Page 63 of Frayed Owner

I turned her away from him when I heard her voice crack, understanding this was about more than what she’d witnessed.

It was that it was almost her life. It was about her parents handing her over to Gregg Haddock like property to do with whatever he wanted, and that wound would be open and a problem for a while.

Validly.

“Leave him,” Bevin said to the woman. “Don’t put up with this. Don’t let them—”

The woman ground her jaw and narrowed her eyes at her. “Not all of us have a trust and inheritance waiting for us when we leave our families like you did,Millen. I havenothing. I lose everything and will be a pariah. But thank you for making it sound so easy.” She turned to leave, but Bevin reached out and grabbed her arm, so I let Bevin go.

“I never said it would be easy. It’s been fucking exhausting and terrifying every minute of every day.” She gave a slight shove to the woman’s shoulder. “But don’t come at me if you haven’t eventried. I asked for help. I planned my escape. I didn’t just fall into it all, and there was no trust when I left. That was all mine that I built since young.

“I had toor I was dead. And I’ve asked for help since. I’ve asked for helphereand gotten it. There are people who are willing to help if you value yourself and are willing toworkto have a life instead of letting yourself be property. You were good enough to get into Morrigan. Own that, not be owned by them.”

The woman lost some of her anger. “It wasn’t always like this. I knew he didn’t love me, but we used to be friends. An arranged marriage with a friend to keep your family and what you know is better than most can really have.” She let out a shaky breath. “He changed. He got violent and they didn’t care. They care about the alliance.”

“Then they’re not your family but just DNA and you owe themnothing,” Bevin said firmly. “Why would you care about losing people who would let you be treated like this? Half of the alliances fall apart and are just for show. They’ll let you be abused by someone so horrible forshow?” She nodded when the woman looked stupefied.

“No, they said—”

“They don’t need your marriage for the alliance,” Bevin pushed. “It’s all bullshit and to keep us property. They have tons of contracts. My parents had other dealings with the Haddocks. They wanted a pretty Shaw in their gene pool and to brag I was docile and well-trained. They wanted to control who Gregg mated so he didn’t embarrass them again and again.”

“You are a hero to so many of us for getting free even if we all hate you for it and being stronger than us,” she whispered before turning away and leaving.

And I had to catch Bevin again when she went for the guy. “You fucking touch her again and I’ll—”

I thanked my reflexes again as I moved my hand over her mouth. “I’ll take whatever punishment for this, but you’re having a trauma response to this and not in your head, little sexy. I’m afraid of what you were about to say. Please, don’t let this do damage to you.”

She let out a slow breath and hugged my arm holding her and then kissed my hand, no longer fighting me. She mumbled against it, and I took it as a sign she was calm and moved it. “Thanks. I wasn’t going to say anything bad but thanks.”

“Okay, let’s just go get breakfast.”

“I just wanted people to be positive and not assholes for a day,” she whispered. “Was that really too much to ask?”

I kissed her hair. “Don’t make me lie to you, but I will say I’m just as disappointed. I was kinda ready for a day of funny polite confessions. Not this fucking bullshit.”

“Glad I’m not being oversensitive for once.”

“You’re normally not,” I defended as I set her on her feet and let her walk with me.

Oh, and took her magic off the guy. Headmaster Kerwynn had words for him since he’d seen that he’d been about to hit someone and the guards had too, so at least that would be something even if the woman didn’t leave him.

She was so despondent when we sat with our food that she just poked at it. I put my own disappointment aside and focused on her. She’d really needed this win… And I needed her happy. She did so much for everyone else that Ineededher to have more joy in her life.

“Bev, when did you get so pretty?”

She blinked at her food a moment before glancing up at me. “What?”

“When did you get so pretty?” I repeated.

She instantly got flustered. She was a confident woman who knew she was attractive but didn’t put much stock in that. It was superficial to her, but apparently when it came from someone she liked… Her reaction was cute.

She cleared her throat and focused back on her food. “I haven’t changed anything.”

“So always. Got it.”

“That’s not what I said!” she exclaimed, clearing her throat again and glancing around. “That’s not what I said, Winter.”

“You’re right, you’ve gotten prettier since I first saw you,” I said firmly. “Much prettier.”

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