Page 49 of They Love Me Knot (Starsfalls Omegaverse #2)
Daphne
I come to as Alister pulls out of my mouth, his knot deflated.
He curses, holding onto my shoulder so I don’t fall. “Ciro, get ahold of yourself,” he barks.
Ciro snarls in response.
I rest my face against Alister, struggling to open my eyes and see what all the growling’s about. By the time I’m able to, Alister is still threatening Ciro.
Alister is kneeling so I can lean against his chest and stay upright. He has Ciro’s head bent back by the hair, pushing on his shoulder to keep him away from me.
Ciro’s eyes are glued to me while he fights Alister, hand still gripping my stomach and the other holding the belt loop. Despite his struggle, Ciro isn’t hurting me, not yanking on the belt or his knot, which hasn’t deflated yet. He’s reserving all his irritation for Alister.
I’m confused about why they’re fighting. If they didn’t want to share me, arguing about it after they came in me doesn’t really seem like the right time for that .
Something trickles down my shoulder and onto my chest. I lift my shoulder and rub it against my neck, trying to brush away whatever it is without the use of my bound hands.
“I’m so sorry about this, Daphne. I’ll get you fixed up once his knot releases you,” Alister says.
“It’s fine,” I manage to say despite the dry mouth and sore throat.
I could go for something to drink. All this running and throat fucking has left me very short on saliva.
I wish they’d chosen a better time to argue though. I’m trying to bask in postcoital bliss.
The last thing I remember is Alister coming in me. I can’t think of what would have upset Ciro so much, since Alister had been fucking my throat for a while.
Whatever dripped on me tickles my chest again, sliding down the side of my breast. I subtly rub against Alister to stop the ticklish feeling, but notice smears of red on us.
Is his come red?
My brain can’t compute what I’m seeing.
Alister switches up his hold while I’m distracted, hand on Ciro’s throat to keep him back.
He tilts my face up. “I’m so sorry, baby girl. Do you feel okay? I can clean this for now if you’re comfortable with that and bandage you up once we get back to the Flower Gully. I promise I’m in control of myself and I won’t bite you, Daphne. Will you allow me to clean the bite?”
My thoughts are still spinning, but now I remember Ciro’s mind brushing against mine. I mentally reach for him now, but the only place I feel him is in my pussy.
Ciro’s bite wasn’t deep enough to bond us, I guess, but it was enough to tear my skin. Or maybe that happened when Alister ripped him off me .
I can’t tell if I’m disappointed or relieved that the mating bond didn’t take hold. It would’ve let me see what Ciro really thinks of me, besides the lustful thoughts.
There’s no point in worrying about it now since Alister stopped him. As long as he keeps ahold of Ciro, he won’t be bonding me tonight.
Alister is still waiting for my answer, but the exhaustion and confusion have taken their toll, so I answer by tilting my head to the side so he can see to my shoulder.
Alister leans close, careful to keep Ciro’s teeth at arm’s length.
He pauses to ask again, “You’ll let me tend to you?”
“Yes,” I whisper.
The first swipe of Alister’s tongue over the wound sends pleasant tingles racing through me. Come to think of it, I haven’t felt pain since the first sting when he bit me. I didn’t realize alpha saliva was that effective at taking away discomfort.
More licks from Alister make me limp and happy, biology at work to comfort me and heal me.
Alpha saliva has special enzymes that prevent pain and speed healing, which works on small wounds, or on larger ones if it’s their omega.
It doesn’t work well enough to fix major injuries on strangers, otherwise they’d have alphas at all the hospitals, tongues at the ready.
This is a minor wound, but my omega is blissfully thinking that Alister’s healing is working extra well because he’s our mate.
I let my omega (and, ok, my more rational mind too) have this delusion.
Alister licks and kisses my neck until Ciro’s knot releases us. I don’t know if all that tending was necessary, or if he just enjoyed it as much as I did .
Ciro grabs my hips as soon as we’re freed, pushing against me like he’s going to fuck me and knot me again, but Alister somehow separates us. He pulls me off Ciro’s cock and makes sure I’m balanced, sitting on my heels, before turning to restrain Ciro.
Ciro’s come leaks down my legs while I watch them wrestle.
Maybe fucking again isn’t such a bad idea…
Alister eventually gets the upper hand, pinning Ciro on his stomach and kneeling on his legs.
Most of Ciro’s attention is still on me, wanting to complete our bond, I assume.
His eyes are hazy, like there’s no rational thought there, only alpha instinct.
His scent is more intense too, similar to Kieran and Sterling last night when they were apparently in rut.
They calmed down after they knotted me, so surely Ciro’s alpha will settle down soon and we can get back to the farm.
I’m not sure how far I ran, but I’m hoping it’s not too long of a walk back. Maybe I can get one of them to carry me instead.
A breeze rustles the leaves above us and makes me shiver. Now that the adrenaline and lust are fading, I’m left wet, half-naked, arms tied behind my back, and a bit chilly.
It’s nothing painful, but this makes it clear why heats are done in nests.
Slowly, Ciro’s struggles cease, and when he finally looks away from me, I know he’s coming back to himself. His scent also lessens, the frenzied spicy honey scent calming. I didn’t realize how strong it had become, almost burning my nose, until it faded.
Alister leans down and they have a whispered conversation. He must determine Ciro is in control of himself, because he gets off his back and lets him up, although Alister stays between us.
I peek around his legs to watch Ciro stand. He keeps his back to us as he adjusts his clothes and picks up his hat.
He drops his head, spinning his hat in his hand, before turning partially toward us.
“I’m sorry for losing control, Daphne. It’s unacceptable. I would never intentionally bond someone against their will. I’m so sorry I hurt you, especially like that,” Ciro says, keeping his face averted and eyes down.
I frown. I mean, it wasn’t exactly against my will, though it is for the best we didn’t go through with it. Quick bondings aren’t the smartest life decision, but in the moment it was hot, and I wanted his bite. I accepted it.
I wish he would look at me. It would have been a bigger deal if Alister hadn’t stopped him, but it’s not like Ciro was some random alpha who jumped me on the street.
Since alphas are bigger, it’s always on them to be in control of themselves so they don’t hurt their partner, but I still liked making him lose control a little. And everything worked out fine, my neck doesn’t even hurt.
“It’s okay, I know it was an accident. Mistakes happen when our instincts are close to the surface,” I say, unable to bring myself to admit how much I liked it.
And that even now I waver between wishing he did bond me and being glad he didn’t.
I’m still not sure where I stand with Ciro, and I can’t bring myself to be that vulnerable in front of him.
That probably means it’s for the best we didn’t bond yet (my omega grumbles at the thought).
Ciro’s jaw clenches. “That’s no excuse for what I did. I’m sorry, princess. ”
Then he just walks off.
I barely hold in a whine.
Alister is quick to hug me, so I’m not sure if I actually did keep the sound in.
“I’m so sorry this happened, Daphne, we never meant to hurt you. I shouldn’t have pushed you both into this. Let’s get you cleaned up, okay, baby girl?” Alister says, comforting me as he unbuckles the belts looped around my hands and throat.
I throw my arms around his neck once I’m free and cling to him as he picks me up.
Alister carries me back to the farm, Ciro’s scent lingering in the air, but no other trace of him. Even once we’re near the greenhouses, there’s no sign of him, like he just disappeared.
Alister carries me straight to the car, but I stop him before he puts me in the passenger seat.
“Are we leaving?” I ask, unable to keep the tremble out of my voice.
“Almost, baby girl. I’m going to get the first aid kit out of the trunk and clean you up,” Alister says.
“What about my clothes? I’ll make a mess of your car,” I say, trying to think of some way to go back and find Ciro before we leave.
My omega is stressed that our alpha is upset. We bounce between worrying about him and feeling rejected because he ran off. Aren’t you supposed to do aftercare for the benefit of all parties after kinky stuff like this? If Ciro had stuck around, we would both feel better.
Alister smiles, finally loosening up for the first time since our sex went wrong. “The car can be cleaned. But I’d love to have your scent all over it. ”
I’m too busy blushing and preening to protest again, so I let him put me in the car and wait patiently as he cleans me up. I can’t believe he already figured out compliments are my weak spot.
Alister cleans my neck and decides it’s sealed up enough that it doesn’t need a bandage. He cleans and disinfects my feet too since I got a few scratches running through the woods.
He goes back for my clothes, making me promise to wait in the car since he doesn’t want me walking on the gravel paths barefoot. I look for any sign of Ciro, but nothing moves on the farm, and Alister returns with my things alone.
As we drive away, I watch the side-view mirror until the Flower Gully is no longer visible.
Alister squeezes my thigh, and I look over at him and smile tiredly. He returns my smile before focusing back on the road, and I think that maybe my subtle staring wasn’t as subtle as I thought.
Those old feelings threaten to break through, trying to drag me down again. Not being good enough or interesting enough to keep an alpha’s attention, carved into my heart after my exes broke up with me.
But Alister is a lifeline, his hand and his comforting earthy scent keeping me grounded in the here and now.
It’s different with these men. They treat me so much better than my exes ever did, and because of my suppressants, I don’t think they even realize we’re scent matches. They don’t act like I’m just an omega they’re trying to fuck.
Even Ciro’s freakout is a good sign, I think (I hope). It shows he cares about me and doesn’t want to hurt me. He’s grumpy, but everything he complains about is meant to protect me, like telling me to be careful in the alley or not to steal flowers so I don’t get arrested.
That thought keeps me from falling into the hole again. I have good things to look forward to with my new mates.
On the way back to town, I drift between sleep and awake, soothed by Alister’s presence.