Page 34 of Ruin Me Knot
Pride thrummed through me as I witnessed her build her nest. I’m humbled that something intrinsic in her trusted us enough to give in to those ancient instincts, to claim space without begging forgiveness. This is probably the only nest she’s ever built without some asshole Alpha punishing her for following her nature. The fact that she managed this at all, after everythingshe’s endured. It’s a privilege I don’t deserve, but I’ll take any part of her she chooses to share with me.
Ronan’s pride flashes through the bond, and I sense him hovering just out of sight in the kitchen while Gabe peeks around a wall, his whole focus riveted on our Omega.
None of us made a sound while she worked to build her nest and now—fuck. She’s inviting me in. She’s so fucking brave it slays me. Her lips part and the tiniest tremor of hope sparks in her eyes as a weary ache rolls off her. I’m humbled down to my bones. Nothing in the world could keep me from her now, except a deep-rooted instinct that won’t back down. She needs care before anything else. Her arousal perfumes the air, rich and heady, a magnet pulling every Alpha urge out of me. But the ache of hunger outweighs her desire, I see it in her hollow eyes, the unsteady way she holds herself up in the nest.
I grab the still warm bowl of soup and buttered bread, hoping I can get some sustenance into her. I kneel on the carpet in front of her and hold out the spoon loaded with rich broth. "I know what you want, Omega. I want it too. So bad I can taste it. But you need food more than you need me right this second."
She whines, her blatant desperation blossoming in her perfume. My cock throbs and I swallow my groan. Her instincts are a symphony to my senses but she’s relying on me for her sustenance. "Orgasms after food, Omega."
She licks her lips as her gaze falls to the laden spoon. I draw it over her bottom lip, coaxing her hunger. If she just tastes the soup, she might forget about her arousal. Temporarily at least.
I’m worried she became cognizant, even when it was a small window. It’s not natural, and there’s still a tainted edge to her scent I don’t like, but her tongue laps up the smear of broth on her lips and her eyes flare with a different sort of hunger.
"Come on, Sunshine. Take a bite," I whisper, hoping she won’t retreat. That she’s lost enough to her Omega instincts she’ll trust her mates enough to feed her.
Leah weighs my every action. I broadcast my movements, knowing anything I do will make a difference. She finally parts her lips enough to eat and I want to high-five the blessed goddess herself.
I smile. "There’s my brave girl. Good Omega."
Her eyelids close and she shivers. She likes being told she’s good and I have a feeling that whatever worthless fuck of an Alpha who controlled her never told her that. As if she could be bad. Scared. In pain. Terrified. Yes, all of that. But bad? No chance in the seven layers of hells. The behaviors she shows us are learned. Nothing but survival tactics. Her base instincts recognize we will never hurt her. I only hope she lets them guide her and listens to them when she’s not lost to heat.
She allows me to feed her half the bowl before I break off a chunk of fluffy bread and hold it to her mouth. Her lips close around the bread, and she licks the butter off my fingers. Gabriel stifles a groan. Of course he’s watching. Nothing could keep me away either if I weren’t up close and personal like this. I want to whip around and tell him to shut it, but I remain still, fighting my own battles not to bury myself in her fucking majestic nest.
I trace her jaw with my thumb before breaking off another piece of bread. "Good Omega."
Because she should hear it again. And again, and again, until all parts of her believe it. She eases into her nest showing no interest in the next spoonful and her perfume thickens into something sweet and hungry. Her whine makes my balls draw up so tight I think I’m going to cum right here and now.
I set the half-eaten bowl on the coffee table. She’s eaten nowhere near enough, but her stomach will be shrunken. She’s done as well as she can, and I make a mental note to feed her small and often. But now I’m more than ready to satisfy the next thing she wants.
"Do you want your Alpha? Do you want me to touch you and make you feel good?" She blinks at me with those dark, dark eyes. "Tell me you want me, Omega. Tell me it’s all right to give you what you want."
Her pink lips part and she reaches her hand toward me. "Alpha, please."
I let my Alpha control my voice and my next words are nothing but a rumble from the basest part of me. I mean them with every molecule of my soul. "Brave Omega."
Ronan curses in the kitchen at her whine. Both of my bond brothers are holding on by a thread. Their arousal cracks through our pack bond, but they won’t come closer until she asks. There’s barely enough space as I lower at her side, her cocoon of blankets and cushions crowding every corner, but that’s fucking perfect because every inch of her ends up pressed along every inch of me.
Her thigh brushes my leg, hip snug to mine, shoulder and arm tucked warm against my side. Our bodies align, heat sinking into heat, our essences weaving tighter with every exhale. I settle back, one arm draped along the top of the nest, hand close but waiting for her invitation to touch.
I belong here. With her. Right in the heart of what she’s built, all pride and hunger and tenderness, every part of me singing yes.
Her nest is warm, soft,perfectjust like her.
My heart hammers hard enough that I’m sure she can feel it, but my hands stay where she can see them. Waiting.
Always waiting for her.
Her gaze rises as she slides her palm over my wrist. Her fingers tremble, so damn slight compared to mine, but her grip is firm as she drags my hand lower, placing it just above her knee where her leg is bent over mine.
Gods. The trust in that small movement nearly shatters me.
"Alpha," she murmurs, barely more than a breath.
I flex my fingers, testing the pressure she wants. "Is this all right, Omega? You want me to touch you like this?"
Her lashes flutter and a soft sigh falls from her lips. I stroke upward, slow as sunrise, my thumb tracing the inside of her thigh. Her skin is fever-hot, her perfume weaving around me in a heady cloud.
The nest swallows me whole. Her scent tangles with the musk of her heat, and saturates every blanket, every cushion pressed between us. She’s everywhere. The air is thick syrup clinging to my tongue. Warmth radiates off her body where shemolds against me, her thigh pressing tight to mine like she’s afraid I’ll disappear if she doesn’t hold on. Her breath fans over my collarbone, quick and uneven, her heartbeat a hummingbird flutter beneath her ribs.
