Page 42 of Rest In Knotty Pieces

“Or maybe you are my pack, and she is the odd duck who doesn’t belong.”

I cup his cheek, ignoring the way he recoils. “Oh, Daega, you are so cute and adorable when you are jealous. I find it so sexy. But we have plenty of room for you both.”

His nostrils flare.

I tap the tip of his nose. “And you, liar, liar, pants on fire, I’ve seen the way you look at her. Like you want to peel off her clothes and lick the scent from her body.”

“I do not!” he snarls.

“Mm-hmm. She watches you when you aren’t looking. She looks to you to show her what’s safe and what’s not.”

“Shut the fuck up, Alpha.”

His expression catches at the word, just as my entire body lights up, my amusement fading and a deep, wild hunger rising to the surface.Mine.

Pix snarls and shoves me hard against the wall, making my teeth rattle before storming away.

“Our family will be here for dinner. Everyone wear clothes!” I shout and then burst into laughter, but that feeling that came with that one word…it lingers.

Merle

Ican hear them and smell them. Alphas, omegas. Old and young, laughing. The tension in the alphas that live here is subtle, but I can feel it in the air, even though they are smiling.

Every smile is filled with teeth that tear and words that cut.

My hands shake as I move around the house, staying in the shadows, out of sight. I tiptoe on silent feet to where I can see. With my hands on the wall, I peer around the corner.

Pix is sitting on an alpha’s lap, laughing. He’s got brown hair and smiles too much. I hate him. There are two other omegas on either side of him, and they are smiling so wide it almost looks fake. Why are they touching him? They are both beautiful, one has shorter dark hair, and the other has a long golden mane.

They lean in, pressing their faces to his arms, laughing. He is howling with laughter, almost crying with it. Happy. I feel hollow and broken.

I stare, and the longer I stare, the more uncomfortable I get. Anger seeps past the fear. He flutters his eyelashes and pouts. Teasing, talking, words in a tone that says love. Eyes that have warmth, touches without restraint. All the things I don’t know anything about.

How dare he betray us?

I glare at him, willing him to stop.

One of the strange alphas tenses slightly. He’s older, but he moves his omega away from where I am as he scans where I’m hiding. He steps in front of her and lets out an almost inaudible growl. I stare at him, furious, hating him, hating them all.

“Vale!” he says in a deep voice.

An alpha with flaming red hair snaps his head towards me and searches the shadows. I duck back behind the wall and pad away into the dark. They don’t come after me, but then I move through the house on silent feet until I’m standing on the other side, glaring at the alphas who are all tense, watching, confused about what they sense but can’t see.

Blaze is sitting with his leg crossed at the knee, smiling politely. Aaron is nowhere in sight, but my gaze goes straight to Pix. The omega is leaning her head on his chest and hugging him tight.

I stare at his face.

There’s no disgust. No curl of his lip. He doesn’t have that sleepy, bored look in his eyes. I clench my fingernails into my palms, breaking skin, trying to find the elusive control I had.

An unpleasant feeling fills my chest, making it fill and fill until I think I could explode. My head spins, and I step out of the shadows, unable to stay hidden anymore, staring at him.

Everyone falls silent.

I can’t tear my eyes away from where she’s holding him. Her long nails resting on his upper arm. Her hand stroking his thigh.

“Uh, Bonnie. Let go,” an alpha says sharply, he moves slightly in front but freezes when I growl.

The omega with her perfect blond hair slowly removes her arms. Pix stares at me, and I stare back at him.