Seek Shelter from the Storm (4)

Beth held the dress close to her chest and spun around to face Mikael. "...My lord." 

A wave of scorching heat coursed through Mikael's nape, where the bond mark was imprinted. He still despised the mark with every fiber of his being.

It was a humiliating sign of his forced bond with another alpha. It made him feel like a lesser alpha, a weak and submissive one, so he always hid it under the long-necked dresses he wore every day.

"Look at this, my lord!" Beth exclaimed. She dashed across the bedroom and went to fetch a thin scarf. "It complements the dress perfectly. You can put this scarf around your neck like this." 

Beth wrapped the scarf around her neck, letting the ends of the fabric hang loosely on her shoulders. "There. Just like this, my lord. It will conceal your nape a little bit."

Mikael gazed at her with appreciation. He felt a surge of gratitude for Beth's quick thinking to help him with his self-consciousness about his bond mark.