Chapter 7

I quickly did my business, but I didn’t stand up right away. I stayed seated for a moment, my thoughts spinning. I needed to get a hang of myself.

I couldn’t let kindness distract me. No matter how gentle Kellan was, I was still a prisoner here. I didn’t know what these people were capable of. Letting my guard down now could come back to bite me hard later.

Besides, I was still mated to Kaden. His mark was bold on my neck, a painful reminder of a mate I never asked for. No matter what I did, that mark would remain stamped on me like a curse.

I could never forget the night he bit me. It was brutal… forced. I almost died that night. He didn’t just bite me, he sank his teeth in deep, holding on long enough to make sure the bond stuck. His scent mixed with mine, binding us.

I hated every second of it.

As long as I bore his bite, I was still his. And anyone, whether Alpha or omega could look at me and know I already had a mate. An Alpha mate at that.

I let out a shaky breath and pushed myself up slowly, not rushing. My leg was in a brace, so I leaned on it for support, panting slightly from the effort. I stayed still for a few second and when the pain eased, I limped toward the sink.

There was a mirror above it, and the moment I looked into it, I winced.

My left eye was swollen and bruised, my bottom lip was cracked, and my hair was a complete mess. I looked terrible. No wonder Kellan and Lucian had stared at me the way they did. I couldn’t even wash up properly, if I wanted to, not with the bandages wrapped around my body.

I reached up to adjust my hair, but something else caught my attention.

My butt.

I froze and shifted slightly to the side to get a better view and screamed.

The hospital gown I was wearing was wide open in the back, barely held together by two flimsy strings.

Oh my moon goddess!

Just as I screamed, the door burst open and Kellan barged in, panic on his face. “What’s going on? Are you okay?!”

“Get out!” I screamed again, grabbing the pack of wipes on the sink and throwing it at him. “GET OUT!”

But he didn’t budge.

He looked at me, confused, concerned, and still walking toward me.

I didn’t even let him speak. I started tossing everything I could reach, more wipes, a roll of tissue, anything. “I said get out! Don’t come any closer!”

Finally, he backed away and out of the room, closing the door behind him. His face was full of confusion and I’m pretty sure he must have thought that I was out of my mind.

“What the actual hell!?” I hissed, turning back to the mirror, my hands in my hair.

That gown! What kind of ridiculous design was that?

Had I been lying half-naked this whole time?

Thank the Moon my back was pressed to the bed earlier, so maybe Lucian didn’t see anything… but Kellan? He carried me. He touched me. His bare hands were probably on my exposed back, and I didn’t even notice because I was too busy fantasizing about his damn muscles like a stupid, horny she-wolf.

I groaned, tugging at my hair in frustration.

A knock on the door made me jump. I froze, staring at the door like it had personally offended me.

“How the hell am I supposed to face him now?”

“Did he see everything? Did he notice my bare butt?”

Gods, this was beyond embarrassing.

“Just leave me alone!” I whined, voice full of shame.

“What’s going on in there? Are you alright? Do you want me to get the doctor? I just need to know you’re okay.”

I stared at the mirror, cheeks burning. There was no way I was letting him in again. Not while I was still half-naked in this awful excuse for a gown.

I walked slowly to the door and gave it a light knock from the inside.

“What the hell just happened in there?” Kellan asked immediately. His voice was slightly breathless… and honestly, a little too hot for my current situation.

I cleared my throat. “Can you please get me a shirt and some shorts to wear? This hospital gown is really uncomfortable. I badly need a change of clothes.”

“What? You don’t feel comfortable in a hospital gown, but you’ll feel better in a shirt and shorts?” he replied. I could already imagine the confused expression on his face. “That doesn’t even make sense.”

“Just get me the clothes, Kellan,” I said through clenched teeth.

He sighed. “It won’t be easy for the doctor to check your wounds if you’re fully dressed. Until you’re healed enough, you need to stay in that gown. In the end, we’ll probably have to cut it off again, just like when you were brought in.”

My brows pulled together.

“We?” I asked slowly, standing up straight. “What do you mean we cut it off?”

“Yeah,” he said, like it was no big deal. “We had to cut off the clothes you were wearing so the doctor could access your wounds. What, you think he could treat you while your clothes were still on?”

“Wait… we?” I repeated, my voice rising. “You mean, you and Lucian?”

“Who else would it be?” he answered casually. “See, we’re in the middle of the night, and I need to sleep. Can I please just come in, get you back to bed, and go rest? I’ve got a long day ahead. You also need to rest.”

He spoke like he hadn’t just shattered every ounce of dignity I had left.

I was still embarrassed about him seeing my butt, meanwhile, he had already seen everything and not just him…

Lucian too.

Lucian saw me completely naked.