Page 161 of Traded

Deep, vicious, bleeding teeth marks ring a circle on the side of her neck, as if someone clamped down and shook her like a toy.

A mating mark where mine was meant to be, one day. One day, after a perfect day.

Someone took that from her. Took herchoicefrom her.

Hurt her.

And where were you?A voice whispers.

Chewing down oxy in the toilets for a hit.

I was getting high, while my omega, my Rosie, was getting hurt.

My fault.

My hand reaches for her hair, only to fall away. She’s watching me through eyes that are barely open. “Who was it, baby?”

But I know who it was. Boone roars again behind me, a brawl breaking out as others wade in.“You fucking assaulting piece of shit.”

Horror crawls over my skin, flaying it open.

She picked me. Chose me. Loved me, and I repaid her by letting this happen.

“Carter,” she whispers.

I lean over her with a sob. Strands of red hair look darker, congealed, caught against the torn, broken skin of her neck. “Yeah, baby? We need to get someone in here to patch you up.”

Rosie shrinks back into Lauren, and it fucking guts me. “No. Can we go now?”

“Go where?”

“Away.” Rosie looks at me again, and I curve over from the phantom knife in my chest. “I want to go now. Please.”

Her words spread out until each one is barely audible.

I misread what was happening in my pack. So badly, and this is the result.

This is my damned fault.

And now she has an unwanted bite mark, and I can barely see her face because my head is swimming.

Because… I’m an addict.

I stare down at my shaking hands, and back at her face.

“Carter,” Lauren breathes. “She’s bleeding really badly.”

He didn’t evensealit. He tore into her neck and didn’t bother finishing the job while I was seeing ghosts and pushing away the people telling me my omega needed me.

“Please,” Rosie says again. A sob curls her frame. “I… want to go.”

And my heart shatters into a thousand broken, jagged shards.

Chapter forty-six

No Sleepin’, Ragdoll

“I’ll be back.”