Page 108 of Rest In Knotty Pieces

Kestrel pats my thigh. “You’ll get used to it.”

I close my eyes. “Not even for a moment do I regret it. I want him to live. I want him to be happy.”

Sage sighs and leans his head back on the headrest. “You are adorable, Aaron, but so messed up.”

I think that might be the nicest thing anyone’s said to me in a long time, which reminds me of Daega.

“I did the right thing,” I whisper. “I know I did.”

Kestrel

Istare at the little cabin that has the bunker beneath it, almost amused to be in a place that feels like what I imagine a home would feel like if I ever had one. I bite my bottom lip and try really hard not to smile, but all of my alters are breathing a sigh of relief right now.

This is our home away from home.

The first place we’ve felt safe.

We are absolutely not telling these grumpy ass alphas any of that information.

King pauses beside me, his eyes intent on the side of my face. I wait for him to say something nasty, but he doesn’t.

“Do you like potatoes and sausages?”

His question is soft, and I almost think he’s talking to someone else.

“Is there gravy?” I say with a hopeful smile. I feel like I’m trying to tame a wild bird. These alphas are so flighty.

“There can be.”

I shrug and smile. “Then I love it.”

“I am sorry that I didn’t trust you.”

I follow him to the cabin and slip inside when he holds the door.

“Why didn’t you?”

“Because I thought maybe you wouldn’t let her come back, and she would be gone forever.”

I swallow hard. Ouch. That kinda hurts. “You really care about her, don’t you?”

“Merle is the most beautiful omega I’ve ever met. She’s soft and gentle, vulnerable. She’s strong, too, smart, she’s cute and funny.”

“Everything an omega should be?” I say quietly, watching his face.

“No, everything that is opposite of me. She makes me feel important and special. Even though Blaze is more skilled, and Sage is well, Sage. Rolly is like a fire burning out of control, most people don’t see me until I start fighting. Then, they fear me. But she saw me, and she wasn’t afraid.”

Who did I see first?

All of them. Each one different and strong. I saw King’s intelligence. Rolly’s vulnerability. Pix’s pain. Blaze’s cracks, and I saw the ruthless precision that Sage was hiding.

Roseland…well, he’s a whole other story, but the hope he looked at me with was disturbing.

I wander through the underground bunker, exploring it like it’s the first time. I find the room that Merle spent all of her time in. A prison cell that was all self-inflicted because there were never locks on the doors. No one was stationed to stop her. It was the nightmares in her mind that kept her curled up on the floor.

It’s bigger than I realised, the luxurious blankets and pillows are piled high on the bed, and from under the pillow, I catch a glimpse of silver.

Her nest.