Page 28 of Mates: Posy

I couldn't tell if he was shocked, amazed, or devastated. Maybe all three.

"I thought he killed her at first, but, after I recovered enough, I could feel her presence deep, deep in my mind."

"Recovered," he said flatly. "You mean he dosed you with enough wolfsbane to nearly kill your wolfandhebeat you?"

I nodded.

Ash's breathing grew heavy.

"And you had no wolf to help you heal. I assume that wasn't the only time he hurt you during the weeks Lark slept, either. How did you survive, baby?"

I shrugged. Survive was about all I’d done. I certainly hadn’t been living.

He held my face between his palms, leaned down, and kissed my forehead.

"Our beautiful, amazing, strong mate," he breathed against my skin.

"Me?" I shook my head. "I am none of those things, and definitely not strong."

"Yes, you are. Do you thinkeveryonewould have come out of that situation alive? Most would have given up years ago. You may have thought about ending it all, but you didn’t. You endured. Every time he knocked you down, you got up and kept going."

He pressed his lips to my forehead for longer this time. When he pulled back, his dark eyes swam with tears.

"Thatis what makes you strong, baby. The getting up. In the end, you’re the victor. You lived, and your abuser didn’t. You got out, and he’s in the ground."

My bottom lip trembled. Before I could think about it too much, I jumped off the bar stool and hugged his lean torso, squeezing him as hard as I could. I knew I wouldn’t hurt him; the boy’s body was as hard as stone. He seemed shocked for a second, then curled his upper half down to cocoon himself around me.

We stood there like that for a while. He dropped soft kisses on my hair and forehead while I stuffed my nose in his abs and inhaled his sweet scent.

"I need to get you a box to stand on," he said finally. "This is killing my back."

I giggled, then realized what I’d done and scolded myself for laughing at his discomfort.

"I’m sor—"

"I’m teasing, Posy," he assured me. "But Idoneed to find or make you a kissing box."

That made me blush all over.

He chuckled and straightened up, and his hands cupped the back of my head and neck. His face turned serious, and I knew he was about to say or ask something I wouldn’t like.

"Can you tell us about why he hurt you so badly on your birthday? We need to know so we can avoid triggering you."

"I don't know what triggering means when you use it like that," I admitted.

"Remind you of bad things that could cause nightmares or panic attacks. It would kill us to hurt you like that, even if it’s unintentionally."

I thought about that as I watched Wyatt’s car speed up the driveway and zoom into his parking spot.

"I'll tell you," I said at last, "but not right now."

"Fair enough."

7: Brothers and Teammates

Posy

"I’m back!" Wyatt hollered as he climbed out of his car.

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