Page 41 of Ruffled Feathers

“I’m going to knot you so tight, lock my release in that tight little pussy until I’m painting your womb,” I groaned, and she screamed with pleasure. Sonny was still drinking down those moans, alternating between her lips and her tits.

Too soon, my knot was swelling, tightening like a fist inside her, and it felt like I was going to black out from the sheer pleasure of it. I held her hips still, grinding up but not allowing her to bounce around. I didn’t want to dislodge my knot and hurt her.

“That’s it. Look at you taking my knot, like a good little Omega. God, I’ve loved you so long,” I whispered. That last bit just slipped out, though I was fairly sure she couldn’t even hear my words right now. She was a ball of need, of desire, of heat and pain and pleasure. I would tell her again once she was back to OJ—sweet, sassy, and full of fire.

I’d tell her every day for the rest of our lives, if she’d let me.

Twenty-One

Lance

This was painful. I wasn’t just talking about the throbbing of my dick, which had been hard for the last two days. I mean, that was painful too, but it had nothing on the look on Otillie-James’s face when she’d reached for me, asking me into her nest. The disappointment on her face when I’d said no.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to. I did. God, more thananythingin my short, miserable fucking life did I want that. However, I knew that if I was with her through her heat, if she invited me into her nest and into her body, I wouldn’t ever leave.

So instead of helping Otillie-James through her heat, I was taking care of the other half of her heart. Taking care of the animals here was a full-time job; no wonder she’d been struggling so hard when I first met her. I started at five in the morning and went until ten at night, though it was a little better now that the kittens were starting on solid food. Their feedings were less frequent throughout the day.

But they were only one small portion of her daily routine. Giving medication, feeding and watering, changing out bedding, giving the birds free-fly time and then getting the little fuckers back in their cages—it all took hours. And I was thankful for every single one of those tasks, especially the ones that took meoutside and away from the sounds of her cries of ecstasy. Away from the scent of Omegas in heat.

I swore beneath my breath, and even Akio whined. He was picking up on my tension, and I worked hard to soothe my fractured feelings, at least for him, if not for myself.

I was currently lugging hay for the goats and herding them away from the azaleas once more. Yesterday, when the height of the heat had been washing the house in pheromones, I’d built a fence outside. It was only temporary, but it should keep them off the flower beds.

Scaramouche gave me the side-eye as she ate her hay, and if you’d ever had the side-eye from a goat, you’d know it was a little demonic. Something about those slitted pupils made you believe that they were one bad mood away from headbutting you in the balls.

I’d also prepped baskets of food and hydration, leaving them outside the bedroom. I hadn’t seen either of the Alphas yet, though maybe I should hook them up to an IV. Technically, I’d been trained to do that in the Marines.

I fed Gert the goose, and the now-besotted Spartacus, who followed Gert around like a lovesick rooster. You’d never even know he’d once been a fighter. The love of a good goose could do that to a cock, I guess. The other day, I’d even seen him trying to swim to the middle of the pond with her. I’d been preparing to dive into the murky little pond to rescue the dumb bastard, but luckily, he’d managed to swim his way out. Now he just waited for his lady love on the banks. Apparently, everyone had to learn a lesson or two the hard way.

There was a collection of cellphones on the dining room table, which had been ringing off the hook, but I didn’t feel right answering them. So I’d just been ignoring them, and when either Sonny or Truett emerged, I’d get them to deal with it.

I headed back inside and made some fruit salad. Maybe the Alphas could coax the Omegas to eat something in bite-size pieces.

As if I’d summoned Truett, he emerged from the upper floor. He looked like shit. He was almost haggard, his hair disheveled, and he was covered in bite marks and scratches. He was in a pair of boxer shorts and nothing else.

He staggered a little, and I moved around the counter. I didn’t want the big bastard to faceplant, because I wasn’t sure I could deadlift him onto the couch. Steadying him, I helped him to a bar stool. “You look like shit.”

Truett huffed a laugh. “They’re both finally sleeping, even if it’s only for a moment. If I die today, I’ll die happy. But dehydration isn’t the way I thought I’d go,” he said roughly. I walked to the fridge and got him one of the sports drinks I’d borrowed their car to go and buy. Smiling at me, he took it thankfully and downed the whole thing in one mouthful.

I grabbed the basket full of phones also. “These have been going nuts. I thought one of you should look into it.”

He picked up his phone and immediately winced. “Fuck.” He scrolled through all the missed calls. “Fuck.It’s Buck and Citrine. Their parents.”

I winced too. I wouldn’t want to have that conversation. “You should call them before they send the cops around.” If they were my kids not answering for days, I’d already have my ass on a plane back to South Carolina.

Truett shuddered, but I could see his resolve. “I know. I will.” He looked at me appraisingly. “Why didn’t you want to join her in the nest?”

I froze. “I’m not right for her.” I didn’t deserve her, but I didn’t say that to him.

“You don’t want her?” There was no judgment in his tone. “You can be honest.”

“I want her more than I should. She just isn’t for someone like me.”

He stared at me with those eyes that were too intelligent. Like he could read me, my intentions, my very heart. “The fact you think that is the very reason you’d be perfect for her. I know you’ve been leaving the baskets outside the door. I know you’ve been caring for the creatures she loves. I know you look at her like she’s an angel sent down from heaven to save your very soul.”

He gave me a knowing smirk. “Despite what you’ve done in the past, whoever you were in a different life, the man in front of me now is very much worthy of the Omega who keeps asking for him. The Omega who saw something in him, before the rest of us. She might have absolutely no common sense, but she’s a good judge of character. So if you can’t trust yourself, you should try trusting her.” He slapped my shoulder. “No pressure, though. Don’t go in there unless you’re really sure, because I promise you, once you’ve bathed in her light, there’s no going back to the dark.”

Grabbing his phone, he grimaced. “Wish me luck. I have to go tell a man who could crush my head in his hands that his daughter’s an Omega, that I want to claim her into my Pack because I’ve loved her forever, and that me and his stepson are currently fucking her through her heat.”

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