Page 43 of Knot My Sin

God, she’s only wearing Shaw’s shirt.

Wren is kneeling on the ground as she cries, mourning things I can only imagine losing. Sitting on the grass with her, I pull her into my arms. Shoving at me as she cries, I purr for her, wanting only to comfort her.

“What are you doing?” she sniffles.

“Snuggling you, doing the things alphas do for their omegas. I’m tired of fighting myself around you. I just do stupid shit whenever I do. Be prepared for groveling, Lemon Drop,” I mumble. “I may still fuck things up, but you belong with us.”

“What if I belong somewhere else,” she whispers before burying her face in my shirt.

I don’t care that my shirt is a wet mess now. I have clothes, I’ll fucking change. As I inhale the scent of tart lemon and sadness into my lungs, I rethink that. Maybe I won’t change.

Wren is still exhausted from her heat and almost drowning in the ravine, so she soon falls asleep in my arms. I stay outside despite the cool air, because I know the warmth of my body will keep her comfortable.

“Everest,” Amb says, walking out onto the patio. “Come inside, babe. It’s still kind of cold. I can’t fucking wait for summer to come to Minnesota.”

Smirking, I slowly and awkwardly stand with her in my arms.

“Has the doctor called you yet with her blood results?” I ask, walking in with him.

“No, but thanks for the reminder. I’m going to call him now. I want to know if there are any other surprises in store for us,” he mutters.

I glance at him with surprise, but Amb shakes his head as he opens the back door for us.

“Not like that. I want her to be able to heal without any other shit coming for her,” Amb explains. “The doctor hinted that she could have long term effects from going through such an intense heat alone.”

“Her first heat,” Shaw murmurs, looking sad as he gazes at Wren.

“Fuck,” I mutter. It explains why her heat was so intense. I feel like the sludge the pigs we feed shit out, nah worse if possible.

“She told me she never wants to have another heat,” Flynn says. “Not ever. Wren has been hurt by alphas before. You have to be careful never to command her with your alpha bark. Ever.”

I don’t understand alphas who hurt their omegas. Shaw is our alpha, he keeps us safe and helps us plan shit out. I don’t really remember a time that he’s ever used it against us. I want to torture and murder the alpha who hurt the woman in my arms.

“Do we know who he is?” I ask.

“She called him Trey,” Flynn says. “We just have so much to tackle to help her. I get the feeling she didn’t have a strong relationship with her brother before she was sold.”

“He would have been, what? Like fourteen or something?” Ambrose grunts. “I don’t think Jasper would have been mean to her. He doesn’t seem like that kind of guy.”

“I don’t know, man. I’ll give him a call, figure out if they should meet any time soon,” I mutter. “She’s so damn fragile.”

“That’s what she thinks too,” Flynn scowls. “Wren could have walked into the river and decided to end everything the moment her heat hit three days ago. The fact that she’s in your arms says volumes to me.”

“You’re right,” I agree. “I think my guilt is really riding me. I’m scared to fuck up again.”

“We’re definitely going to fuck it up with her,” Amb tells me. At my glare, he shrugs. “It’s human nature to say the wrong thing, and we don’t know her. There are secrets she’s keeping, some even she may not remember. Wren has nightmares. It’s why I slept on her floor. She was flailing and whimpering.”

“You call that doctor, Amb. I’m going into town for clothes for her and something with more protein that she’ll like,” Shaw murmurs, picking up the keys.

“Protein shakes with strawberries and blueberries?” Flynn suggests. “Fuck, that’s what I would eat. She doesn’t really eat sweets, but her throat is still kind of sore.”

“If I tell her what’s in it, maybe it’ll help. I’ll add some veggies to it, too. Fuck it, I can have her watch me make it. She’s never going to trust us unless we show her she can,” Shaw rumbles.

As he walks out, I have to agree. Amb gets on the phone as I walk up the stairs to lay Wren in bed. I have so many questions, but I want so much to just hear her voice again.

We can’t try to control her, even if we think it’s for her own good, and yet I don’t want to let her go either. Entering her room, I lay her down under the blankets, making sure she’s well covered. I may not know what this omega likes, but I know Flynn likes the comfort of fuzzy blankets when he’s sad.

Pulling out my phone, I text Shaw.

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