Page 225 of Scarred Alphas
Then Cosima stirs.
The movement is small. Just a slight shift in Knight's arms, her fingers curling against his chest. But it stops everyone cold.
She's waking up.
Knight goes completely still, his entire massive frame freezing mid-breath. His blue eyes widen with what looks like panic, and he adjusts his hold on her again, keeping her face pressed firmly into his shoulder.
"Cosima?" I breathe her name like a prayer.
Her head turns slightly, silver hair sliding across Knight's skin. I catch a glimpse of her face—pale, blood-smeared, but her eyes are fluttering open. Those gorgeous violet eyes that have haunted my dreams since the moment I first saw her.
"She's waking up," Nikolai breathes, raking his hands through his choppy white hair.
Cosima's lips move. No sound comes out at first, just the shape of words her brain hasn't quite connected to her voice yet. Then she makes a soft, confused noise.
Knight's growl intensifies, warning us all to stay back.
"It's okay," I say quickly, holding my hands up higher. "We're not going to hurt her. We're her pack. We love her."
The word slips out before I can stop it.
Love.
It's true. Always has been. The moment I saw her in the Alpha's Alpha, I fell completely in love with this incredible little omega. And I haven't exactly been subtle about my obsession, but I'm not sure if she's ready to hear it in those terms just yet.
Not now, not here.
Cosima's fingers flex against Knight's chest, her nails catching against the scarred tissue. She twists and pushes against him just enough to look up at his face. Knight tries to turn his face away, but it's too late.
She sees.
Her entire body goes rigid. Those violet eyes go wide, pupils contracting to pinpricks as they take in what they're seeing through his messy white hair—the exposed sharp teeth, the destroyed flesh where lips and cheeks should be, the half-torn nose, the scarred blue eyes staring down at her with desperate, broken devotion.
The sound she makes isn't quite a scream. More like all the air being punched from her lungs at once. A choked gasp of shock.
Knight's arms drop immediately, releasing her like she's made of fire. He staggers back, both hands—human and metal—flying up, drawing fresh blood as he twists away from her so she can't see his face.
Cosima staggers back, too, violet eyes wild and frightened behind her bloodied hair, pointed nails ready to slash out at him like a cat if he takes a step closer.
"Cosima, it's okay!" I plead, rushing to her side only for her to hold up her hand like she's going to take a swipe atme. My boots slide on the stone as I stop in my tracks, confused. "It's just Knight! His mask came off, that's all?—"
"Mask?" she repeats, her voice raspy, staring at me likeI'minsane.
Wait… what?
Is this another fugue state?
My own confusion wars with the need to soothe her. "What... what do you mean? His mask—" I gesture vaguely toward Knight. "The silver one. Cosima, you know him! It's Knight. Your mate…"
The absolute, uncomprehending fear in her eyes stops me cold.
She's not just shocked by his face.
She's looking at me, at all of us, the same exact way.
Oh, gods.
Her hand goes to her neck, finding the fresh bond marks there, those dazed violet eyes taking in the sticky blood now coating her fingers before staring back at us again, pupils dilating in defensive fear.
This isn't like the usual states she enters into. There's no hollowness this time.
While I'm still struggling to process what the fuck is happening, she chokes out five words that bring my world to a screeching halt.
"Who the hell are you?"
To Be Continued…
