𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐍✔️

NINETEEN|SCARS

  HIS EYES SKIMMED over my bare skin as he placed me on the bed, but not in the greedy way a man would often look at a woman. Somehow this was different; far more sacred. His hands were gentle, almost like he was scared that I could break at any given moment, shattering into a thousand visceral pieces never to be put back together again.

He knew. He could see my scars and not just the few that littered my arms and hands, the fine lines down my throat and across my cheek. No, now he could see them all.

He could see me. The real me. The ugly truth hidden beneath the facade of normalcy. The vile words permanently etched into my delicate skin.

Used. Loved. Claimed. Mine.

Those were the words that the monster had carved into my skin, trailing down my back with the thickest and deepest scar being the word 'mine' residing within the small of my back.

He thought that this was his way of claiming me — of showing, proving his devotion. By scratching words into my once simple skin, that was now thick and mangled with the secret of a scar. He was a sick, twisted bastard.

Somewhere far off I could still hear my desperate screams, still, feel his hands restraining me, the knife digging deep into my flesh, still feel the hot crimson tears that ran thick down my back.

"How did you get these?" Kaden whispered, his voice dangerously low yet somehow managing to keep even. In his eyes, I saw, fear... Maybe even something akin to sadness. Though that was only for a split second before it was replaced with something red and hot that burned bright within his eyes...

Anger. Fury. Rage.

"A... A monster."

My voice was barely above a whisper, like a frightened bird unable to fly, quickening and shaking. Hold it together, I had to hold it together, however much I wanted to burst at the seams and scream until my voice broke and my lungs were empty of oxygen.

Something within Kaden snapped, and he erupted into a fit of rage unlike any I had ever seen before... He grabbed the nearest object, a table lamp, and hurled it at the far wall with such force that it shattered, a thousand fragments of glass shimmering in the sunlight. I blanched back, suddenly terrified of the monstrous man before me.

He bayed, knuckles clenched so hard they had turned white. "What did they do to you?!"

I whimpered, pulling myself into a ball, my arms wrapped around my legs, and the tears slowly crawling down my cheeks.

Kaden let out a deafening roar and his eyes glowed a shade of raven I had never seen before. A shade that I never wanted to see again. His fist made contact with the wall, leaving a deep hole.

"What did they do to you Arden?!" He snarled, midnight-black eyes burning hateful holes into mine. My sobs intensified and I could no longer bear to look at him, instead, I stared submissively at the floor. If he could do these things to the objects around him... What could he do to me?

" — Tell me!"

When I didn't reply it only seemed to further fuel his anger, as he grabbed the desk chair and threw it against the wall.

"Did they beat you?"

I gave a weak nod in response. A deafening crack filled my ears as Kaden threw the bedside table across the room and it came crashing against the wall, splinters of wood flying everywhere.

"Did they touch you?" Kaden didn't have to reiterate, I knew what he meant. I squeezed my eyes closed, wishing for it all to go away.

Sickening memories flood my mind, of the monster's hands roaming — touching me in places they should never have been.

I gave another small nod and hid my head in my hands, to which more snarls and crashing sounds filled the room.

"Did they rape you Arden?"

This was it. This is what everything had come down to, the final strike, the final blow to tear us all apart. I slowly raised my head so that my red-rimmed eyes met his. He looked something akin to feral. A monster.

"Yes." I croaked, my voice was hoarse with the rawness of the past. All it took was one little push to send me hopelessly flying over the edge. The tears came faster and harder, and I pulled myself tighter into a ball, letting the violent sobs wrack my body.

Kaden roared and threw the large mahogany desk against the wall with an ear-splitting crash, so loud that the sound made my head hurt.

Suddenly the door flew open and Lumen burst in, her wide eyes landing on her raging brother at once. She ran forwards, " — Kaden! You have to stop!"

She yelled and tried to grab his arm, but he just threw her off and another object shattered against the wall.

"Kaden stop! You're scaring her!" Lumen cried, desperation primary in her tone, to which Kaden responded by letting out an almighty growl.

I felt my heart pounding over time in my head, my vision blurring and darkening at the edges and my blood felt like fire flowing through my veins, threatening to burn me from inside out. Adrenaline set me alight.

"Kaden stop!" Lumen screamed as Kaden put his fist through the window, the glass shattering and falling at his feet, scarlet blood ran thick down his arm. But he didn't care. He didn't stop.

"I couldn't protect her Lumen! — I wasn't there for her! Don't you know how that feels?" Kaden cried, a stray tear running down his cheek. His mask had broken and finally, he came undone. "If I was there — none of this would've happened!"

Pain. Anger. Grief. It all came flooding to the surface. He was grieving the loss of his mate's innocence.

"Kaden, I —," Lumen began but was cut off by her brother, as he stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him with such force a large crack split it down the centre. Lumen turned to face me, hair tousled and eyes full of sorrow and regret.

"I'm so sorry, Arden."