“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 hersister, 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 whatcame 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 damncareful. You’ve been warned.”
Oliver nodded, “Of course, Koe.”
Chapter 8
Jury tensed and waited for Oliver to touch her. She despised being touched by strangers. Absolutely, unequivocally hated it. Oddly enough, her wolf didn’t. In fact, her wolf craved touch, and it was something they’d been trying to deal with. A compromise hadn’t been found, but her wolf was at least smart enough to realize that most of the touch they’d ever experienced had been in the form of punishment. In her mind, Jury was protecting not just herself but her wolf. But her wolf kept whispering, one more try.Dumb animal!
Oliver gently grabbed her wrist and slowly lifted her arm. Beside her, a rolling growl began rumbling from Koe. It had the fine hair on her arms rising. Oliver noticed it too because he shot Koe a side-long glance and inhaled deeply as if trying to calm himself.
Oliver turned Jury’s arm over and leaned forward.
“Too close,” Koe warned on a snarl.
Oliver immediately backed up and lowered Jury’s arm.
“The most damage was done to her back,” Koe explained.
The knowledge had Oliver lowering his head in obvious submission as he stated, “I’ll need to touch her there too.”
“Does it hurt?”
Both Jury and Oliver looked at Koe. He was staring straight at Jury as he demanded a second time, “Does it hurt for you to be touched on your back?”
