All Chapters of The Alpha’s Scarred Healer: Chapter 1 - Chapter 6

The blow landed across my cheek with a crack that split through my skull.I hit the floor hard, and my body folded in on itself. My mouth wouldn’t give room for any screams. My hands wouldn’t lift to fight. I had learned to become his silent punching bag a long time ago. My cheek throbbed against the hardwood. Copper flooded my mouth, and yet I didn’t move. I could only focus on my breathing.As long as I continued breathing, I would be fine.Lucan stood over me for a second. Maybe two, I couldn’t tell what was what anymore.He didn’t offer me any words; he had stopped doing that a long time ago. He straightened the cuff of his shirt, exhaled once through his nose like I was an inconvenience finally handled, and turned away. The door clicked shut quietly behind him. My body still refused to move.The pain started slowly at first and then festered until I could feel it everywhere. I lifted a finger to my face. The heat from the contact made me hiss, and the familiar swelling made me

My fingers froze on the edge of the scarf. One heartbeat. Two. I lifted my gaze to his slowly, hoping that permanently scarring my skin was enough for me not to end up in my own pool of blood beside the last person. The guard didn’t even flinch.With surprisingly steady hands, I unwrapped the scarf.Cool air hit the ruined skin on my neck. The guard’s eyes dropped to it fast. He stared at the blistered mess, the uneven texture, and the angry red that still wept in places. His jaw tightened, and then his brows pulled together. I could read the pity in his eyes.He didn’t speak.Xena stepped beside me, her shoulders brushing mine. Her hands trembled once at her sides before she clenched them. Tears welled in her blue eyes, but she blinked hard, fighting them back. Her voice came out ragged.“My sister… she was attacked on the road here. We barely made it. The journey was long and cruel, but we chose Bloodfang because we heard this pack was strong, ordered, and safe.” She swallowed har

The square still felt unreal.One second, I had been standing on the edge of death, hand pressed to my stomach, Xena’s blue eyes locked on mine like she could will me back from the blade. The next, Alpha Dimitri’s voice had cut through everything.And now the guards had let me go.My arms felt strangely light without their grip. My knees wanted to buckle, but I locked them. I was still breathing and still standing. The crowd murmured around me, shifting, uncertain what to do with the woman who should have died but hadn’t.Then Xena was running.She pushed past the guards who had held her moments ago, shoving bodies out of her way without apology. She reached me in seconds and crashed into me, arms wrapping so tight I felt the air leave my lungs. Her heart hammered against mine. Her hands moved frantically — over my shoulders, my arms, my face — checking for damage like a warrior assessing a battlefield.“Are you hurt?” The words tumbled out fast, overlapping each other. “Did they touc