Page 46 of Rest In Knotty Pieces

I pull away from King and dart past the alphas, returning to my room. I see Pix coming in my direction and slam the door, backing away and going into the bathroom where I sit in the shower stall and shake.

A near-constant whine pushes against my teeth, and it’s not until Blaze comes and sits in the bathroom with me that it slips out.

“Come here, Omega.”

I fight and try to resist, but I can’t. I crawl to him and curl up on his lap, wrapping myself around him and burying my face in his neck.

“First things first. Rolly is loud. That is who he is. He is harmless to you, though.”

I make a soft noise and tighten my arms around his neck.

“Pix, Daega is upset. He wants something he’s being told he can’t have, and he’s acting out. His tantrums are not directed at you. It’s just making you collateral damage. No one in this house, including Daega, is going to hurt you. I know it feels like we could or would, but I assure you every person would cut off a hand before we lay a finger on you in anger.”

I tremble, but he doesn’t wait any longer. He picks me up and walks into the bedroom, laying down on the bed with me against his chest.

“Here’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to come out more and get to know us better so you can decide if we can be trusted. Eat meals with us, watch TV with us. We can start small and work our way up.”

He’s silent for a long moment.

“You like being held. It’s helping. So, if things are getting hard or difficult, you can go to any of the alphas living here and touch them. No one will tell you no, and all of us are willing to help you. We voted. We all like you. It’s a thing now.”

I blink, trying to imagine how this future could look like.

“Walks outside in the forest because you seemed to be happier out there.”

I make a sound that has him chuckling.

“I thought that would make you happy. No one is going to make you do anything. Your limits and boundaries are yours. But we are here…for you, however you would have us.”

Blaze talks for a long time about different things, nonsense things, but I don’t pay attention. I fall into a fugue state and then into sleep in the arms of an alpha who is as mysterious as any I have ever met.

Merle

King leads me into the kitchen the next morning. I move in jerks and starts, bile rushing up my throat and threatening to ruin my day. Still, Rolly is behind me, chatting about some show he watched. I don’t know what he’s talking about, I just like the sound of his voice.

Blaze holds a chair out for me, and I slide in, trying to make myself as small as possible. I catch all their scents in the air, a mix that is starting to feel safe.

Sage smiles and passes me a piece of toast with raspberry jam on it. My face burns, but I take it, nibbling on the corner, while King and Rolly sit down and start arguing. I don’t know when their gentle bickering stopped being threatening, but somewhere along the line, it’s just become noise.

Aaron walks in with wet hair. His sandy brown hair curling damply around his neck. His hazel eyes look around the table coldly but pause on me, turning soft and almost pained.

“Good morning, Merle,” he says gently.

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. I don’t have words anymore.

Instead, I dip my chin and force a smile and hope that’s enough. Judging by the way his shoulders relax, it is.

King dumps an orange beside my plate. I lunge for it, pulling it onto my lap and holding it against my stomach.

He reaches out and puts a hand on my thigh while he leans on his elbow and talks quietly with Sage. He might not be aware of his touch, but I am acutely aware of the shape of his thumb that strokes my inner knee, how long and large those fingers are over the curve of my thigh. The heat and the pulse of him, the scent that teases my nose.

He’s a solid, real wall of protection, a barrier between the world and everything else.

The breakfast goes quickly, I barely hear anything; my ears ring. I don’t speak, and then, they are leaving, and I’m left wondering what I’m to do.

“We can’t walk today because it’s raining cats and dogs,” Rolly says and yanks me up out of my chair.

I don’t even have time to gasp before he’s dragging me away.