Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Even with concealer and a full - coverage foundation , the lifted skin on my neck is visible . This is how Tessa finds me in the bathroom while I'm getting ready to meet with Xo and Knightly's parents tonight . " Wow , " she says staring at them while I stare at them through the mirror . " I know . I shouldn't have let him do it , but that thing inside of him - god , it was like it was ripping him apart from the inside , 1 place my hands on the sink trying to shake the image . " You know , " she takes a makeup wipe from all the products I've tried to use to settle my skin but I've just made the marks angrier . " This isn't something you need to be worried about here , " she wipes some of the makeup away . " Fucking hell , he got you good ," " I get that this is normal for your guys , but I have to be out there in the spotlight . What kind of example am I setting for little girls out there ? For my daughter ? I lied to her today for the very first time in her life . Straight to her face ," " Are you serious ? " she laughs . " First time ? " " Yes , " I take the wipe and continue to clean it off . " So , talk to him about it . Just this one time you're going to have to let it slide because they're already there and putting this shit on them is only going to make them angrier , " she presses her lips together . " Don't you know how to hide hater marks ? " " No , the last time I had them was- " when your brother knocked me up despite me being on birth control . " Alphas , " she nods . " They're possessive pieces of shit who only care to show the world what is theirs , " " You sound like you know what's that like , " " I do . I have one , " she pulls her blouse down to show me what looks like an old bite mark . " What is that ? " " That's my mate's mark . It tells other males I have a partner . Works better than a ring , " she smiles . " I don't live here anymore . I came because my mom asked me to help with Knight , " " With his wolf ? " " Promise not to tell him ? " she asks and shuts the bathroom door . " I don't know . I'm not a very good liar , " " But you're good at keeping secrets , " she laughs . " How do you figure ? " " You have two five - year - olds with my stupid brother and he had no fucking idea . I've never seen Knight scared until these past few days , " she laughs and then gets serious . " How much do you get paid to make people look this flawless ? " she asks caressing my face . " I've always been kind of a tomboy and I suck at makeup - ing . Is that a word ? " " No , and I wouldn't put makeup on your skin . It's gorgeous . Here , " I take a sparkly moisturizer and a soft - toned bronzer . " Just to give you a little extra glow ," " Help ? " " Fine . I'll do this and you talk , " " Deal , " she slides up onto the counter . 1/3 2 % Chapter 31 " I have to wear this at the moment . I haven't been sleeping well and my skin is a little lifeless , " I admit . " Knight can help with that , " she says quietly . " Tessa , " " I don't mean sex . I mean him just being close . You went through something very scary for a human . Your babies were threatened hours after we came into your life . We'll never be able to apologize enough for that, Phoebe . You must think we're just a bunch of assholes , " " I don't , " I say using a blender to add some dimension to her high cheekbones . She looks a lot like her dad . It's kind of adorable . " Honestly , I don't think I've ever felt safe like this before . It's weird . I just- I'm always ten steps ahead of the world . I'm a control freak . " It's what makes me so good at my job and keeping the twins out of trouble . I don't know what's happening next and it frustrates me . I feel like I'm that stupid twenty - four - year - old idiot standing in front of the ER doctor trying to deny the evidence on the screen , " " Fuck , I can't imagine having to go through that all by myself . I would kill Wayne , " she shakes her head . " So , what's your secret , " I try to change the subject . I reach for the mascara and hold it up . " I've always wanted a sister , " she says straightening up and my chest aches because of what Knightly admitted the other night . " I was raised in a house full of boys , " " Look up , " I point at the ceiling . She does what I ask . " I was too . Two little kitten assholes and my dad . It was obvious that he wanted sons . He was a Navy Seal . We were poor before his mate came along and he taught me to hunt and self - defense . You know , dad - son kind of shit , " " Yeah ," she nods . " Did you hate it ? " " No , it was the only time we spent alone . Away from her . It was the only time he was nice to me . As nice as a soldier could be to their only daughter , " " How did you get so good at this stuff ? " " Videos , mostly , and when I started on the runways . I took classes on my days off because the models never looked like I wanted them to when other artists did that for me . It would piss me off , " " Control freak , " she laughs . " Exactly ," " You're kind of perfect for my brother , " she says quietly . " I mean the one thing he lacks is control . He's just all chaos , " " I'm starting to see that , " I agree . " My mom brought us here so we could force him to take a mate , " she whispers . I look up at her . " This is the first time my mom and his donor agree on something and he has a selection of potential mates . We weren't going to just roll over and let the fucking idiot die , " " How long does he have ? " " Well , his wolf is up and going with you and the pups here . So , it's no longer a problem . But I'd give him to end of the summer , " * His dad really fucked him up , " I sigh . " Keep your head up like that but look down at my hands , " " My parents were willing to strike a deal with that asshole so as long as he could keep him alive . Knight would have been pissed , but he would be alive and we'd deal with Arnold when the time came , " You guys are . " I reach for the eyelash brush . You all love him so much, " " He's our alpha. Even if Blythe were here . It's Knight who's been keeping us alive . The only reason our pack thrives is because he's all that's standing between Arnold and our annihilation . Without Knight , Arnold would have killed my dad for claiming my mom , " 2/3