Chapter 25: Old Scars

AVA

I winced at Callum’s voice. I knew the situation couldn’t be avoided, we had to talk about it sooner or later. But that didn’t mean I wanted to.

I let my eyes fall closed as I sat back in my chair.

“You’ve now all seen the scars on my back and my legs,” I started, voice low. “Since I’ve had my wolf since I was thirteen, I assume you’ve all put two and two together to say that the scars are from before I had Artemis.”

They all nodded.

“I came here as an orphan when I was nine, as you all know. Even then, Artemis was protecting us by hiding her scent. Even before you shift for the first time, all werewolves smell like werewolves, it’s just less distinctive. Because Artemis can shield our scent, it was like I didn’t have one. That led to people assuming that actually my adoptive parents had taken in a human or a cursed child. I was bullied incessantly for that, and it’s not like Artemis or I could do anything about it because I couldn’t talk to her until I was thirteen.”

I stood, wal