Hades’s Pov
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. I know she had been through so much—more than I’d ever realized. And yet, here she was, enduring it all without complaint, without asking for help. The thought of her suffering alone, bearing the weight of that pain, made something tighten in my chest.
“You shouldn’t have had to learn to endure it,” I said quietly, my fingers brushing lightly over her ankle as I checked the swelling. “You don’t have to endure it now. Not with me.”
Anita let out a soft laugh, though there was no humor in it. “I’m not afraid of pain, Alpha Hades. I’m not afraid of much anymore.”
I looked up at her, my gaze meeting hers. There was a hardness in her eyes, a quiet strength that I both admired and hated. I hated that she had to be strong. I hated that she had been forced into a life of survival, into a world where pain was just another thing to get used to.