Page 89 of Pretty When She Breaks
Blood spattered in golden hair.
He moved so fast, for a beta.
Then a potent scent that halted me in my tracks.
Not a beta.
Blue eyes met mine.
My shoulder exploded in pain.
My mind screamed at the memories, and I ached to push it all away. To numb it, like I always had. I could close my eyes and embrace the fog…
My hands gripped the desk as I stood up. I kept the headphones on as I walked out the door. She wasn’t making evil plans, she was trying to uncover what had happened to her brother. A brother who… there was something important there, but it escaped me.
“Where do we start?” Jade asked.
“I don’t know,” Laurel said softly. “My father watches me so closely, I can barely do anything.”
I took off the headphones as I opened the arched patio doors, stepping out into the sunlight. The women both turned to look at me, identical expressions of surprise on their faces. I walked over and sat down in one of the chairs.
“Julius,” I said, nodding. They’d been talking about Julius, I wanted to know more.
Hadn’t I?
“I’m sorry, you are?” Jade said.
“Not Julius,” I confirmed.
Jade snorted.
“Kaos,” I said.
“An alpha you trust?” Jade looked at Laurel, raising aneyebrow. Her gaze flicked toward the patio door, then back to my pajamas.
Laurel’s face went pink. “We’re working together toward a common goal.”
“Is that what we’re calling it nowadays?” Jade said wryly.
I chuckled.
“He’s—” She cut herself off.
She wasn’t allowed to tell anyone about us.
“It’s a secret,” I told Jade in a stage whisper. “How about a trade? You tell me why you’re talking about Julius, and I tell you what we’re doing here?”
Jade shrugged, looking at Laurel for direction.
“We don’t think he’s dead,” Laurel said primly.
“I think I owe him…something.”
Laurel’s eyes flashed, and she suddenly grabbed my arm. “We all thought he’d killed you,” she said. “What happened? How did you escape? Did he help?”
I frowned. “I don’t know…” I said slowly. “I remember bits of the fight. Not wanting to hurt him.”
I shuddered, my hands tightening on the arms of the chair. That had been the night I’d realized how broken I was.
