Finn

Seeing Calli cringe like that when Cam kissed her made me feel like an asshole. I know Cam is overly affectionate, and I didn't think to warn him about her aversion to being touched. It seems I'm an exception to that rule, so sometimes I forget about it.

"I'm sorry about that, sweetheart. I'll ask him not to touch you again." I say walking over to her.

She shakes her head and crosses her arms in front of her body, seemingly unable to make eye contact with me.

"Don't. He was just being sweet and I don't want him to feel bad about that. I need to get over this thing and people treating me like glass doesn't help." I reach out to gently grab her chin and force her eyes to meet mine. They're a storm of indecision and fear.

The sight breaks my heart.

"So, what does help?" I ask quietly. She takes a deep breath and the uncertainty flashes into determination.

"Talking about it. I think I want to talk about it. With you, if that's ok. It's kind of hard to hear though so if you're not ready, I understand." I cup her face with both my hands, my heart beating hard against my ribs. I feel like this is a defining moment in our relationship, one that could change things and I refuse to fuck it up.

"I'll listen, babe. Thank you for trusting me." I take her hand and lead her to the couch while trying to brace myself. I know what I'm about to hear is going to piss me the hell off, and I try to push my wolf down so he doesn't make an appearance and make this worse for her.

She sits down next to me and I keep a hold on her hand. I have to touch her. It's like a physical impossibility to not touch her right now. She takes a deep breath and I stay very still. I almost wish she wouldn't tell me, just so she doesn't have to relive whatever she's about to say. But if she thinks it will help to talk about it, I'll support her.

"I met my ex boyfriend, Paul, while I was in college." She starts. She's looking down at our conjoined hands, but I don't take my eyes off of her face.

"He was sweet, funny, charming, handsome. Everything a girl could want. Things were great at first. We started dating and I fell for him. Hard and fast. After a few months, things started to change. He started to get jealous. And not normal jealous but aggressive jealous. Like he threatened to beat up a waiter once just because the poor guy asked what I wanted to drink. Paul claimed the guy was 'eyeing me' but he was just doing his job. Then he started getting suspicious of me. He would call me constantly to see what I was doing and who I was with. He pushed all of my friends away until only Penny was left. He hated her and well, the feeling was mutual. He used to tell me I didn't need anyone but him and he would say Penny didn't care about me. That she was only friends with me because no one else liked me. I knew it wasn't true though, Penny has always been there for me.

Anyway, then the stalking started. He would show up on campus outside of my classes, he would make me ride with him to my part time job and he would pick me up. I felt more like a prisoner than a girlfriend.

One night, a bunch of girls from my early education class wanted to go out for drinks. They invited me and I agreed, there was a bar a few blocks from school that didn't look very hard at IDs. I didn't get drunk or anything, I had one cocktail and still took a cab home. I had ignored his calls that night because I just needed a break.

That was the first time he hit me."

I feel my hand clench around hers and her eyes swivel up to mine. I relax my grip and try to relax my expression.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. Keep going." She nods and looks back down at our hands.

"He smacked me in the face when I got home, accusing me of cheating on him. I tried to tell him the truth, but he didn't believe me. He kept saying I was lucky he was with me, that no one else would want me and that I needed to treat him better. The next day he apologized. He bought me flowers and said he would never do it again. That he loved me so much he couldn't bear the thought of me with someone else."

"That's not love." I spat bitterly, unable to stop myself. She gave me a small smile.

"No, it's not. He started to hit me more often, usually in the stomach so no one could see the bruises. He made me move in with him, quit my job, become completely reliant on him. After a year I'd had enough. I had to get out. I packed my things while he was gone. He thought I was at school but I skipped class that day. I left him a note and went straight to the police station to file a restraining order. Then I moved back in with my parents. I explained a little of the situation to them, how I was scared of him, but I couldn't bring myself to tell them that he beat me. I didn't want to disappoint them by letting myself be treated like that."

"It's not your fault." I say quietly giving her hand a reassuring squeeze this time. I was already deciding how I would torture this fucker before I murdered him, but I would let her finish first.

"Time and lots of therapy has taught me that, but thank you. After I moved in with my parents and he was served the restraining order, I didn't hear from him for weeks. Until a month later. I was walking to my car from class when he abducted me. He drugged me and tied me up before putting me in the trunk of his car." She started to breath heavily and tears pricked her eyes.

I picked her up and placed her on my lap, my anger temporarily dissipated by my concern for her. I ran my fingers through her hair soothingly until she calmed enough to continue.

"He took me to his family's cabin. He had taken me there before for "romantic getaways". When I came to I was tied to the bed, naked and..."

Oh God.

"He forced himself on me."

"Oh, sweetheart." I couldn't keep the emotion from my voice as I encircled her in my arms, holding her tightly as she cried on my shoulder.

"You don't have to tell me any more, baby it's ok." I say gently. She shakes her head and looks at me.

"No, I need to finish it. Penny says he only has control over me as long as I let him. I'm done letting him."

Pride swells within me. I've never met anyone as strong as my little mate.

"After... he got a phone call and left in a hurry. While he was gone I was able to get loose from the binding. I put my clothes on and ran until I found a little cafe. Luckily I remembered where it was. They called the police for me and they took me to the hospital where I had a rape kit done. The DNA proved what he did and on top of the restraining order he went to prison for a very long time." She takes a few cleansing breaths before she looks at me.

"So now you know why I'm so screwed up." I kiss her forehead hard, as if my affection could get those thoughts out of her mind.

"You're not screwed up, Calli. You're incredible. You're so strong and I am in awe of you." She looks at me as if trying to determine if I'm telling the truth.

"No one has ever called me strong before." She says quietly.

"Then they're idiots." She gives me a bright smile and I wipe away the lone tear that falls down her cheek.

"Thank you." She says.

"For what?"

"Not looking at me differently. Like I'm broken or a victim." I shake my head and cup her cheeks in my hands.

"You're still you. My sweet Calli that knocked me on my ass. I was smitten the minute I saw you and nothing could change that. Certainly not something some disgusting piece of shit did to you. If he weren't already locked up I'd fucking kill him. But I swear, Calli. I won't ever hurt you." She nods and gives me a small smile.

"I know. I don't know how, but I know. I trust you." She says with so much emotion I feel tears well in my own eyes.

Then she closes the distance between us and captures my lips for a fierce kiss.