Page 108 of Psycho Shifters
“He said to the f-f-fae qu-qu-queen.” I gnawed on my cold lip to try and stop my teeth from chattering. It wasn’t a good sign that she wanted me. My short, miserable life was looking like it was about to be way shorter and more miserable.
“What? Why?” Jax stopped running for a second and stared down at me in shock.
I gave him a small, pitiful smile, and he immediately resumed sprinting. His chest and ab muscles bunched against my skin.
“Does it have something to do with the scars covering you?” Jax asked softly, and my stomach plummeted.
Bile climbed up my throat at the reminder of my hideous scars, and I fought the urge to distance myself from Jax.
He knew. He fucking knew.
I sighed heavily and had a small pity party for myself. Then I girded my lady loins and told my truth.
“I w-w-was an indentured s-s-servant before I became an alpha. He liked to use his b-b-belt. G-G-Growing up, I was s-s-so s-small and weak. I thought I w-was a null.” I tasted blood as I gnawed on my lower lip and my chattering teeth slammed into it.
Jax didn’t say anything. The world seemed eerily quiet, even though the wind and snow shrieked around us.
“I’m an a-alpha, but I am super s-s-small and my coloring is weird. J-J-John said s-s-something about a reward, giving me to the fae queen, and that the whole realm was a lie? I honestly have n-n-no idea. I woke up after p-p-passing out from my wounds to him dragging me n-n-naked toward the portal. I swear I f-fought him off as hard as I could. H-He must have taken advantage of the s-s-spiderweb incapacitating me so he could bring me to her?”
I trailed off awkwardly as my teeth chattered uncontrollably. Apparently, fighting spider fae and almost being kidnapped by a trusted beta made me ramble. Who knew?
“I th-th-thought he was a really nice g-g-guy, and I t-t-trusted him.” I tucked my head lower in the sweatshirt hole. I couldn’t deal with Jax’s anger or rejection of me.
It would break me.
“He will pay for what he’s done. I will return and retrieve him once I bring you back.” Jax’s chest rumbled with a slight growl. The vibrations were more comforting than scary. “You are no one’s servant.”
“Thanks for b-b-believing me,” I whispered as tears welled up in my eyes.
Jax’s calm acceptance and large presence made me want to sob in his arms like a little girl. He had an aura of softness about him. Which was ironic because he was built like a boulder.
“Of course, little alpha.” He sprinted faster through the forest.
The training compound came into view, and once again, my stomach plummeted to my toes. My skin still prickled all over with pain, but the anxiety in my gut hurt worse.
“You c-c-can’t tell the other a-a-alphas, p-p-p-please,” I begged him while patting my hands against his chest to get his attention. My worry made the chattering worse, and my words were barely discernible.
“This is a major security breach and impacts the war. They need to know. I will not keep secrets from them,” Jax said calmly, and I fought the urge to sob like a baby.
Post numb emotions really sucked.
“P-P-Please, p-p-please. They don’t r-r-r-respect me now. They d-def won’t then.” My eyes burned. As my tears fell, they froze to my face, and it was hard to blink.
“They will respect you. I’ll ensure it.”
“You kn-kn-know that’s now how r-r-respect works.” I desperately tugged at his sweatshirt.
We were a few feet away from the door to the locker room.
Jax didn’t say anything.
Obviously, his loyalty to Cobra was paramount to anything I wanted, and I understood that. “F-F-Fine, but at least don’t tell them about my s-s-scars. That doesn’t change anything!” I shamelessly begged and aggressively tugged at his sweatshirt. “P-P-Please.”
Jax took a deep breath through his nose, and his lungs expanded beneath me. He stared down at me, and I looked up, giving him my most pleading face.
Since I was covered in my own blood, naked, frozen half to death, and tucked in his coat, it wasn’t hard to look pathetic.
Something in my face must have gotten to him, because Jax nodded as he entered the battle room.