Page 26 of Knot My Sin

“No!” I hear Flynn wail through the trees.

“We’ll come back,” I say into the radio. “Flynn, listen to me. I swear we’ll come back at first light. Okay?”

I don’t bother to wait for an answer as I begin to take large strides back to where I know the Razor is. The sun is taking a fast tumble through the sky, saying goodbye to the world. I can’t believe how fucked today has become.

I catch Ambrose’s gaze as I get closer, and the whites of his eyes are red. Instead, I feel raw, but can’t allow myself to cry. I don’t deserve my tears while she’s out here.

The sound of a wounded animal echoes through the forest. It’s a cross between a scream and a keen, making me whip around in a circle to find where it’s coming from.

“Wren!” I scream into the oncoming night again, my fingers tearing through my short hair.

Fuck, did I hear an omega or an animal?

Sometimes, when an omega is in pain and out of her or his mind from a heat, I’ve heard this can happen. I pretended to not know when I asked Flynn what Wren would go through, but I’ve heard horror stories in our community about this.

Too many omegas get lost in the cracks of our society or are bought and sold like chattel. My chest is heaving as I’m wracked with guilt, and the rain is fucking with the ability to see anything as it gets heavier, and the light gets dimmer.

“We gotta go,” Ambrose says in my ear, wrapping his arms around my chest. “Come on, Shaw. You know as well as I do that we won’t be able to find her tonight. Use the headlights when you drive us home, take it slow, so we’ll live to come search tomorrow, yeah? I don’t know how far she could have gotten on foot.”

“I feel like we may have underestimated her,” I grunt. “I figured since she hasn’t eaten much, she wouldn’t be able to get far.”

“I don’t know, let’s take the Razor further into the forest tomorrow. I’m going to map it out so we can see exactly how far out it goes before it hits a road or another house,” he murmurs, hugging me tightly for a moment before releasing me. “Think about how steadfast Flynn gets when he sets his mind to something. She could have gotten far. Wren isn’t a kept omega. She’s working from instincts and primal needs.”

I don’t deserve to be comforted, but it was nice to lean into him for a moment before we start walking to meet up with Flynn and Everest.

“You’re going to need to help him rest,” Ambrose says under his breath as he sees our omega wrapped in Everest’s arms, sobbing.

My eyes shut as I feel the bond between Everest and I. It’s full of pain too, and I can feel his change of heart. His alpha instincts are going wild. He wants to soothe his omega, but he also wants to find Wren.

We fucked up. We have to find her, otherwise I really don’t think we’ll survive this. It felt like the easier option when we packed her up and sent her on her way.

Blinking away the obscene moisture building behind my lids, I shake myself as I continue to walk toward my pack. I’m their alpha, I have to keep it together.

“We will come back, Flynn,” I remind him again. There’s strength I don’t feel in my voice, but my words are still true.

“What if it’s too late,” my omega sobs. I don’t think he’s stopped crying in the last few hours as we’ve been searching. He’s got to feel like shit, and this isn’t good for him.

“What will be will be,” I say softly, cupping his face. “I don’t know her very well, but I have a feeling Wren has seen some shit. She’s stronger than we think. Now sleep.”

I push power into my words, something I only do if I have no other choice. I’m fair as I lead my pack, but Flynn needs to rest if he wants to keep up his strength to find Wren. His lids grow heavy, and he tries to fight it.

He won’t be able to.

“I don’t want to,” he whispers.

“I know, baby boy,” I sigh. “I know.”

Everest picks Flynn up into his arms as he starts to sag, gazing down at him. Our omega lost his hat at one point, and his red hair is plastered to his forehead. He’s six-foot-three, but all sinewy muscles. Flynn is naturally fit, with a six pack peeking from under his shirt that’s beginning to ride up.

Our omega is gorgeous, has a huge heart, and an incredible capacity to forgive. He’s also petty as fuck when the urge hits him. There’s no way to know how he’s going to react when and if we find Wren.

Everest winces, grunting as my heart is hit with a pain. Great, now we’re sharing this too. The bond between pack brothers and alpha lovers is a very odd thing.

“You’re thinking really loudly, Shaw,” Ambrose mutters. “Let’s get home.”

Fuck me.

Flynn’s frame appears small against Everest’s broad and muscled body, and he holds him closely as he sits in the Razor’s back seat. I climb into the driver seat with Ambrose next to me, turning the engine on before flipping on the headlights.

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