Aelara's POV
"I'm Kael."
His voice was deep, but gentle — not like the voices I was used to. Not sharp. Not cruel.
His eyes held worry.
I didn't understand why.
I didn't know him.
He didn't know me.
Why would he care?
He was big — broad shoulders, tall enough to make the room feel smaller around him. With only one eye barely open, I could still tell he carried authority. The kind that made others step aside without question.
I tried to open my other eye, but it wouldn't cooperate. When I lifted a shaky hand to my face, my fingers brushed swollen skin.
Of course.
I remembered enough.
The lashes.
The floor.
The Beta's voice fading in and out while the pain swallowed everything else.
After that… nothing.
I shifted slightly on the bed and immediately regretted it. Fire streaked across my back, stealing my breath. I wanted to lie flat. I wanted to disappear into the mattress and not face the stranger sitting beside me, watching like I mattered.
He asked questions.
Soft ones.
Careful ones.
I didn't answer.
If the Alpha found out I'd spoken to anyone… it would only get worse. He had always made sure I stayed unseen. The pack barely knew I existed beyond "the servant girl."
Invisible.
That was safer.
I had never been in the clinic before. Never been this badly hurt. Usually I cleaned my own wounds and kept working.
Fear crawled into my chest.
What would he do when he found out I was here?
"Little one… what are you so afraid of?"
The sound of Kael's voice made something strange flutter in my stomach. I didn't understand it. I didn't like not understanding.
"You can trust me," he said quietly. "I'm not here to hurt you."
I wanted to believe him.
He sounded sincere.
But belief had gotten me hurt before.
"I can't," I whispered.
"Why? If someone's hurting you, tell me who."
I shook my head, and the movement sent pain shooting through my ribs and back. A broken sound escaped me before I could stop it.
"Easy," he said quickly. "Don't move. You'll make it worse. It's alright if you don't want to talk yet."
Why did his voice make me feel calmer?
It didn't make sense.
He spoke to me like I was a person. Not a problem. Not dirt. Not something to be used or punished.
He looked at me.
Really looked.
Panic jolted through me when I realized my arms were uncovered. Instinctively, I tried to hide them, folding them across my chest. Old scars mapped my skin — things I never wanted anyone to see.
His gaze dropped immediately, giving me privacy without being told.
"Are you cold?" he asked.
He stood and carefully pulled a blanket up over me, lifting it so it wouldn't brush my back.
"How's that?"
I nodded. "Thank you," I whispered. I wasn't good with words, but I knew gratitude when I felt it.
"Can I get you anything else?"
I shook my head.
Exhaustion dragged at me, but fear lingered. What if the Alpha came storming in? What if they dragged me out again?
I peeked through my one open eye.
Kael was still there.
Watching — but not in the way that made me want to hide.
For the first time in a long time, I didn't feel like prey.
My eye slid closed and slept.