“Some sins stay on the skin long after the bruises fade.”
The sun was up by the time Kade carried me into the pack house.
The light hurt. It made everything real.
Every scent clung to me — his, mine… Ronan’s. I could feel it on my skin like fingerprints that wouldn’t wash away. Kade’s grip on me was iron, his jaw locked, eyes forward as if daring anyone to speak.
They didn’t.
Not at first.
But whispers followed us down the hall. My wolf’s ears caught them all. She smells like two alphas. Did you hear her heat took both? The bond won’t survive that.
I buried my face against Kade’s chest, but the shame didn’t hide — it burned hotter because it wasn’t just shame. It was memory. My body still remembered the way they’d moved me, the way they’d pushed me past the edge until I didn’t know
