When He Saw Me

Chapter Five: When He Saw Me

Nora’s POV

I thought I could get out.

I thought if I just ran fast enough, far enough, maybe no one would notice I was gone.

But I was wrong.

Because before I could reach the edge of the woods, a voice cut through the silence like a blade.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

My heart stopped.

My body froze in its place as I slowly turned around.

Axel towered over me, bristling with anger; his eyes shone like embers in the moonlight. The way he was looking at me made my chest tighten.

He wasn’t just angry.

He was furious.

"Did you think you could lie to me and just walk out like nothing happened?" he growled, advancing toward me. "You think you can leave when your secrets have been exposed?"

I stepped backwards, my voice barely above a whisper. “I didn’t mean to—”

“Don’t lie to me again, Nora.” His tone was cutting. “The guards told me. You had dealings with the elders. You’re not just some fragile stray.

“That’s not true,” I whispered, my eyes already stinging with tears. “You don’t understand…”

“Then enlighten me.” His tone was rough, but beneath it I caught something else — something confused. Wounded. “Did you really think you could make a fool out of me?”

I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. What was I supposed to say? That I was the shame of my old pack? That the elders hurt me and used me then blamed me for it?

Would he even believe me?

Axel reached for me and grasped my arm — not cruelly, but controlling. “If you didn’t suffer for your crimes there,” he said with chilling indifference, “you will here.”

And just like that, I knew I had no choice.

He dragged me back into the house, his grip firm, his jaw clenched tight. I didn’t resist. What was the use?

But my heart was racing.

And I was terrified.

Not of him.

But of what he might think once he saw everything.

He pushed open the door to a quiet room and shut it behind us.

I stood near the wall, hugging myself.

He turned to face me, his eyes sharp. “Take it off.”

I blinked. "What?"

“Your clothes.” His voice was flat. “You said you weren’t lying. Prove it. Show me what you’re hiding.”

My mouth became dry.

“Now.”

My fingers shook as I slowly tugged off the loose top I wore. The fabric fell to the floor, and I just stood there- afraid even to breathe.

I turned around.

And I heard it.

The sharp, painful silence.

His breath caught.

For now he saw them.

The scars.

So many.

Across my back, my shoulders, my sides. Some were faint and healed; others were fresh and red.

I waited for him to say something.

But he didn't.

He left the room.

My heart sank.

I bent down and swiftly picked up my shirt, holding it against my chest. Shame burned through me.

I knew this would happen.

He'd seen what I really was, and he had walked out: damaged, broken, disgusting.

But then…

Again, the door opened.

He returned.

And in his hand was a small white box.

He said nothing.

He just walked towards me, opened the box, and kneeled in front of me.

“Sit,” he said softly.

I sat.

Still shaking.

Still afraid.

He pulled out antiseptic, cotton, and bandages. His hands reached toward me, then stopped. "I'm going to clean it," he said. "It might sting."

I nodded.

He began.

He didn’t hurry.

He didn’t ask any questions.

He didn't look away.

His fingers were warm, surprisingly gentle as they dabbed at a deep scar near my waist.

I had flinched a little.

"Who did this to you?" he asked, his voice low but trembling with anger.

My lips quivered, and my eyes stung with fresh tears.

I hesitated… and whispered: "Alpha Kade."

He froze.

His hands, which had been so gently smoothing bandages onto my arms, stilled. His jaw clenched, his eyes probing mine.

“What did you say?”

I couldn’t bite the pain back anymore. My voice broke. “It wasn’t the elders. It was him. Kade.”

A long silence fell between us. His face was inscrutable — but his shoulders were stiff, his body rigid like he was holding himself back.

I looked down at my hands, ashamed, and my voice barely above a whisper. "We were in a secret relationship. Since I was fifteen.

His breath hitched, but he said nothing.

I forced the next words out, though they burned like acid on my tongue. "He said. he said I owed him. For not banishing me when I was younger. For letting me stay in the pack. He made me think he loves me"

I could feel him staring at me, but I couldn't meet his eyes.

"He said he loved me. That one day he'd announce me as his mate," I whispered, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. "I believed him. Like a fool, I believed every word.

My voice cracked again. "But he never meant it. When Clara turned of age… he chose her instead. My best friend. He claimed her publicly, like I was nothing. Just a mistake he needed to bury."

His fists clenched tightly at his sides.

Tears streamed down my cheeks, silent and hot. “After that… after I asked why… he changed. He told me I was lucky he hadn't thrown me to the rogues. Said if I ever told anyone, he'd make sure no one believed me."

I paused, then added, voice breaking, “And he was right. No one would’ve. I was just an orphan. A nobody. He was Alpha.”

He took a deep breath, but it sounded shaky. Uncertain.

Then he leaned in close again. He dipped the cloth in warm water, wringing it out thoroughly before placing it on a bruise on my shoulder. His touch was different now. It wasn't clinical anymore, wasn't cold. Gentle. Careful. Like I would break beneath his hands.

"Why did you not tell me before?" he growled.

I swallowed. "Would you have heard me?" I finally met his gaze, eyes burning with unshed tears. "Would anyone?

He did not say anything.

His silence spoke volumes.

My chest ached. "He said I threw myself at him. That I seduced him. That I was jealous and desperate for Clara."

His hands stilled again.

"I was sixteen," I whispered. "I didn't even know what I was getting myself into. I thought… I thought I was in love. But it was all a lie."

He looked at me then. Really looked at me. And something shifted in his eyes.

Anger was still there, yes-but it wasn't directed at me.

What replaced it was worse.

Pain.

Guilt.

Regret.

He lifted his hand slowly and brushed a tear from my cheek with the back of his fingers. He tucked an errant bit of hair behind my ear, and I shuddered.

Not from fear.

But in something new.

Warmth.

He took a shaky breath. "They said you were feral. That you tried to seduce the elders in order to usurp his power. That you were dangerous.”

A sob caught in my throat. "I was just a girl. I didn't want power. I just wanted to be loved."

His hand hovered over the edge of my face. His thumb stroked along my cheek once more.

Then, he slowly made me wrap my arms around his chest - as if he wasn't sure I would let him do it.

I tensed.

My body froze in shock, but his arms were strong, steady, and safe.

I had not felt safe in years.

And then I fell apart.

Those sobs tore from my chest like water from a burst dam. I burrowed my face in his shirt, my hands clawing at the fabric as I cried. Ugly, broken crying that had been locked inside me since I was a kid.

He didn't say a word.

He didn't judge.

He just held me.

One arm was clutched tightly around my waist, while the other drew slow, comforting circles across my back. His chin came to rest lightly against my hair, and for the first time in so long, I let myself fall apart in someone's arms.

I did not know if he fully believed me.

I had no idea if this spoke to anything more than that it brought comfort. But in that small, quiet room, something shifted. For the first time in years, I wasn't alone. And for the first time since Alpha Kade broke me… Someone held me like I was worth saving.