Page 21 of Knot The Only Onee

She blinked at me, confusion swirling in her eyes. “I know that,” she breathed. “Simon would never befriend someone who wasn’t like him in that regard.”

I held my hands up, wanting to show her that I had no intention of harming her. “Uh,” I cleared my throat, knowing what I wanted to say but unable to quite get the words out. “My mom was an omega.”

She nodded but didn’t speak, letting me continue in my own time.

“My dad was a shithead alpha who drank more than he should have and would fly off into rages.” I licked my suddenly dry lips. “Mom did her best to protect me. She would make me hide while she took everything on her own shoulders. I would never in a million years behave like that sorry excuse for an alpha.”

“Noah.” Bridget took a step forward, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “I can’t believe you had to witness that.”

I was startled as she wrapped her arms around my waist and laid her head on my chest. “How old were you?”

I savored the feel of her body against mine. One hand splayed over her back, and the other settled on her hip. I took in the scent of her sweet perfume, drawing it deep into my lungs and letting it embed itself in my nostrils. That scent drew me under her spell, and this curvy omega in my arms utterly and completely consumed me.

“She died when I was fifteen. My dad survived for three more years, the fucking bastard.” I trembled with rage, but Bridget just held me tighter. “She died in a freak accident while riding on the ranch, fell off her horse, and broke her neck. I was stunned when Dad told me.”

“It’s not fair, is it?” Bridget murmured, her voice muffled by my shirt. “That such a good person died while such an evil one still lived.”

My eyes fluttered shut, and I buried my nose in her hair. Fuck, the feel of her in my arms was heaven.

I didn’t talk about my parents. Ever.

James knew the story because he’d been my best friend since I was a toddler, his family living just a few miles away.

I told Lucas a few months after he wormed his way into our lives and decided to stay. I learned early on that you couldn’t hide anything from Lucas.

How was I already so comfortable with Bridget that I told her this within a day of her arrival?

Because, you dolt, she’s your mate.

My fingers tangled through her hair and gently combed through the strands. “I’m sorry for the pain you’ve experienced, baby girl.”

“I’m sorry for the loss of your mother and for the way your father treated you.”

She was too sweet, too good for the likes of me.

I had the blood of an abuser flowing through my veins. Wasn’t it just a matter of time before those traits emerged?

“Why don’t you go upstairs and take a nice hot bath? You’ll find the bathroom attached to your room is perfect for that.” I took a step back and swallowed harshly. I couldn’t talk about this anymore. I needed to process and reflect. To understand my feelings and keep telling myself that I wasn’t anything like my father.

Because if I told myself that enough, I might actually believe it.

Bridget’s head cocked to the side, but after a moment, she nodded and turned away to go upstairs.

I watched her the entire way, focusing on the way her perfect ass moved with each step. When she was out of view, I planted my hands on the cool granite counters and hung my head.

“You okay?” James asked as he came up behind me.

I nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

“I heard what you told her.” Leave it to James to cut right to the chase and say what he was thinking.

“Do you think I’m crazy?”

James snorted. “Why would you think that? We all know she’s our omega. You should have told her.”

“Then why do I feel like I did something wrong?” It was a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. But I wasn’t sure if it was because of regret or because I just hated talking about my parents.

“You didn’t.” James placed an arm over my shoulders. I savored the comforting warmth. He had only about an inch on me, but the height was unusual for a beta. Everything about James and the way he behaved was uncommon for a beta. “I think the worst thing you did was send her upstairs. I could smell her hurt even from where I was in the hall.”