Page 31 of Knot As It Seems

“Wrong answer,” he spits at me before dodging every sloppy attack I aim his way, pinning me down to the ground on my stomach, digging his knee into my spine as he pulls a damn zip tie out of his pocket and wrenches it onto my hands. “I know you’re new to this, so this is the only free pass you get. You’re turning feral because you don’t have any bonds to ground you. Ironically, it was the offer of a bond that seems to have set you off.

“You can be an asshole to me or anybody else in this damn house, but you do not get to be an asshole to Fable. You think she’s not quiet or sweet enough, is that right? While I drag your ass to timeout, I want you to think on something for me.

“As alphas, it is our job, the most important job we’lleverhave, to uplift omegas we get the honor of being around. You thinkyouhave it hard? I don’t think you’ve had it hardenough. Being an omega, without any godsdamn outside interference, is challenge on its own; they have to deal with painful and debilitating heat cycles that make them incredibly vulnerable and put their lives at danger several times a year. They aren’t allowed to live without supervision or legally make many decisions for themselves; the government controls them very closely because of how incredibly important they are to our species.

“They are the only ones that can tether an alpha, the only ones that can reproduce with them to keep the alpha/omega population growing, and they do this all while battling insane hormonal cycles and everyone telling them to smile more.

“They can’t hold down traditional jobs because they’re too sensitive to noises and crowded places, and their pheromones make other people sexually uncomfortable regardless of whether they’re vampires or not.

“On top of all that,” he says as he pushes me through the doorway, “that omega you just practically spat on? She has been abused, possibly her whole life, made to live in a fucking hole inside the wall, while her sister stole her blood and purposely sent her into heat over and over again, while denying anything that could give her relief. You think she’s crazy? I’m amazed she’s functioning and willing to try a somewhat healthy relationship with us.

“You don’t knowshitabout that woman. We don’t know the half of what she’s been through, and likely never will because it feels really traumatic, and we have to earn that trust. She offered you a bond, which is quite possibly the greatest thing an alpha vampire can ever be offered. It’s like winning the fucking lottery, asshole.

“If you need more time before you’re ready to take that step, that’s okay; what’s not okay is lying about why it’s not happening and then calling her names when she sticks up for herself in an instinctual way.

“She could have had any of us bite her next, but she chose you, because she said you made her feelsafe. And you fucked up, didn’t you? You came right out, and with your whole chest, told her she was fuckingcrazyfor thinkingshe had a future with you, after you’ve been leading her on. Do you even understand how many alphas even find their scent matches? You better pray that the gods aren’t watching to see you spurn your fucking scent matched goddess.”

I have no idea what kind of room it is that he brings me to, it’s confusing. Darkish with a plain bed, no personal touches around. It’s on the cooler side, and the only thing of note in the room, aside from the bed, is a huge window into another bedroom.

That bedroom, in contrast, is incredibly lived-in. Massive four poster bed with a canopy, soft white linens draped around, plants in every corner and candles ready to be lit.

“You’re going to sit your ass here and I’m going to be right in there, comforting the omega you just chewed up so you can get a lesson on how alphas treat their precious omegas. I’m going to make sure you’re not too comfy and can’t touch yourself in any way, and we’ll see when I feel like letting you out. This room is soundproof, and that is a one-way mirror. I’d tell you to take notes, but, well, your hands are rather occupied already, aren’t they? Oh, and for your added benefit, there’s a speaker above the window, so you’ll hear every filthy thing she lets me say to her. Happy spectating.”

What the fuck did I just get myself into?

He’s got my ankles handcuffed to different bed posts, leaving me much more open than I’d prefer, my hands now handcuffed above me to the top of the headboard which, conveniently, has a spot made for such an event. I can’t even really look away either because the window in front of me is so damn big.

It takes Calloway a moment to find the omega, but when he does, I settle in for a two-for-one. Edric follows him, eyes trained on the woman that Calloway’s got in his arms as they walk into what I now realize is Calloway’s room.

Calloway flips me off behind Fable’s back, and I just know he’s about to be so damn petty.

They wouldn’t have sex with her… infrontof me, right?

Right?

It’s not lost on me that Calloway angles Fable so that when he speaks, his voice is directed towards me. “Want you to do me a favor princess and pretend like this day is starting over. Just for now. We can go right back to being pissed off at that douche bag as soon as we’re done here, but that kind of negativity doesn’t follow us in here, alright? This is just about the three of us, together, soothing you.”

She barely says anything in response, and I can tell that she’s caved in on herself. I get a big wave of self-hatred knowing she looks that way because of me. It feels like there’s a stranger inside of me, trying to fight and piss people off just to stir something up. Is that my alpha? Fuck if I know.

“You guys don’t need to worry about me; I can self-soothe. Been doing it my whole life.”

Edric growls as he follows the other two onto the bed, kicking off his jeans before sliding under the covers and wrapping himself around Fable. “Fable, you’ve got seven alphas. If self-soothing is what you truly need, of course we’ll grant it to you, but at least let us hold you while you do it. A better option would be allowing us to be activeparticipants; enhanced self-soothing, if you will.”

She sits with this for a moment and then relaxes into the two of them, pulling Calloway closer by the front of his shirt while scooting back further into Edric. “Okay.”

A few minutes of silence where they all breathe and Caloway subtly flips me off again, and then she asks, clear as day, “And if I change my mind and want help?”

Calloway is eager to respond. “Then you tell us exactly what your omega wants. You want a back rub? A foot rub? For us to just hold you and purr for you and tell you how incredible you are and how lucky we are to have you in our lives right now? We’ll do that, too.”

“And if I said I wanted bonds, so I knew nobody else was going to abandon me?” Her voice shakes with this question, belying how nervous she is to ask.

Fuckingof course. This girl…of course she was so crazy about wanting a bond. I suppose having your parents pass when you’re young, and then a neglectful sister that constantly left you alone and then permanently left you secluded and alone would leave you with some abandonment issues.

Now the unfamiliar presence in my chest is irritated again, but now for a different reason. He…it…wants to go to the omega and beg forgiveness, to offer her our throat and make everything right. But I’m pretty stuck here.

I try and see how much give the handcuffs have, but the answer I quickly find is less than none. The harder I pull, the tighter they get.

Resigned to playing this out for now, I try and get as comfortable as I can under the circumstances, but the point ofputting me in here, like this, is that I really can’t.