SCARRED OMEGA

Chapter 3.

“Please,” I whispered, my voice cracking.

I tried to shift. I tried to call my wolf, to get my claws, my teeth, anything. But the Alpha’s presence was a crushing weight, a command that pinned my Omega nature down, terrified and useless. I was trapped in my human skin.

In a split second it was across the clearing. The world blurred and it was right in front of me. I was staring at its chest, smelling damp fur and a strange sharp scent.

I looked up into those red eyes. I still couldn’t see who was behind them.

It lifted its arm. Its paw was huge, the claws long and curved and black.

“No, wait—”

It didn’t hesitate. Its arm swung down.

I saw the claws coming. I couldn’t even flinch.

There was a sound, a wet tearing noise, like ripping thick canvas. Then a hot, sharp pain exploded across my face in a single swipe.

The Alpha looked at me for a second. Then it turned and vanished into the shadows, its huge form disappearing between the trees.

The second it was gone, the crushing weight lifted. My wolf rushed to the surface, furious and scared.

Then the pain overwhelmed me, I couldn't hold it in. A scream tore out of me, loud and raw. I stumbled back, my hands flying up. My fingers touched deep, wet gashes. Blood, hot and slick, poured down my skin, over my lips, dripping off my chin.

"No, no, no," I choked out, pressing my palms against the wounds. It didn't help. The blood just seeped between my fingers.

My eyes were wide, staring at nothing. I was in pure shock.

That's when I heard shouts.

"Whoa, what was that?"

"Over there!"

"Is someone hurt?"

A crowd of students appeared at the edge of the clearing. They must have heard the scream. They were just silhouettes against the distant dorm lights at first, then their faces came into view.

They froze when they saw me.

"Oh my god," a girl whispered, her hand flying to her mouth.

"Is that Peach?" someone else said.

I stumbled back, pressing my hands to my face. The blood just kept coming, warm and sticky.

“Heal,” I whispered into my palms, my voice trembling. “Come on, heal.”

I focused, trying to feel the familiar pull under my skin, the warmth that usually stitched me back together. Nothing happened. Just the steady, hot drip between my fingers.

Panic squeezed my chest. “Please,” I mumbled. “Please, please, please.”

I tried again, squeezing my eyes shut. “Heal. Just heal!”

But the gashes stayed open.

The air still felt thick and wrong from the Alpha’s presence. It prickled on their skin.

Leo rubbed his arms. “Whoa, do you guys feel that?” he muttered.

A few others nodded. For a second, several pairs of eyes in the group flashed a bright, nervous yellow, their own wolves reacting to the leftover threat in the air. The glow quickly faded, leaving everyone looking surprised and shocked again.

Then they all stared at me.

“Look at her face,” Sherpa said, her voice hushed with horror.

Another girl took a step back. “It’s… it’s really bad.”

“It’s all ripped open,” someone whispered.

“Is she gonna be okay? Why isn’t she healing?”

“It’s all ripped open,” someone whispered.

A phone camera flashed, startling me. Then another. The bright lights made me flinch.

Hidden behind the crowd, Annie lowered her phone, she watched Peach flee, feeling a pang of shock, and beneath it, a guilty, cold relief.

She had taken pictures of Peach and immediately rushed to post them with an anonymous account with a clear satisfaction in her glare.

I couldn’t take it. The stares, the whispers, the flashing lights. I turned and ran, crashing through the underbrush, leaving the clearing behind.

Tears mixed with the blood on my cheeks. Why didn’t you come? I thought, my heart breaking worse than my skin. Isaac, why didn’t you meet me?

I ran until my lungs burned. I ducked behind the old science building, slumping against the cold brick wall. My whole face was throbbing.

I slid down to the ground, pressing the heel of my hand against a deep gash. The tears wouldn't stop.

"He would have been there," I let out a choked sob.

"He would have smelled that Alpha. He would have stopped it." I could almost see it, Isaac stepping in front of me, his own wolf rising to meet the threat. He was strong enough.

"But I made him hate me," I mumbled, wiping blood and tears from my jaw with a trembling hand. "I pushed him away. I was so stupid.

"I needed him," I said to no one, the words barely a breath. "And I was too proud to just say it. And now... now look at me.”

I hugged my knees tighter, my whole body shaking

Then I heard footsteps, fast and urgent, slapping against the pavement of the nearby path.

I flinched, pressing myself harder against the wall, terrified it was the Alpha coming back to finish the job.

"Peach?"

The voice was familiar.

I looked up, my vision swimming. It was Isaac. His face was pale in the dim light, his eyes wide with horror.

"Oh, god, Peach," he breathed, rushing over. He didn't hesitate. He crouched down in front of me, his hands hovering, unsure where to touch. "What happened? Who did this?"

I just shook my head, a sob escaping. "It was an Alpha. I don't know who."

The words tumbled out, mixed with tears. "Where were you?" I cried, looking up at him. My voice was raw and shaky. "I waited. I texted you. I was at the tree and you weren't there!"

I couldn't stop. The fear and hurt poured out. "If you had been there... maybe it wouldn't have happened. Why didn't you come?"

I was a mess, bloody, sobbing, and yelling at him. But I couldn't hold it in. "I was so scared," I whispered, breaking down. "And you weren't there."

"Shhh, it's okay. You're safe now," he said, his voice soft. He didn't seem to care about the blood getting on his clothes. He gently pulled my hands away from my face to look at the wounds. His expression tightened, but he didn't look away in disgust. "We need to get you cleaned up. Can you stand?"

"I... I don't know."

"Here, lean on me." He slid an arm carefully around my back and helped me to my feet. I wobbled, and he held me steady. "I've got you. I won't let go."

He started walking me slowly out of the alley, back toward the dorm lights. My legs felt like jelly, but his support was solid.

"Just keep looking at me, okay?" he said, his voice a low, steady murmur beside me. "Don't think about anything else. One step at a time. You're safe with me.”

After a few steps, her knees gave out.

"I can't," she whispered. "I can't walk."

Without a word, Isaac bent down and scooped her up in his arms. She rested her head against his chest, her eyes closing.

"Thank you," she mumbled. "Thank you for coming."

He held her close. "Of course, Peach."

She couldn't see his face. But if she had looked up, she would have caught a dangerous glare of satisfaction on his face.

His eyes drifted down to her face, to the three deep gashes he had put there less than an hour ago. The blood was still wet, still dripping. He watched a drop fall from her chin onto his shirt.

Perfect, he thought. The smile tugged at his lips again.

He carried her toward the dorm, his voice still gentle. "You're going to be okay.”

His thumb rubbed small circles on her arm.

The same hand that had been a clawed paw in the darkness.

"You just rest," he whispered, glancing down at her ruined face one more time. The satisfaction was warm in his chest. "I'll take care of you.”

He carried her up the dorm steps, her weight nothing in his arms. Her blood smeared against his shirt, warm and sticky.

"Almost there," he said softly.

Peach just nodded against his chest, too weak to speak. Her eyes stayed closed.

Isaac pushed through the front door with his shoulder and walked down the hall to her room. He stopped outside her door.

"Where's your key?" he asked.

"Pocket," she mumbled.

He shifted her weight carefully, sliding his hand into her jeans pocket. His fingers brushed against the small metal key. He pulled it out, unlocked the door, and pushed it open.

He carried her inside and laid her gently on the bed. She curled up immediately, her hands still pressed to her face.

"I'll get towels," he said. "And water. Stay still."

She nodded weakly.

He moved to the small bathroom, turning on the faucet. While the water ran, he looked at himself in the mirror. His own reflection stared back. Calm and composed.

He smiled.

Then he grabbed a clean towel, wet it, and walked back to her.

Peach looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. "Thank you, Isaac. I'm so sorry. For everything. For how I treated you."

He sat on the edge of the bed. "Don't talk about that now."

He gently pressed the warm towel against her wounds. She winced but didn't pull away.

"I was so stupid," she whispered. "I played games with you. With everyone. And look what happened."

"Shh." His voice was soft. "It's not your fault."

He cleaned the blood from her face, revealing the deep gashes underneath. Three lines. Permanent. Just like Annie said they wouldn't heal.

He tilted her chin up gently, studying his work in the dim light.

"There," he said quietly. "All clean."

Peach looked at him, her eyes full of gratitude. "You came for me. Even after everything. You came."

He smiled at her. Warm. Gentle.

"Of course I did," he said.

He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, right between two of the scars.

"I'll always come for you, Peach."

Her eyes fluttered closed, exhaustion finally pulling her under.

Isaac sat there for a long moment, watching her sleep. Her face was ruined.

Just like she deserved.

He stood up slowly and looked down at her one last time. The blood on his shirt was drying now, turning brown.

He pulled out his phone. A new post was already trending on campus. Pictures of Peach in the clearing. Bloody, screaming and ruined.

He scrolled through the comments.

What happened to her?

She's so ugly now.

Good. She deserved it.

Isaac smiled again. He typed one comment under an anonymous name, then slipped the phone back in his pocket.

He walked to the door, paused, and looked back at her sleeping form.

"Sweet dreams, Peach."

He clicked the door shut behind him.

Peach slept on, unaware of the monster who had just tucked her in.