tender

Zander’s POV

“You are fucking terrifying her Chris, go for a run and calm the fuck down.” My unspoken words seem to pull him back. We are both beyond livid about the abuse she has obviously suffered, but Max is the wilder of our wolves and he is out for blood. The only way to calm him is to let him free in the woods.

“I’ll be back soon.” He replies before almost ripping the door from the frame and shifting into his monstrous, pitch black wolf. He leaps from the back deck into the woods and disappears from sight in seconds.

Liberty wobbles on her feet and I catch her in my arms just before she hits the floor. My heart races when she buries her face against chest and her silent tears soak my t-shirt. Caleb is beside himself with joy, only because she isn’t fighting me to put her down.

“Let me help you little one.” My pleas seem to fall on deaf ears as I take the stairs two at a time, back to her bathroom. Christian and I have had this room ready for years. Since we realised we would share a mate we agreed we couldn’t live with splitting her between us, we would both be with her all the time.

I plant her feet on the floor in the recess of the floor under the shower.

“Lift your arms.” I take the hem of the t-shirt and lift it up slowly.

“I won’t touch you until you want me to, I only want to look after you.” I reassure her gently. Her arms lift above her head. I have to fight to keep Caleb at bay as my eyes take in the vivid green and yellow bruises that litter her thighs, the fucker has left his teeth marks all over her soft, pale skin. As I peel the top higher I fight with my body not to show my natural reaction to having her so close, so exposed. Her ribs are clearly visible beneath her almost translucent skin, silver and pink marks wrap around her tiny body, scars from being beaten with a chain.

“Turn.” I tell her after discarding the top on the floor at the top of the steps. When she is finally facing away from me, the anger I’ve been holding down bubbles up onto my face. Her back is divided by the nodules of her spine, more silver and pink scars cut across from one side to the other. I carefully take hold of her hair, without touching her skin, and place it over her shoulder so I can see all of her. Her hands have moved to cover her breasts and most privet area, and her body trembles and rocks as I survey the damage. Sixty seven lashes across her back. I make a mental note, Kendrick will suffer a pain worse than death for every single injury I see on her body. I wave my hand in front of the sensor and warm water tumbles from the ceiling.

“It’s so warm and tickles.” A hint of a smile pushes past her embarrassment.

“Of course, haven’t you ever had a shower.” I ask, perplexed by her statement of the obvious.

“Not since I was very small. Kendrick would just chuck a bucket of cold water at me, scrub me with a rough brush, soak me again and leave me. I forgot how nice the warm water feels.” She moves to stand directly under the water and tips her head back. He did what! My fists clench by my sides, I bite back the rage I feel towards that sick son of a bitch. I can’t let her see the blistering infuriation threatening to erupt. Not when she is letting her guard down. Right now, the first priority needs to be her wellbeing, I’ll bottle my need for vengeance and save it for when I peel the flesh off his bones.

“Can I wash your back?” I let her see me take one of those net fluffy things women seem to like so much. I know she will appreciate the barrier between her skin and my touch. My body aches with the need to hold her, to feel her skin on mine. I’m soaked from head to toe, my T-shirt pulls against my skin as I move, my jeans heavy and stiff against my body.

She looks over her shoulder and examines my face with her wary doe eyes for a moment before nodding permission.

“Let me know if it hurts.” I lather some soap in the thing and start at her shoulders. Her body stiffens and she holds her breath as I work with a feather light touch across her shoulders. Soapy water runs down her back and converges before trickling between her cheeks. Goddess, help me. If she wasn’t so frail I was sure she would break, I would be having an even harder time keeping my instincts at bay. Her body relaxes as I make my way lower, trying to avoid the lashes that still look quite fresh. As werewolves our bodies usually heal so much quicker than this. The doc isn’t sure if the weapon was dipped in wolfsbane, made of silver, or her malnourished state is delaying her healing, possibly a combination of the three. I move to her arms then start making my way around her ribs. Her body tenses slightly but she makes no move to stop me.

“Is this ok?” I whisper into her ear as I take a step closer so I can reach around without touching her. She swallows deeply and nods her head. I pull her hair to her back and work the suds over her collar bone, a gentle sweep over and around each breast, then down to her tummy. I don’t know if she realises when she leans against me, but I’m not about to draw her attention to it. A hesitant hand covers my own as I draw closer to her intimate area. She holds over the top of my hand, and I relinquish all control to her as she works the lather between her legs and onto her inner thighs. Her intoxicating scent takes my breath away. Her head falls back against my chest, her eyes closed and the stress and anxiety that have been etched on her face since she first woke up, are no longer there.