Chapter 4: The Scar in Memory

 

After the thriller ended along with the subsiding rain, the tense and heated atmosphere on the sofa slowly dissipated. Kieran and Seren went their separate ways to attend to their own affairs, leaving Lalisa alone with Kline in the now quiet living room.

Lalisa remained still on the sofa, her heart still not calm from the recent events. Her body was still hot and trembling from the lingering touches. She felt confused and ashamed of her own response. She hated how her body had betrayed her thoughts, yet at the same time, she couldn't deny that a deep part of her yearned for those sensations.

“Want to go for a walk on the balcony?” Kline spoke up, breaking the uncomfortable silence. “The rain has stopped. The air outside should be nice.”

Lalisa nodded obediently. She needed some fresh air to clear her muddled head.

Kline led Lalisa to the large glass door that connected to the spacious balcony outside. When the door slid open, a cool breeze carrying the scent of moisture and earth after the rain hit her face, instantly refreshing her.

The penthouse balcony was as vast as a sky garden. A set of wicker table and chairs sat in one corner, and potted plants and flowers decorated the railing beautifully. From this angle, the view of the city, illuminated by night lights, was crystal clear. The post-rain sky was clear and full of twinkling stars.

“It’s so beautiful,” Lalisa murmured, forgetting herself.

“Isn’t it?” Kline smiled faintly. “This is my favorite spot. Whenever I feel tired or confused, I like to come here and think by myself.”

They both went to lean against the railing side by side, letting the cool wind blow past them in silence. This silence was completely different from the one before. It was a calm and relaxing silence, not uncomfortable or full of pressure.

“Are you still… angry with us?” Kline asked softly, breaking the silence once more.

Lalisa turned to look at Kline, surprised. “Angry about what?”

“About what happened… on the sofa,” Kline replied, slightly avoiding Lalisa’s gaze. “I know we might have gone a bit too far.”

Kline’s words surprised Lalisa even more. She never thought that a gentle and kind Alpha like Kline would also take part in “bullying” her like Kieran and Seren. But when she recalled Kline’s light touch that had created such immense turmoil, Lalisa understood immediately that beneath that soft exterior, she was just as formidable as the others.

“I’m… not angry,” Lalisa replied softly, which was partly true. She wasn’t angry, but rather confused.

“Really?” Kline turned back to meet Lalisa’s eyes again. Her blue eyes looked more serious now. “Liz… I want you to know one thing. Whatever we do to you, it’s not because we hate you or want to hurt you. It’s all because… we love you so much.”

The word “love” coming from Kline’s mouth made Lalisa’s heart tremble violently. It was a word she had never heard from them in all the years that had passed.

“We’ve waited for this day for so long… the day we could have you by our side like this,” Kline continued, her voice tinged with sadness. “You probably don’t remember what it was like the first day we met, do you?”

The image of the past flashed clearly in Lalisa’s memory once more… That day was the worst day of her life. She had been dragged into a dark alley by a group of rogue Alphas who intended to assault and harm her. She screamed for help at the top of her lungs, but no one paid any attention. In the moment she was about to lose all hope, the tall figures of three Alphas appeared like a miracle.

Kieran, Seren, and Kline, who were just teenagers at the time, fought ferociously against the thugs without fear. They protected Lalisa behind them as if she were the most precious treasure in the world. The image of their broad, sweat-drenched backs was still etched in Lalisa’s mind to this day.

After they had dealt with the thugs, they took a battered and terrified Lalisa back to their safe house. Kline was the one who tended to her wounds with the utmost gentleness and care.

“Here…” Kline said, reaching out to touch the area above Lalisa’s left eyebrow with a light touch. “Does it still hurt?”

Lalisa flinched slightly as Kline’s cool fingertips touched the faint scar she had gotten that day. It was a very small scar, almost invisible, but for them, it must have been a constant reminder of that day’s events.

“It doesn’t hurt anymore,” Lalisa shook her head.

“But we’re still hurting,” Kline said, her voice trembling. “Every time we see this scar, it reminds us of the day we almost lost you. We’ve blamed ourselves all this time for not being able to get to you sooner.”

Tears began to well up in Kline’s blue eyes, making Lalisa’s heart sink. She had never seen this vulnerable side of Kline before.

“It wasn’t your fault at all,” Lalisa said quickly. “If it weren’t for you that day… I would have…” She couldn’t continue. The feeling of gratitude was too overwhelming to be put into words.

“That’s why we have to do everything to protect you now,” Kline said, using her thumb to wipe away a tear from the corner of her own eye. “We will never let anyone hurt you again. And we will never let you run away from us again either.”

Kline’s last sentence sent a chill down Lalisa’s spine. The feeling of gratitude from a moment ago was replaced by a sense of being bound once more.

“You are ours, Liz,” Kline said, her hand sliding from Lalisa’s cheek down to grip her neck gently, but with an underlying firmness. “You have been ours since that day. And you always will be.”

Kline’s once gentle blue eyes now shone with a clear possessiveness, no different from Kieran’s or Seren’s. Lalisa had just realized in that moment that no matter which Alpha in this group, beneath their different exteriors, they all possessed a fierce desire to own her.

The scar on her face might have faded with time, but the scar in their memory remained fresh. It was like an invisible chain that bound their fates and Lalisa’s together tightly, and it seemed it would never be broken… ever.