His Worst Behavior

Chapter Twenty-Three

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE - A TRUE FRIEND

It's about time a familiar face returned, am I right?

That was exactly what happened within the next two days. 

I was situated on a couch in the living room, drinking a cup of green tea to calm my nerves, while flipping through a book. The front door suddenly opened with a creak, alerting me. When I looked up, I expected to see another warrior of the Monclaw Pack - lately, it was just a revolving door of warriors. 

But, instead, it was someone who I wasn't sure if I would ever see again. 

Scarlett.

She collapsed against the doorframe, inhaling deeply. Her red hair was matted to her sweaty forehead, her clothes were ripped and stained, blood oozed from recent wounds. She had one hand pressed firmly against her rib-cage and her other hand trembling above a thigh wound. 

Her brown eyes met mine.

A weak smile came onto her face. "I'm back."

"Scarlett?" I breathed, leaping from the couch. She started sliding down the doorframe in exhaustion, but I was there fast, grabbing her. I provided enough support for her to stay standing. A groan escaped her lips from the little movement. 

She tilted her head back, blinking at me for a moment. It was almost as if she couldn't get her vision to clear. She lifted a hand, brushing her fingertips against the ends of my hair. "Hey, you cut your hair - you look good, babe."

"Come on, let's sit you down," I responded, ushering her to the couch. When she gently sat down, I straightened to my feet in a panic. "I need to go grab Julius -"

"No, wait," she blurted, snatching my hand. "Stay for a minute."

"Scarlett, you're bleeding," I persisted, concerned. "Who did this to you?"

"Who do you think?" she retorted, giving me a look. "Roarke." My stomach dropped. My vision swayed. Roarke had done this to her. My eyes skimmed her broken, bleeding body in horror. She inhaled through her nose, before wincing in pain. "The only reason I'm still alive is because Rudy stepped in and I managed to escape."

"Rudy saved you?"

Her eyes softened. "He did." She had a quick lapse of emotion, before she cleared her throat and huffed, becoming cold once again. "He put his life on the line for mine. What an idiot."

I noticed there was a severe amount of blood oozing from her thigh. I quickly pressed my hands to the wound without a second thought, applying pressure. She chomped down on her bottom lip, muffling her scream of pain. "Why aren't your wounds healing?"

"Because, they're from an Alpha," Scarlett hissed, gritting her teeth together. When her eyes locked with mine, she flashed a confident grin. "Don't look so scared, babe. I'm going to be fine. It'll just be a few hours until I can stand again."

Guilt overwhelmed me. "I'm so sorry."

"Why?" she asked, frowning. "This isn't your fault." But, I still felt responsible. Roarke did this to her - maybe I could've stopped it somehow. As I mentally blamed myself, Scarlett stared at me, seeming to drift in and out of consciousness. "You even have that look in your eyes that Luna had."

Thankfully, at that exact moment, Weylyn entered the room. He stiffened at the smell of blood and he turned his head, spotting us. 

"She's bleeding," I stated, feeling her warm blood between my fingers. "I-I don't know what to do."

He moved forward, kneeling down and taking my place at the couch. Once I removed my hands from her wound, he quickly examined her injuries with calm eyes. His lips formed a straight line as he lightly shook his head. "These are some deep wounds, Scar."