Page 14 of Knot Her Mountain Men

She finished off her cup quickly and set it aside, watching me for further instruction. I leaned in close so I could whisper, “Do you want to meet them?”

“Tomorrow?”

That was all I needed. They could exercise some patience. I took her back up to my room and settled her in the bed, laying a couple of extra blankets on top. Pumpkin invited herself in, flopping down next to Morgan. Luckily, my omega didn’t seem to mind and cuddled up on our dog. Morgan was already half-asleep by the time I stood up again.

Tomorrow was a new day. Once she’d had a proper rest, she could meet the rest of the pack. She wasn’t going anywhere with the snow, so we’d have no choice but to get to know one another.

I left her in peace, her soft snore reaching me before I’d even left the room.

The others were eagerly awaiting my return, though they looked surprised to see that I had.

“You didn’t stay with her?” Maverick asked.

I shook my head. With a wave of my hand, I drew them all into the living room and we sat in front of the fire so I could tell them what Morgan had told me about her experience. I picked through the details, adding in my desire to feed her so-called friend to a wolverine.

“Jesus Christ,” Ryder murmured. “That’s fucked up. Now I hope a raccoon gets into his house and gives him rabies. He deserves to suffer.”

I nodded emphatically.

“Does she know you and Kit are scent matches?” Maverick asked.

I shrugged and signed, “She reacts, but no acknowledgment.”

Kit leaned back thoughtfully. “I’ve heard of some cases where omegas physically can’t recognize a scent match.”

“That would suck,” said Ryder. “Why wouldn’t they be able to?”

“Trauma, mostly. If Morgan doesn’t know already, we need to make her feel safe. Her body is in survival mode, which makes sense. She was probably out there overnight. If it had been any colder, she wouldn’t have made it.”

Maverick growled. “Fucking hell. Bear, I’m gonna join you in feeding that asshole to a wolverine if we ever find him. Makes me wanna throw up to think about her being out there alone.”

“I hate that she might not be able to recognize us. She smells like goddamn perfection.” Ryder groaned. “Damn blizzard gonna block every road so I can’t even get into town to get the blocker neutralized.”

“Charm her with your personality instead,” I signed, sticking my tongue out. “If you can.”

He flipped me the bird. “Fuck you. I can be charming when I need to be.”

“News to me.” I grinned.

We bantered in between discussing anything that still needed to be done to get through the storm. If it snowed as much as the reports said, we’d probably be blocked in for a week after the snow stopped before the roads all the way up to our place were cleared. I didn’t really blame the county. They focused their efforts on areas most affected. Four people weren’t usually a priority when they had roads to mountain towns to deal with. That was all right. We were used to being relatively self-sufficient out here.

We had a good system going with a ranch not too far away. They provided us with fresh produce and home-canned goods, and in exchange we gave them some of whatever we hunted. Usually moose, sometimes deer, and once in a while a buffalo would give themselves to our hunting party. Growing a garden out here wasn’t the easiest with all the trees blocking the light, but we had staked out a few spots over the years that got consistent enough sun we’d been able to put in some raised beds. Did Morgan like to garden?

We had too many things to consider for the future. None of us had any idea what Morgan’s plans were, and if she didn’t want to stay out here, it would make our jobs a lot more difficult. Not impossible, but certainly not ideal. Not everyone was suited to a life isolated in the mountains. If our omega was a city girl at heart who liked the occasional break in the forest, we’d have to figure something out.

“Do we know anything else about her?” Kit asked.

I shook my head. “We can learn,” I signed.

Morgan had chatterbox energy. I didn’t view it as a bad thing either. I always preferred listening to talking anyway. As someone who had been quieter than usual their entire life, it was pretty easy to tell who thrived on monopolizing conversation, whether or not they’d ever had the opportunity to do so. Even if she had been forced to be a little quieter because her throat hurt, the core energy of her was obvious. I imagined with a bit of rest and a little trust she would happily talk our ears off.

We played cards by firelight until the day fully caught up with me, and when everyone went to bed, I got comfortable on the couch. Morgan could borrow my room for the night.

I drifted in and out, watching the flames flicker. The soft sound of light footsteps drew my attention sometime later when the entire house had gone quiet. The pitter-patter of dog paws followed. Morgan appeared at my feet, illuminated like a goddess of flames with a copper halo from the firelight against her hair.

She looked uncertain, and didn’t say or sign anything for a few moments as we quietly observed each other. Eventually she tiptoed to the other end of the couch and sank to her knees in front of my face. “I had a nightmare about Brandon. Can I stay down here with you?”

I lifted the blanket in a silent invitation and she climbed on top of me, wedging herself between me and the couch, her arm curled over my stomach and her head on my chest. Pumpkin hopped up to join us, lying on my legs.

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