Page 8 of Rot In Knotty Pieces

What if she doesn’t know me?

What if she hates me?

I lick my dry lips and wish I hadn’t drunk the juice. No part of me is okay. I set the container down on the sidewalk. I see the pack racing down the street towards us, running. Instead of waiting, I walk into the front yard, staring as she comes into sight.

The bonds are cold, almost dead, but I don’t want to wake them yet. I’m much more focused on her. I wait, kneeling in the garden, trying to make myself smaller, watching the woman who is clearly a little girl in her mind play with a skipping rope. She lets out a delighted chuckle when she sees a butterfly, but when she follows its path to me, her face shows no recognition.

We knew that meeting her would be an event rife with uncertainty and there was always the chance we would meet this version of her, but it still shocks me to see a child stranger in the body of the omega I love.

The pain is unbearable, but I am so happy to see her; it doesn’t even matter. She’s alive. Oh, thank you. Whatever the hell is out there, thank you.

“Hello,” I say softly, forcing a smile.

“Hi.” She scrambles backwards and almost jumps back three steps while I rise slowly to my full height. “I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.” Nervous, scared. Smart girl.

That is the right body, but I don’t think this version is someone I have met before. There’s only two I haven’t met. Raven and Dove.

“That is excellent advice, but I’m not a stranger,” I say. “I am so, so very glad to see you. I have been looking for a long time.”

“You’re not? You’ve been looking for me? Why? I’ve been here the whole time.”

So innocent. There’s a mix of terrified caution and innocent curiosity in her that is making me want to weep.

“I really, really have. My name is Sage. Did your alpha and omega tell you about me?”

She frowns, confused. “I…uh…” The fear is back, she glances at the house. “I should…”

“Is Kestrel home?” I ask sharply, trying to hold her here.

Her eyes widen like saucers, and she shakes her head. “No. You know Kest?”

“Kest and I are good friends,” I say with total confidence. “Ah, what about Raven or Raptor?”

She backs up a step. “And you’re friends with them, too?”

“Of course,” I say easily, grinning. “And Jay, is he around?”

Her lip wobbles, and she looks completely devastated. “They are lost.”

Lost? What? What the fuck does that mean?

I look up sharply when a door opens, revealing Pix. I stare at him with the same hungry desperation that I watched Dove with. This person is my person, and being without them was agony. Not knowing if he was okay or sad, if he was sick or needed me. The bond tugging late at night, stretching and aching with loneliness.

I walk up to her and take her hand, defying him, defying this moment. She doesn’t struggle, just watches me with wide eyes that reveal her every thought. Pix is struggling to hold it together, his face twitching and contorting as he bites on his bottom lip.

I can see him falling apart.

“Where is Merle?” I ask Pix gently.

He shrugs a shoulder, his voice thick, harsh and broken when he answers. “Merle is gone.”

Not acceptable. Not acceptable at all.

“Dove?”

She jolts, surprised to hear me use her name.

“I am an alpha who is best friends with your other selves. So is my pack, and we’re hiding from the bad man. Would it be okay if we stayed with you and your friends for a few days?” I do not take my eyes off Pix.