Page 57 of Rest In Knotty Pieces

Aaron squeezes in, easing some of the tension, but lying there in Rolly’s arms, I wonder what we are even doing.

When everyone is asleep, I slide out of their arms and creep out of the tent. Pix is sitting in front of the fire, poking it. I am beyond relieved to see he’s not in a tent with the others. He should be in our tent.

I stare at his back, wondering what to do.

“Stop staring,” he growls.

I walk over and stand in front of him, staring. He stands up, glaring at me. The temper, the frustration, the problem surges to the surface and spills out of him in a rush of hate-filled words.

“Omegas are territorial. We don’t share.”

I narrow my eyes.

“I can’t share.”

I glance back at the tent, they were his first. He won’t share them with me. But they aren’t mine. They aren’t his either.

I look back at him, seeing the firelight dance in his eyes.

With my jaw clenched almost painfully, I sit down, staring at the fire. He sits beside me.

The night passes, but we pass it together.

Rolly

Ichortle as I slip back into camp, sliding up next to Merle and wrapping my arms around her. Does it soothe a part of me that she relaxes into my arms when I touch her instead of flinching? Fuck yes. Do I find it endearing how she reaches for me? Yes. Am I smitten with this omega? Also yes.

“ROLLY!”

My cousin Rory storms into camp, doing up his pants. “I know it was you.”

He ignores the omega in my arms, but I don't. I soothe her, stroking her belly, silently telling her it's okay.

“He was balls deep in Bonnie, and I shot him with a dart,” I whisper in her ear.

She lets out a tinkling laugh.

It is worth my entire day to hear that sound.

“Rory, I’ve been here with Merle the whole time,” I say with absolute innocence.

He gets really close, glaring at me. “Do not lie to me, you little shit.” He steps closer.

Merle stiffens slightly, and I stop paying attention to Rory and start paying attention to my girl. She’s barely breathing, perfectly calm and composed and absolutely frozen.

I swing her away and into Pix, who catches her with a surprised shout as Rory pounces me. We roll in the dirt. He gets some good punches, I get some better ones. It's all fun and games until Blaze sprays us with something that smells so noxious that we both end up heaving and trying to crawl away.

“I will not accept this behaviour. If you want to behave like animals, I will train you like the dogs you are.”

“I mean, I’m not sure I like it, but you have to admit, his methods are effective,” Vale mutters, imagine getting Rory to stick around on Sunday cleaning day.

“Using chemicals is ingenious,” Cyn murmurs. “Rory uses drugs, but I wonder if he’s considered a powder or an aerosol version.”

I stand up and walk towards Blaze, he watches me approach, not even nervous about the way I’m smiling. Before he can react and defend himself, I punch him in the stomach and drop him on his back.

“You’re the one who said one pack,” I snarl.

He lays there and starts to laugh.