Page 106 of Rot In Knotty Pieces

How do I know that? He never reveals himself, Jay said so.

Except once. When…the Robin memory tries to push in, but I grit my teeth, fighting it, refusing to look at anything but him. She attacked him. His mask moved. There was skin, hair. He’s older. Much older.

But strong, so strong.

Neither alpha nor beta, and certainly not omega. Scent suppressant patches on his skin; that must be the disinfectant smell on him. He pulls his fingers out, and I taste blood, but then his fingers press into the wound he made on my back. He leans over me, not at all afraid, watching as his thumb digs in. Hot blood runs down my skin, and I whimper.

Except this isn’t my memory; this is Kestrel’s. I never felt this; I never saw this.

A hand lands on my knee, and I yelp.

“Jay?”

I scan the inside of the car, panicked, not seeing anything but the past. A hand grabs my jaw and turns me towards a face I almost recognise.

“Stay with me!”

The alpha bark snaps into me, and I let out a shrill sound.

“Merle, you focus. You stay with me. I’m not letting you go. Nothing is going to hurt you. It's just a flashback; it’s not real.”

I blink, but tears are running unheeded down my cheeks, I’m drenched in sweat and trembling. It’s hard to swallow, and my breathing is shallow and sharp, loud.

A chest against my back, warm and safe, but it flashes, and it’s him. He’s hurting me.

“Take control, Kestrel!”

“I’m trying, she’s panicking. Everything inside her is telling her to run. She’s got no reason, she’s all terror.”

“We have to hold her, she’ll hurt the pack or herself.”

I hear their voices and the male voices.

None of it matters because his drawl is louder. He’s not shouting or even speaking loud, it’s intimate. He’s telling me how proud he is. How nicely I scream.

Everything else is a dream, he is my reality. What if everything that’s happened is just a dream, and I’m in the manacles, in his roost? What if I’m still a prisoner and this is all a dream?

What if I’m dying?

What if he’s coming back?

“Merle! Merle! OMEGA!”

I’m yanked out of the seat and into someone’s lap. Arms wrap around me. It feels safe, but nothing is safe. Nothing. His hand on the back of my head pushes my face into the crook of his neck. I inhale the alpha scent and then open my mouth and suck it into my lungs.

King!

“I’ve got you. I have you. It’s okay. You’re okay.”

I wrap my arms tighter around his neck, holding on like he’s the only one that can keep me safe. He’s massive but gentle as he pulls me tighter onto his lap.

The car stops.

The door opens, and there’s fresh air, and then King is moving, lifting me, and we’re travelling. Until we’re in the dark, in a small room with no sounds. It’s just him and me in the oppressive darkness.

But I can breathe.

“Stay with me,” King whispers. “Stay with me. Don’t run. You don’t need to run anymore.”