Page 91 of Rest In Knotty Pieces

“I’m not-”

“You are my omega,” I snarl and rise from the water, stalking him. He backs up, almost tripping over himself. Water pours down my body, but I ignore it.

“Daega O’Connell. You belong to me now. You have been fighting Merle, but she wasn’t right for you. Merle doesn’t know what to do with an omega, but I do.”

His eyes go wide and fully dark. “How do you know that name?”

“We’ve been keeping tabs on you and all your friends. But you are the only one who interests me. I want you kneeling before me, standing beside me. I want your slick and your knotless cock buried inside me. We want to hear you scream, Omega, and then I want to put my omega bond on you and wear yours.”

He’s pressed up against the wall with nowhere left to go.

With a sinister smile, I reach out, walking my fingers up his chest. “I’m not Merle, Daega,” I whisper. “I’m a whole new beast; lucky for you, there are a few more of us who have staked a claim, too. You won’t ever be left alone.”

I turn to find all five alphas staring at us with wide eyes and their mouths agape. I wink at them, let the stunned omega go, and return to the water, swishing my hips seductively and humming under my breath.

“Oh, boy,” I heard Sage murmur. “How many did you say there were?”

I wake up with an uneasy feeling.

I shift until I’m kneeling, watching the alphas until I find the one who is dreaming. It’s Sage. His limbs twitch; his eyelids flicker.

He’s in distress, if only in his dream.

I stand up and carefully walk over to him, kneeling, then I carefully maneuver myself down on the thin mat beside him and press myself into his side. The softpurr comes out like I’ve practiced it. I’ve spent years soothing the other alters inside me, trying to ease the hurt from a world that only knows how to give pain.

I’ve never purred for anyone else.

Sage wakes up. I feel the exact moment he does, and a second after that, he’s curled around me, pulling me tight against him. His thigh wraps over mine, and he puts his chin on my head.

I lay there finding that it’s never been easier to push the purr from my chest while listening to his heartbeat thud beneath my ear. It’s the most soothing and happy sound I've ever heard.

“Was it a bad dream?”

“No, I barely remember it. Most probably it was just my training.”

“Training?”

“I was created to kill. The perfect beta attack dog, and then I presented as an alpha, and they realised that it’s nearly impossible to control an alpha.”

I chuckle and reach up between us, stroking my fingers across his broad chest. “Did you make them suffer?”

“Oh, yes. They all paid for their crimes. Everyone except my dad, but his time is coming.”

We’re silent, but I can feel the question. “Just ask.”

“Merle saw me kill someone. Is that what made her run?”

“Not you, just any violence in general. Merle suffered a lot. She is not as strong as the rest of us in some respects. When it comes to violence, she retreats.”

“Does she know what we are?”

I hum. “Yes, but she’s choosing not to acknowledge it. To her, you are Sage, the alpha who makes her smile and brushes her hair. You aren’t a strong killer.”

“And what am I to you?”

“I don’t know yet, but I’m hoping you will be our alpha, and I’ll be your lover. That we’ll end up together forever. That you will all see us for who we are and love all of us.”

Sage hums and rolls on his back, dragging me with him. “Tell me about yourself, Kestrel. What do you like?”