Page 43 of Ruin Me Knot
I gulp it down, greedy for every drop, the citrus burning away the stale taste left in my mouth. It’s the best thing I’ve tasted in as long as I can remember. I drain the glass, chest shuddering as I lower it.
"Sweet girl. Good Omega," Ronan says, his voice a velvet drawl that sinks into my core.
I drag in clean pine and fresh, grounding rain. No burned trace of cruelty. No shadow of dominance twisted into malice. Just him. Truth.
Alpha says I’m a good Omega. He’s telling the truth.
The omega part of me preens. I pull up my gaze, finding Gabriel and Jax’s attention fixed on me, their focus kind, sharp and impossible to mistake. They don’t blink, watching with a care that burns off the last traces of threat.
"You back with us, Leah?" Jax’s voice threads through the haze. His brow creases, a line of worry I want to smooth with my thumb. There’s an ache behind his concern that echoes inside me.
I shrink. I’ve done something wrong. Again. I’ve made Alpha uncomfortable. Alpha asked, I obeyed, and then I made them angry again. The rules tangle in my head, twisting tighter.Alpha asks, you snap to attention, you please him, you wait for the blow if it’s not enough…
"You’re a strong Omega. You answered us honestly. Thank you for telling us. That was very brave." Ronan’s voice rasps in my ear and his purr vibrates around me. His thumb strokes my cheek, anchoring me in his hands.
I’m brave?
I don’t feel brave at all. I feel small and wrong, and I know I’m not allowed to talk about the past and…
"You can share anything with us. There’s nothing wrong with that. We want to know. If anyone made you feel that you can’t, they’re the ones who are wrong. You are perfect the way you are, do you hear me? You’re perfect, Omega. So perfect." His words thrum under my skin, finding the places I thought were forever bruised.
My heart thuds harder with every word, a shimmer of want and longing building inside me. Those others were wrong? But they couldn’t be. There must be something wrong with me…
"Omega, look at me now." My eyes rise on instinct. Ronan locks me in his gaze. Holds me right there in the soft unbreaking attention I’ve never been trusted with. "You’re perfect. Do you hear me, Omega? You’re a good Omega. Perfect Omega."
Perfect, sweet Omega.He repeats it, again, and again.
Beautiful Omega.
Good Omega.
It’s not my fault. It’s their fault. They’re wrong. Not me. Never me. Their voices mix. Ronan. Gabriel. Jax. They whisper words that tell me the same thing.
Perfect Omega.
Good Omega.
They surround me, wrapping me in warmth and clean scents that don’t lie. They stroke me. Press their lips to my temple. Shoulder. Cheek. Their voices mix and merge. A lifeline pulling me back from the dark.
A tremor gathers inside me, growing heavier and stronger until I’m shaking and I can’t hold it in any longer. Tears spill over before I can catch my breath. My body tightens, every muscle clenched, hands fisting in Ronan’s shirt as I sob against him. The sound isn’t delicate or pretty; it’s ugly, unrestrained, torn loose from my throat like it’s been hoarded for years.
Perfect Omega.
Good Omega.
Powerful arms gather me up and suddenly I’m weightless, swept close and safe. Ronan settles with me in my couch nest, lowering us so we’re chest to chest and I’m straddling his lap. He hooks one arm at my back, the other at the nape of my neck, holding me tight against the steady rise and fall of his chest. His purr resonates through my ribs, arrowing straight to my heart.
Gabriel slides in beside us, his hand running soothing circles over my back. Bright citrus and cloves wrap around me. Jax settles against my other side, histhigh molded against mine. Smoked vanilla and fresh grass ground me as I shatter into a thousand ruined pieces and I can’t stop. Can’t. Stop…
Perfect Omega.
Good Omega.
Their essencess blend, cocooning me more protectively than any nest I could ever imagine. I bury my face in Ronan’s shoulder. Sobs tear through me, sharp and unstoppable, each one punching the air from my lungs. My chest heaves, my ribs ache with the force of it. My fists twist tight in the fabric, holding on like I’ll drown if I let go. My body wracks with every breath, knees pulled up, shoulders shaking, everything in me leaking out in waves. I choke on snot and gulp too much air, the sound harsh, breaking, desperate, the mess of grief, want and frantic comfort pouring out, wet, ugly and endless and I can’t stop. Can’t pull back the tide. It’s too strong. Too powerful.
Fingers and the thrum of voices press in. My jaw opens, throat stretched raw, nothing left to hide as noise and wetness rattle from deep inside.
Good Omega. You’re safe. You’re perfect, Sweetheart. You’re loved. So, so loved.
