Page 138 of Pack Scratch Fever
Yet Avery, Maddox, and even Poe realize how important they are to me, and they don’t judge me for it.
They appreciate mebecauseof it.
They see and accept every part of who I am.
With one more look of disapproval, my parents leave my hospital room.
I vow never to see them again.
27
POE
It’sa miracle I didn’t throw Piper’s father out the window.
I thought my family was bad, butthis?
Hearing the way they talked to her made me sick.
My packmates and I had arrived at the hospital just after her parents, and we tried to give them space while we waited in the hallway.
But the pure venom her parents spit at her was enough for me to storm in.
A lot clicked into place for me then.
I realized why Piper is convinced she never does enough.
It’s because of her parents.
My scent match, my mate, was abused by her own family.
It makes my fucking skin crawl.
She had found solace in her work with the rescue, and my foolish mistake had threatened the greatest source of her joy.
No wonder she shut down and didn’t want to have anything to do with me or my pack.
I’ll never forget the scent of her fear as her father spoke to her. It was bitter lemon peel and sour acid, with no hint of sweetness.
I saw a scared girl lying in that hospital bed, vulnerable and misunderstood.
Now, her parents are gone, and it’s just us and Piper.
“Are you alright?” I ask her, studying her shocked expression. She’s just as beautiful as ever, albeit slightly pale with her eyes wet with unshed tears.
Despite being ill and exhausted, she’s still breathtaking.
I want to go to her, to sit on the bed with her and cradle her face, but I’m not sure what she wants.
Just because I stood up for her doesn’t mean I’m automatically forgiven after everything I’ve done.
“We can leave if you want,” Avery says sheepishly. “We didn’t mean to barge in. We wanted to visit you one at a time.”
“It’s okay,” she says quietly, her hazel eyes soft. “You all can stay. There’s not much room in here, though.”
Maddox pulls the cheap-looking sofa from the wall and drags it toward her hospital bed like it weighs nothing. He and Avery take a seat, while I move the chair on the opposite side of the bed toward her. I don’t want to surround her after everything that’s happened, but I want to be close.
It’s been fucking torture without her, and the only thing that’s made me feel marginally better is being with those damn cats, especially Mister Whiskers.
