Chapter 5 Chapter Five

Rosie's POV

"What are you doing here?! Get out!" Rosie snatched her shirt off the mattress and pressed it against her chest, cheeks blazing. Lucas didn't move. He just stood there, staring, his eyes wide with something between shock and disbelief.

"Get out! Please!" Her voice cracked, tears gathering hot at the corners of her eyes. Why wasn't he moving? Why was he just standing there?

"What's going on? Why's the new girl screaming?" The other two barged in with smirks already forming, but the moment their eyes landed on her, the smirks dropped clean off their faces.

"What the hell is this?" Lucas's voice went cold and flat. "Who did this to you?"

Rosie froze, clutching her shirt tighter as three sets of eyes bore into her bruised skin. Kai's question hung sharp in the air, demanding an answer she wasn't ready to give.

"It's nothing." She yanked at the blinds, trying to shield herself from their stares.

"Nothing?" Adrian's voice dropped low, disbelief threading through it as his gaze moved over the marks scattered across her ribs. "You call this nothing?"

Lucas stepped closer, slow and deliberate. "Sit down." No room for argument in his tone.

"I don't need help." Her voice cracked despite her best effort to sound steady.

"We're not asking." His jaw was tight. "You're going to sit, and I'm going to treat you. Whatever this is, it's not spreading unchecked."

"Spreading—?!" She started to protest, but the words died when she caught the real concern buried in his eyes, especially the doctor's.

Reluctantly, she perched on the edge of the bed, shirt still clutched to her chest. The other two exchanged a glance before stepping back toward the door.

"We'll give you two some space." Adrian's voice softened. "This isn't finished, Rosie."

They left, the door clicking shut behind them. Silence pressed into the room, broken only by the soft rustle of the blinds as Lucas moved closer with a medical kit pulled from his coat.

"Turn around." His voice had gone gentle now, nothing like the command from a moment ago.

She hesitated, pride warring with the ache spreading down her spine. Finally she shifted, facing away, letting her shirt drop into her lap.

His hands were steadier than she expected, careful as he cleaned the cuts and smoothed ointment over bruises she hadn't even realized had gone this dark. The sting made her breath hitch, but it was bearable. Almost soothing, the way he worked.

"Thank you." Her voice came out barely above a whisper as he began wrapping bandages around her ribs.

His hands paused for half a second before continuing. "You don't have to thank me."

She bit her lip, and the words slipped out before she could stop them. "It's not a big deal. Just something that happens when you're an omega. We don't heal fast, so things linger longer than they should."

His hands went completely still. She felt the tension roll off him in waves.

"You shouldn't have to deal with this." His voice was tight, restrained.

"It's just how things are." She shrugged like it cost her nothing to say.

"Stop." The word came out soft, almost pleading. He wasn't like Kai, rough-edged and untouchable. Lucas had a quieter kind of intensity, calm where Kai burned loud.

"It's the truth, though. You're an Alpha. You don't know what it's like from our side of things."

His hands froze against her back, and the silence between them thickened, his usual calm cracking at the edges.

"I don't need to be an omega to know this is wrong." His voice was low but firm. "Nobody deserves this. Omega or not."

She didn't answer. What was there to say? It wasn't like anything would change because he said so.

He resumed his work, fingers careful and slow as he finished the bandages. She focused on his rhythm, trying to ignore the warmth of his hands, the strange flutter low in her chest every time his fingers brushed her skin.

"What happened to you?" he asked after a long stretch of quiet, his voice softer now, almost hesitant.

"It's nothing you need to worry about." Her back was still turned to him. "This is just what it means to be an omega. You can't fix it even with everything you are. I'm not even part of your pack."

"What if I wanted to fix it? Would you let me?"

The question landed soft but heavy, and it silenced her completely. Before she could respond, something warm pressed against her back. A kiss.

Her whole body went rigid, heat rushing up her neck as her wolf stirred inside her, startled and alert.

"W-what are you doing?" Her voice came out barely a whisper.

He didn't answer right away. When he finally spoke, his voice held a certainty that made her pulse stutter.

"Mate."

The word hit her like a spark catching dry grass. She turned to face him, her heart hammering so hard she was sure he could hear it.

"Mate?" Her voice trembled. "What are you talking about? Is this some kind of joke to you?"

His eyes darkened, the calm professionalism from moments ago melting into something rawer, something that made her breath catch in her throat.

Before she could say another word, his lips found hers, gentle but certain, silencing whatever protest she might have managed. It was nothing like she'd imagined a first kiss would feel. Warm. Dizzying. Like the whole room had tilted sideways and she didn't want it to right itself.

When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against hers, both of them breathing unevenly. His eyes stayed locked on hers, dark and steady.

"Brace yourself, Rosie." His voice was quiet, but the promise underneath it was anything but. "Your life is about to change."