Page 17 of Knot Enough

SIXTEEN

I rubbed my cheek against the silky skin, and shockwaves of agony traveled down my neck. Oh fuck, everything hurt. I squeezed my eyes shut, groaning.

Pressing my nose into the soft skin, I caught my breath at the smell of amber undertones with hints of bergamot. A shiver coasted down my spine, and the chest vibrated with a rumbling purr, prompting my eyes to pop wide open.

Kane stared at me, gaze half-lidded. I gasped and rolled off him—or tried to. His palm engulfed my head and kept me in place. His commanding touch transported me to the events of the last few nights.

What happened to me? I’d been maddened by them, all because of my heat . . . because I was an Omega. Brand fucking new information. Why hadn't I had my heat before? Why hadn’t I presented? Was it the Alphas’ presence that incited it all?

My heart drummed against my ribcage, each pound driving in my fucking confusion. I yanked my ankle out of a tight grip and curled my legs to my chest. Soreness radiated up my calf, to my thigh, and to my pussy.

I hissed a breath out between clenched teeth.

Rath shot off the bed, his shoulders heaving as he surveyed the bed. First, he looked at Axel sprawled at the end with his legs hanging off, to Kane, and then settled on me.

“What the fuck was that?”

Ditto.

I sank my teeth into my lip and extricated myself from Kane’s vice. Rath’s suspicious gaze on me didn’t feel good. I lifted my arms across my chest and looked away, scowling. A stickiness coated my skin, and I wiggled down to the end of the bed.

Axel’s outstretched arms jostled with my wiggle downward. He didn’t move, his wide, muscled back flexing with each of his breaths.

I climbed to my feet and inched over to grip the shirt draped on the mattress. I yanked the cotton a few times to get it out from under Axel’s body. He roused with a groan and rubbed his light-colored hair.

A sudden snore echoed. Who the fuck . . . I padded around the mattress. Oak lay on his back, cock out, and a corner of the blanket kissing his thigh.

“I asked you. What. Was. That?” Rath spat.

“What do you mean?” I croaked, rubbing the back of my hand against my eye. All the aches in my body made even that movement painful.

“That heat. What else could I be talking about, Omega?” he spat the title out like it was a curse.

He stormed forward so quickly that I backed away, tripping over my feet.

He stopped with a few feet between us, his shoulders heaving.

“What did you do to us? That wasn’t a normal fucking heat. Kim’s heats were never that bad.”

His words were a punch to the stomach. I pressed my palm to my aching chest. His saying their ex’s name hurt, but the comparison . . .

Was something wrong with me?

Axel groaned, rolled to his back, and sat back on his haunches, blinking sleep from his eyes.

“What’s with the shouting?” Oak grumbled, sitting up with his hair poking up in different directions.

“I didn’t know.” I cleared my throat, wringing the shirt in my hands. It was my first heat and I hadn’t known I could fucking have one.

Rath got in my face, and I steeled my spine even though I felt two feet tall. His smokey scent overwhelmed my senses, and I gritted my teeth so I didn’t sway toward his delicious smell.

“Enough!” Axel boomed from behind Rath, but I couldn’t see him past the sneering Alpha.

My stomach growled, and I pressed my palm to my belly. Grimacing, I licked my lips as I took a few steps back to get away from Rath. Four sets of eyes settled on me.

“I’ll get you something to eat and drink. Oak, help me out,” Axel ordered. Oak’s expression shuttered, and I couldn’t read him as he got to his feet. Nudity wasn’t an issue for them, but I couldn’t stop my blush. I quickly donned the shirt I’d been squeezing.

“Something to eat ?” Rath scoffed, watching them leave. His hands went up and spiked through his hair.

“She needs to eat after that heat. You know that.” Kane propped himself against the headboard. “And this is the worst we’ve experienced, so imagine her exhaustion.”

Worst? I hugged myself. Did they regret being with me? It hurt to breathe. I hated all of this; I wanted to run away. Or scream at them—or hit them with a bat. Maybe all of that at once. The mess in my chest and heart was making me nauseous.

Kane leaned against the headboard, arms crossed. His smooth tan biceps flexed. “You know exactly what that heat meant, Rath, you can’t feign ignorance.”

Rath’s attention was fixed on my chest, not meeting my eyes. His shoulder pumped with each breath.

“What do you mean?” I hesitantly asked Kane.

“Our omega . . .”

“What, can’t you say her name?” Rath’s nose flared, and he stepped forward. His thumb and pointer finger pinched my chin.

“I wasn’t talking about Kim,” Kane snapped. Rath’s eyes flared. I hissed a breath out through my teeth.

“Not this shit.” Axel’s voice penetrated the tension. Before Rath’s touch turned painful, Axel slapped his hand off me, not seeming to jostle the contents of the mug in his hand.

My head jerked back at the sudden release. My eyes stung and I swallowed the ball in my throat.

Kane and Rath stared at each other in silence. Tension mounted, and the two seemed about to go at each other’s throats

“She doesn’t need to hear it,” Axel ordered. The deep intonation of his voice bounced off the walls. Axel shouldered in front of Rath, blocking him from my view completely. “Honey, take a drink.” He cupped the bottom of the mug and pressed it to my lips.

I took a sip and warmth spilled down my throat, washing some of the nerves away. Chamomile and honey mingled and filled my nose. Axel didn’t move his hands, so I placed mine over his and guided them to my dry mouth. “Careful, it’s hot.”

His grin held satisfaction. He’d been so sweet. I squeezed his hands and leaned close to sniff his cozy vanilla scent. Axel hummed with pleasure and added, “We need to prepare a space for her to nest.”

“Nest? We’re not keeping the bitch.” Rath sneered and shook his head, starting to back up. His eyes were wide and kept flicking side to side.

“Stay, we need to discuss this, as a pack,” Kane barked, and it startled me. I caught myself before dropping to the floor. My emotions were jumbled and sensitive.

“Did you forget who she is and what she did?” His sneer made me feel lower than dirt. I dropped my gaze to the cup, grinding my teeth. I oscillated between cursing at him and crying.

I didn’t do whatever he hated me so much for, but shouting about it would be pointless. I tried. Their silence seemed to piss him off even more. “I won’t hang around and watch you fawn over her.”

Rath stormed away. A door slammed somewhere deep in the house. The corners of my mouth tipped down. He left so easily. Why couldn’t he believe me?

I swallowed past the tightness in my throat.

“Ignore him, honey,” Axel murmured. I chugged the rest of the searing tea down, enjoying the burn. Axel pet my head. “Let’s get you bathed.”