Page 93 of Rest In Knotty Pieces

Of the entire group of us, we’re the two most unhappy with this turn of events.

He shoves her away from him, but she just lightly springs away and rushes to the creek we’ve been walking beside, jumping onto a rock and dancing across it like a damn forest sprite.

“Okay, so when were you out?” Blaze throws at her.

She turns back, facing Blaze with a smile. “Uh, a couple of times at night. I took over briefly to eat the popcorn when we watched the movie and, hmm, oh, when Pix gave me the knife, thoughRaptor took it from me.”

“So, you’ve been with us the whole time?” he asks without inflection, while I try not to gape at the betrayal.

“Of course. I’m Merle Kestrel. I’m just the Kestrel part.”

“That makes no sense whatsoever!” I snarl.

“When is Merle coming back?” King snaps at the same time.

She raises her eyebrows, and her eyes flash and darken. I can see it now. That’s not Kestrel.

“Interesting,” Blaze murmurs and shifts closer. “Temperament changes summon a different personality.”

“I’m not a damn science experiment, Alpha. We are called alters. As in a distinct and separate personality, and we are all very real. Just because you don’t understand something doesn’t make it wrong or weird; it just means you need to open a book. Maybe consider learning something. You know, using your brain instead of your biceps.”

Whoever she is says alpha like a curse. Like we can’t be trusted. Like she hates us. It makes me angry, until I remember how I feel about Kestrel and Merle. This one makes my skin crawl and my breath catch in my lungs.

“Who are you?” Blaze demands.

The alter smirks and fades. With a quick smile and a shake of her head, Kestrel returns.

“Who was that?”

Kestrel pauses, looks like she’s thinking, and then smiles widely.

“I have a message for you.”

She sticks up her middle finger and then, with a laugh, flings herself to the other bank and jogs away.

“What are we going to do about that?” King snarls.

“They’re the same person,” Roseland says dismissively.

“She,” King snarls, “is not my Merle.”

Roseland explodes with a snarl that surprises all of us.

“She is part of Merle, and we’re not going to get answers if she hates us. So, I suggest everyone pull their poor, hurt egos out of their asses and ask why an omega would split into six parts,” Roseland snarls. “All of those parts of her are hurting as bad as Merle. Some of them just deal with it by smiling and caring for others,and some are clearly capable of incredible violence. Who knows who the others are and what help they need, but I, for one, want to be the safe space they need.”

With that, he stalks off, and I have one moment to stare at his back, wondering why he came back. What convinced him?

I blow out my cheeks and follow my alphas and the omega who is and isn’t mine.

Pix is already standing beside her, arguing. “I want to know.”

Kestrel ducks her head and laughs.

The sound is like wind chimes or something that feels good, sounds good.

I huff in irritation.

“Is it hurting your ego that she doesn’t need you?” Blaze asks me. “That this version isn’t as vulnerable or damaged?”