Page 47 of Rot In Knotty Pieces

Rolly stares at her, aghast.

Raven keeps giggling.

I think it’s the first time I’ve seen her laugh like that. She looks young. She is young, so much younger than she feels.

“Enough, kittens,” Sage says. “Let’s go to sleep now.”

I roll onto my side, curling into Blaze, who wraps me in his strong arms. On the other side of me, Raven is being cuddled by Rolly. Rose is with Sage, while King is wrapped around Rolly.

This is our pack.

It could be our future.

I’m going to fight to make sure that it stays mine and perhaps sort out my head before I actually do hurt someone.

Blaze

Pix is curled up in my arms, asleep. It’s been a little under forty-eight hours since Raven came out and provoked him into madness. The spectacle had been what our alpha instincts had been screaming for, but we were too aware that he was not just a flight risk, but he’d also proven that he was willing and ready to use extreme violence.

But the way he clings to me…like he needs that gentleness, the firmness, he needs the unwavering, unconditional love.

I brush his hair back and lift my gaze as Merle walks in, but it’s not her. I consider her for a moment and notice the way she walks, it’s much looser, more confident, masculine.

“Jay?”

He glances at me and flops down on the bed on his back. “These camp bed things are kind of comfortable. I haven’t decided. I’ve certainly slept in worse.”

“Are you okay with everything that happened?”

“What happened?” he says, sitting up and looking shocked.

I don’t know how to answer that. I shift uncomfortably, trying to find the right words to explain the heat.

Jay throws himself back, laughing. “You should see your face.”

I glower. “Not funny.”

“Hilarious. You looked so panicked.”

“Explaining all the different ways I contorted your body and fucked it requires the right words.”

Jay screws his face up. “Okay, that was not cool.”

“Uh-huh. It’s not fun to torment your alphas, is it?”

Jay flops back again and wiggles. “On second thought, I do like them.”

“Are they okay?”

Jay rolls his head towards me and grins. “Yes. You did well. They are dick-matised.”

“Dick-matised?”

“Dick-matised. It’s apparently a thing and exactly what it sounds like. I personally can’t see it, but you know, whatever.”

Jay sits up and claps his hands. “Up,” he says loudly, startling Pix awake.

The omega rolls to his feet, ignoring the way I groan and protest.