Page 36 of Psycho Beasts

Dried blood that hadn’t washed away in the rain still streaked down the sides of her face and neck.

Softly, I patted her wet hair and pressed my lips to her forehead, the only part of her body that wasn’t openly bleeding.

My chest pinched with agony, and I wanted to scream at someone.

I didn’t remember what had happened after Spike had stabbed me with a needle. Everything was a blur of fear and pain.

But I couldn’t forget what had happened after.

When I’d come back to consciousness, the first thing I’d seen was Sadie’s beaten body swinging from the rope beside me.

I’d never felt such devastation.

However, Sadie hadn’t been crying or freaking out like I would have expected. Nope, the little alpha had fucking smiled at me encouragingly and asked if I was okay.

Like we hadn’t both been tortured.

Like I wasn’t almost three times her size and covered in muscles.

Like I wasn’t older and more experienced.

As Sadie had looked at me with worry, my omega instincts had melted in my chest.

For the first time in my entire fucking life, I understood what it meant to be taken care of by an alpha.

I understood why omegas fawned over an alpha’s attention.

There was nowhere I wouldn’t go, nothing I wouldn’t do, if it meant Sadie would stare at me with concern like I was her entire world.

Her priority.

I couldn’t stop thinking about the moment she’d fucking asked me if I was all right. She’d worried about me above her own needs.

It was everything.

It also pissed me the fuck off.

Sure, in that moment, my heart had melted in my chest as my omega instincts had preened. A part of me wanted to cuddle in my nest and let her tuck me in. Let her care for me.

However, I was still a fucking warrior.

A larger part of me wanted to scream at her for putting herself in danger.

Biology be damned. She was the small, weak one, and I was going to take care of her.

She needed me more than I needed her. Which meant I needed to do better. I needed to be there for her.

I needed to fucking protect her.

Sadie might be an alpha, but I was in charge.

If I could growl like an alpha, I had no doubt a roar would have ripped from my chest as I thought about her abused state.

My forearms tightened across her back, and she murmured contentedly.

Sadie had already been through so much.

I could never forget the awful scars that covered her chest and back. An enchantment might conceal them, but that didn’t erase the past. The past that was apparent with every sinful rasp from her lips.

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