked green eyes.
When the doc said something about a wound vac, I clenched my jaw, the muscle there twitching as I struggled to maintain my composure. He better fix Lucy, and he better not cause her more pain in the damn process.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. Probably one of my brothers asking for another update. I ignored it, eyes locked on our Omega’s face again. Her eyes were glistening. She was blinking rapidly.Fuck. If she cried, I was going to lose it.To think I would have relished her tears weeks ago. Now, they terrified me.
Lucy pulled the gown back down. I watched the scar disappear beneath the flowered material and I felt relieved. Having that failure in my face was torture.
"I'm glad the fever broke quickly," the doctor said, his voice warm, yet professionally distant. "You're stronger than you look, Miss Graves."
Lucy's smile faltered. I wondered if his words were a compliment in her eyes, or just another reminder of how the world perceived her as fragile.
That’s how I’d seen her at first. Not anymore.
"I've been through worse," Lucy finally shrugged, her voice steady.
The doctor's eyebrows rose slightly. "Worse than a flagpole through your stomach?"
His skepticism was clear, and it fucking annoyed me. This Beta had no idea what she'd endured.
"You'd be surprised," she answered, offering no explanation.
The doctor nodded, not prying further. "Well, whatever you've been through before now, you're healing nicely."
I couldn't take it anymore. The restraint I'd been exercising snapped, and I stood abruptly. In two long strides, I was at her bedside. The doctor took an instinctive step back.
"Can she get out of here soon then, Doc?" I asked, though my tone made it clear it wasn't really a question but a demand. My voice came out rough, nearly cracking at the edges.
The doctor blinked rapidly, his focus shifting from Lucy to me. He took in my height, my build, and the intensity radiating like heat off my body. The recognition in his gaze was swift. I was an Alpha in protection mode, and it wasn’t smart to stand between me and my Omega’s wellbeing.
