Marcus pov
I sat in the back seat of my father's car, acutely aware of the small, trembling figure beside me. Lily hadn't said a word since we had left her uncle's house, just sat pressed against the opposite door like she was trying to disappear into the upholstery.
Tears streamed silently down her pale cheeks, and I felt something twist painfully in my chest every time I glanced at her. My wolf—Storm, named after my father's wolf—was going absolutely insane, demanding we comfort our mate, protect her, claim her.
But my human side was a mess of conflicting emotions I didn't know how to process.
She was so small. So broken-looking. The bruises on her arms made my hands clench into fists, and the fresh cut on her cheek—barely healed, probably from today—made me want to go back to that h
