Painted Scars By Neva Altaj Novels & Stories

Alaina Trying to sync with Adrian Martinez was like trying to catch smoke with bare hands. Every time I thought I understood him, he slipped through my grasp, his mood shifting like shadows under moonlight. One minute, he seemed open to cooperation, the next, cold and unreadable. But I was done second-guessing his intentions. Whatever his true motives were, I had one of my own: to see this pack stand tall again. Today marked the long-awaited Pack Games, an annual spectacle held in the Grand Meadow. It was still early, the sun barely brushing the horizon yet sleep had already slipped through my fingers.

"No way! Natalie's the one who sold her kidney," Evelyn snapped, shoving Natalie aside to inspect me. "She has lost a kidney," the leader confirmed. "Taking the other would kill her." Just as Evelyn's hand reached for me, Natalie cried out and collapsed, revealing a prominent scar on her abdomen. "Go ahead and take her to the hospital. She is faking to win your love." Evelyn flinched, rushing back to check Natalie's scar. "I almost fell for her trick. Don't worry. I'm taking you to the hospital now."

The girl in the mirror standing opposite me was a girl broken and recombined with the improper pieces. "Pathetic," I muttered to myself. And I grinned. Cold, empty thing that it was, with no regard for the girl that once was me. Because what I discovered, Jake and Cassandra didn't kill me. Victoria didn't, either. They just provided justification for waking the hell up. I removed my makeup and cotton brushes wiped away like discarding the old me. I looked again and caught sight of something new in my eyes. Peace of anger. Hunger. "No more tears," I told myself. "Time they're sorry for all of this."

The kind that happens when something enters a room that nobody was prepared for. I go still. I don’t look at anyone. I stare at the wall directly in front of me and I breathe, slowly, through my nose, and I feel the air on my back and I know exactly what they can see and I don’t move a single muscle. The scars don’t lie. They never have. They’re not the clean, faded kind that can be explained away as childhood accidents or a medical procedure. They’re the kind that have a story, and the story is ugly, and every woman in this room is currently reading it whether they want to or not.

Then, we can talk. ******* Two days later, a package arrives. It’s big, wrapped in brown paper, with my name written in Nila’s messy handwriting. I put it on my desk, trace the letters with my finger, and rip the paper open. It’s a painting. A naked woman kneels in a field of ruins and ashes, her back arched, arms lifted slightly toward the stormy sky. Her black hair blows in the wind, partly covering her face. A long black spear is stuck in her chest, and red paint drips down her body. A vulture sits on the end of the spear, waiting.

Maize was proud of herself for not reacting to the scars covering just about every inch of her friend. Even so, just like the night she first saw them, Maize couldn’t help but notice how graceful and delicate the scars were. She knew now that it was Misty’s mom, known for being amongst the finest artists in the territory, who made a point of turning the scars into something beautiful. Almost like tattoos, they flowed across her body like a beautiful painting. Thankfully Ayla was put to sleep while the work was done. What would’ve otherwise been a collection of horror, was instead very pleasing to the eye once the initial shock and revulsion was overcome. “Ayla, just lay there and relax for a

Now I am a threat to her. “No, I want to leave it,” I said, laying back down. “Are you sure?” he said. “Yes, how did you do that, by the way? I thought she could do it because she was a witch,” I said. “Well, demons hate having scars or any beautification on their body because it makes them feel unattractive, so we have the power to clear the scars that bother us,” he said. No wonder Alma is so full of herself. The first day I met her, I low key admired her skin. She has such clear and gorgeous skin and I thought she was beautiful, but obviously she is very rotten to the core.

She was upset about being hit over the back of the head. Nueva sighed; she wanted to agree with Eira because she was upset too. But glancing at his beautiful sleeping face looking innocent and boyish, her heart didn't want to listen to her brain. The dark stubble on his relaxed jawline looked thicker, and Nueva caught herself thinking about how it would feel to have it tickle her most private parts. Under one of his eyebrows, she could see a pale scar stretching down past his eyelid. She hadn't noticed it before now. Alpha Gray's short dark hair was perfectly styled even in his sleep, and Nueva instinctively tried tangling her fingers through her bird nest-like hair and sighed- if only she w

And now that we had seen the scars that covered her body, it was obvious that Lena had plenty of reasons to be fearful of Alphas. I mean, although she had never come out and said it, but seeing those scars she had, well, it explained her fear the day we had told her our father wanted to meet her. I would be willing to bet that an Alpha had given her those scars. I got to work doing Lena’s makeup, and I watched in amazement as I set about enhancing Lena’s features, without making her look like a call girl or a floozy. Lena had a natural elegance about her, and her features didn’t take much to enhance and make her natural good looks shine through.

“Okay, she is my ex-girlfriend. I still love her and it’s makes me angry to see her happy with another man but me.“ “Oh okay, I understand. Should I drive you to your lodge or not?!” Jack asked. “No need, I’m okay.” Jayden answered. Jayden’s nose did not stop bleeding. Unlike Frank, he’s pretty face was a little disfigured and in pain. However, he insisted he was alright to drive himself back.