After that first trip to the infirmary, Logan kept a much closer eye on me. Any time someone tried to hurt me, he stepped in like my own personal guardian angel. There were still occasions when he was kept busy, but on those occasions, he would always help me to the medical building where Skye would patch me up and send me on my way.It was during one of these visits that I discovered why Logan trusted Skye around me without any protective or jealous tendencies. Skye had no interest in women, and that made him safe for me to be around."I don't have to worry about him pulling anything or trying to take you away from me." Logan had explained sending butterflies fluttering in my stomach. "You're too special for me to share."Sadly, the newfound protection was cut short when the Alpha caught on and began to actively separate us. While still infrequent, the beatings got more severe, and I was left to crawl to the medical building on my own, leaving a trail of blood."Dear God!" Skye hastil

"Father, stop!"Logan was suddenly there, pulling his dad away from me. "You could kill my pup!"He knew?My eyes popped open in shock, and I pressed a hand to the tiny baby bump under the overly large shirt I wore. How did he know? It was just a bundle of cells at this point. There wasn't even a heartbeat yet! So how?I watched as the Alpha's angry face shifted into one of surprise, and he looked down at me. I quickly averted my gaze until he looked back at Logan."Shit." He breathed. It actually sounded like he felt bad. Not for hurting me, of course, but for potentially hurting his grandpup."Take her to the healer, then come right back here." Alpha Greyson ordered. "Leah."My attendant snapped to attention. "Sir?""Take over on dinner." And with that, he left the room, calling out. "And clean this mess up!" As he went.I breathed a sigh and winced. Those broken ribs would be slow to heal, but this latest beating could be used to my advantage. I could blame the beating for a miscar

In some ways, my quality of life improved after that night. Logan held true to his promise and rarely let me out of his sight. I attended meetings with him seated on his lap, where I started to learn this pack's politics and more about the surrounding world. I ate meals the same way. My stomach couldn't hold much yet, so Logan just loaded extra onto his plate and shared it with me, feeding me one careful bite at a time.I was just happy to be getting full meals now. I wasn't going to risk upsetting him and losing my food privileges, so I wasn't about to complain.One thing that I had not expected in the slightest was for Logan to begin teaching me. I had a very basic understanding of how to read and write, but my math was terrible. He helped me with these and also taught me history, which I greatly enjoyed. Surprisingly, he also began to teach me self-defense."So you can protect our pups." Logan had explained. Fortunately, the years I had spent tackling all of the manual labor around

Skye took a breath to steady his hand and brought the scalpel to my skin.“Are you sure?”“Just do it, Skye!” I didn’t mean to snap, but I was already fighting down my trauma, and I wanted this over with before Logan came back.“Okay, okay.” The blade bit into my abdomen, opening a trail of red across the orange iodine stained skin. The pain was familiar and helped me focus on my breathing.I had chosen this. This was my choice. That thought helped me settle my panic down further, so I kept repeating it to myself like a mantra. Sky made several more overlapping incisions. Each time, the scalpel dipped further and further into the bloody cave he was opening. He moved with precision, working quickly but deliberately, brows furrowed together in concentration.“Almost there.” He murmured.A trembling breath escaped my lungs in a soundless whimper. The emotional pain was worse than the physical pain. But this was why I had requested a hysterectomy. I couldn't keep doing this. As much as I

Skye kept me under observation for the remainder of the day. He had told Logan it was to make sure I didn't relapse, but I was pretty sure that he just said that so I could rest and have some peace and quiet.It was strange to be so alone outside of the basement after years of constant abuse. I had never really had free time. Never had me time. Logan had hardly let me out of his sight for the last seven months, and his presence had become stifling. So laying on the little cot in the dark, listening to the world turn around me and feeling the ripples of energy pass over and through me, I felt like I could breathe a little bit easier.Every so often, Skye came to check on me and bring me food. His energy was soothing, like chamomile tea with honey or lavender, I came to recognize it before he even knocked.But then worry started to creep into my mind. I had never had this much time to think and just be. What if they were plotting something? What if Logan and the Alpha were thinking of s