Page 37 of Hide or Die

“No,” she replied without hesitation. “We really couldn’t. They’re unregistered omegas hiding in plain sight at the highest levels of beta government. Do you think the ambassador is going to walk into an international summit with a mating bite on her neck?”

“She could wear high-necked clothing,” I said mulishly. “We could make it work. I mean, just look at—”

She cut in abruptly. “That’s a special situation and you know it. Not to mention, one that’s going to go down in spectacular flames one day, probably taking all of us with it.”

I growled at her, my heat-induced frustration boiling over. Alex didn’t call me on it, since that was the kind of leader she was.

“What she and Patel are doing is important,” she said. “We need them as high-level assets in the government more than you need to get your dick wet. Also, there’s the small matter that they’d have to be crazy to risk a mating bond withanyone... much less us.”

I clenched my jaw to keep from saying anything else, since even I could tell I was still sporting a bad case of knot-brain. That didn’t stop the thought from whispering through my head.

But what if they did?

FOURTEEN

Leona

THERE WAS a secondalpha in the house. The scent of jasmine and sandalwood drifted to me from elsewhere in the cabin. Still, Flynn was alone when he returned to the nest, just as my need began ratcheting up yet again.

“Alex is back,” he said. “Jax is still alive, in case you were wondering.”

I held onto enough of the sense of the words to feel a swell of relief.

“That’s wonderful news,” Kam said, sounding equally relieved. “I hope that also means he’ll recover completely?”

“Dunno about that part yet.” The alpha lowered himself into the nest, still frustratingly separated from me by the barrier of Kam’s body. “Let’s not worry about that right now. I’d much rather see how many times you can get our girl off before she takes the knot again. You like that idea, sweet thing?”

My heat rose, cutting off all rational thought as I nodded frantic agreement. And so it began again—the seemingly endless cycle of fuck, knot, sleep. It was no longer the nightmarish hallucinatory haze that it had been at first, but even now, the sense of important things happening around me nipped at the edges of my awareness like a stubborn terrier with a cornered rat.

I was growing more and more exhausted, despite the hours spent dozing between peaks. Two cycles... three... four... and then a long period of blankness before I woke in what felt like the middle of the night. My mind was finally clear, though my body felt like I’d gone ten rounds with a professional boxer.

Also, I wasfamished.

“Ugh,” I groaned. “Ow.Fuck.”

My pillow rose and fell beneath my cheek as someone let out a relieved breath. I lifted my aching head, and found Kam curled beneath me on the mountain of cushions.

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