Page 70 of Pucking Feral: Part Two

Valek's flat expression doesn't change.

"Then we moved in together and the cracks started showing." My hands clench in my lap. "Small things at first. Comments about what I wore, what I looked like, who I talked to. Then bigger things. Controlling where I went. Who I saw. Monitoring my phone."

"And the physical abuse?"

The question is detached.

Somehow that makes it easier to answer.

"That started about six months in. First, it was grabbing me when he was angry. Then shoving. Then—" I stop, throat tight.

Valek nods slowly, his eyes sharpening. "And the forced bond?"

"After I tried to leave the first time." The memory makes my skin crawl. "He said if I was bonded to him, I couldn't run. That I'd always come back."

"But you didn't."

"No." I meet his eyes. "I burned it off and I ran, and I'll keep running until the bond dissolves completely and he can't find me anymore."

Valek is quiet for a long moment. When he speaks, his voice is softer than I've heard it so far. "Wade will be at the game tomorrow."

I find myself relaxing slightly. If he'd fed me platitudes about how strong and brave I am, I might not have believed he's safe. The fact he isn't even bothering to try to woo me with words makes it slightly more convincing when he says he isn't a threat to me.

For now, at least.

"Where will you be?" he asks.

"In the crowd. Disguised." I gesture to my freshly darkened hair with a tired smile. "Hiding in plain sight."

"Bold strategy." He doesn't sound like he disapproves. "Risky, but bold."

"I'm tired of hiding in lofts and tunnels. I want to see my—" I catch myself. "I want to see the Ghosts play."

Valek's mouth quirks. "Your pack, you mean."

Heat crawls up my neck. "It's complicated."

"Is it?" He sounds genuinely curious. "You're their scent match. They're clearly protective of you. You've chosen at least one of them—Wraith, based on how thoroughly his scent is embedded in yours—and the others are waiting for you to choose them too."

"You got all that from sitting across from me for five minutes?"

"I'm observant." He shrugs. "And they're not subtle. Whiskey looks at you like he's drunk on your very existence. Plague pretends he's above emotional attachment but checks his phone constantly to see if you've messaged. Thane paces outside your door like a guard dog. And Wraith..." He pauses. "Wraith is interesting."

"What do you mean?"

"He's feral. Truly feral, in a way most alphas only pretend to be. He's damaged in a way that should make him completely unpredictable and dangerous." Valek's silver eyes study me. "Yet you are the center of his entire universe."

I bristle at "damaged," even though Valek's tone isn't cruel. "There's nothing wrong with Wraith."

"I didn't say there was." Valek leans back again. "There is nothing wrong with being damaged. Damaged doesn't have to mean destroyed. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken things with gold." He gives me a slight smile that has none of the usual edge. "You, Ivy, are his gold."

"You seem to know a lot about trauma," I mutter.

"Personal experience." He doesn't elaborate, and I don't push. "Which is why I'm going to ask you something, and I want you to think carefully before answering."

The wary tension that coils in my stomach makes me slightly nauseous. "Okay."

"Wade forced a bond on you. Abused you. Made you fear for your life enough that you burned off his mark and ran. He'll keep hunting you as long as he's physically able. I can change that."