Page 11 of Second Chance Mates

My brows clench together at her statement. “What happened?”

“I shouldn’t have seen the things I saw.” She blinks harshly, and more tears erupt. “They were private. I tried so hard to control it, but I couldn’t. It was impossible, and I feel so guilty.”

Sebastian whispers something in her ear as he strokes back her hair. My fists tighten at the tremor in her voice. “They abused her?” I ask, but I already know the answer. I think we all do.

Lucy’s eyes find mine again. “You’re going to have to ask her what happened, Jaxon. It’s not fair for us to invade her memories like that. I had no right to do that. She doesn’t deserve this.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” I remind her. “Don’t blame yourself.”

She swallows harshly. “But it’s a pack of men. They don’t care about women. They’re disgusting, vile pigs and deserve nothing but a slow, painful death.”

I close my eyes, trying not to imagine the horrors she’s been through, but it’s proving difficult. Sebastian’s arm continues to run up and down Lucy’s. “It was horrible. She must be scarred for life,” she whispers. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

My heart aches at the pain Ava must be in. Not just physically but mentally. Now, I want nothing more than to slowly torture each and every person who ever touched her, hurt her, or even fucking spoke to her.

“Did you hear what the Alpha’s name was?”

Lucy’s eyes water, flicking between mine slowly. “Lucien.”

My stare hardens. I don’t directly recognise the name, but I sure as hell will find him and make him pay for what he’s done.

“Let’s just say we’ve got a mission to fucking plan.”

We give Ava some privacy, despite my wolf wanting to be in the room with her at all times. It’s not going to help me earn her trust.

She wakes up in the early hours of the morning, and my wolf demands her attention. The hairs on my arm raise as I sit outside her door. I wouldn’t be able to sleep. So instead, I wait until she’s ready—but I soon realise I might be waiting a long time. Lucy joins me later and knocks on the infirmary door.

“Ava? It’s Lucy. Can I come in?”

Silence.

I sigh. “Ava. We just want to check on you. Then we will leave. Just have some water and food. What do you think?”

A few long minutes later, the door cracks open, and Ava emerges. Lucy smiles at her softly. “Hi, how are you feeling? You must be so thirsty.”

My gaze focuses on her as she stares at the bottle. Her thoughts are loud and clear in my head, it almost makes me lose my balance. She’s sceptical of what’s inside.

“It’s not drugged,” I offer, swiping the bottle out of Lucy’s hands and taking a generous swig. “See?”

Those big brown eyes study me for a moment before her shaky hand reaches out. I extend my arm to pass it quickly. “Have it,” I say with a soft smile.

Her nimble fingers latch onto the bottle before lifting it to her lips. She takes two big gulps before closing her eyes, droplets rolling down her chin.

“Do you want something to eat?” Lucy asks.

She doesn’t answer straight away; instead, she lowers the bottle and glances down at her stomach. Her hands grip the material of clothing to expose the skin and find her wound mostly healed. I clear my throat gently to get her attention. “I had doctors come in to help with your wound. How does it feel now?”

Ava purses her lips and studies her stomach, brushing her fingers across the skin in amazement. “H-how?”

“That doesn’t matter.” I shake my head. “What matters is that you feel better.”

She tilts her head to meet my gaze. The fear that was once there slowly washes away, but I feel her reservation. She’s going to need a lot of time to truly heal.

“Let me go make you something to eat,” Lucy says as she throws her thumb over her shoulder. “You must be so hungry.”

Ava begins to violently shake her head, and I frown at her reaction.

“What’s wrong?”

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