Page 14 of Marigold Run

And before I know it, she’s fast asleep.

I wake longbefore Mari does, giving me the chance to admire the sleeping omega pressed against my side. She’s so stunning, lying on her back, completely naked. Her golden hair frames her face in wild waves, and her pouty lips are parted, allowing soft snores to leave her mouth. It’s a delicate, breathy sound. But my eyes keep pulling to the delicious curve of her hips and her pretty tits. One nipple pokes upward, and the other hides inside her soft flesh.

She seemed to enjoy it when I played with her nipples last night, but I’m not so sure she enjoyed anything else. I’m thankful I was able to make her come.

Deep worry churns in my gut, as I try like hell to figure out what I should do next. It’s obvious I can’t mindlessly fuck her and hope it grows our connection. She has to be present in her own body for that to happen, and the poor girl completely disassociated last night.

I’m going to have to change how I approach this.

I’m just not sure how.

My phone chimes from the bathroom, and I tense from the startling sound. Thankfully, Mari stays dead asleep.

“Are you awake?” Everly’s voice drifts into the room a second before she does. Her beautiful face pops into the crack in thedoor, and she smiles when our eyes meet. “I brought breakfast.” She steps inside, carrying a heavy tray and some kind of pink garment draped over one arm. I assume it’s clothes for Mari.

“She’s still asleep,” I say softly, motioning the beta to come a little closer. I should ask Everly to leave since Mari’s naked form is fully exposed, but the smell of bacon is too tempting. I didn’t get a chance to eat dinner last night, and I didn’t want to crawl out of bed and risk waking the omega. “You look beautiful.” I smile at my beta, taking in her tight jeans, fitted white blouse, and simple ponytail.

“Thank you.” Everly blushes, coming to a stop at the foot of the bed. Something on the tray shifts and glass clanks together. She probably shouldn’t be carrying that. Everly isn’t the most graceful.

My phone chimes again and Mari stirs. I wince.Why didn’t I put it on silent?

“Where?” Everly asks.

“The bathroom,” I grit out. “In my pants.”

Everly sets everything on the bed as another chime cuts through the quiet room. This time Mari moves, and I frown.

Arching her back, Mari lets out a soft groan then she slowly lifts her head. She looks at where our bodies touch along our side, and her expression twists as if confused.

“I’m so sorry.” Everly grimaces as she walks toward the bed. She holds my phone clutched to her chest, acting as if it were a delicate bomb. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

Mari doesn’t say a word as she reaches for the edge of the blanket. The omega tugs it toward her, awkwardly wrapping it around her naked form.

Everly averts her gaze as the omega covers up, then the beta presses her palm to her neck. She always touches her mating bite when she’s nervous or scared. She’s obviously craving aconnection with her alphas to calm her, but sadly, none of us have that kind of bond with her.

Alphas and betas don’t have the same kind of bond as alphas and omegas. At best, some can feel whispers of emotion from their mates, and at worst, we feel nothing. And that’s the kind of bond we all have with Everly. None of us can feel her and she can’t feel us. It’s disappointing, but there’s nothing that can be done about it.

“Are you hungry?” Everly hands me my phone, before sitting next to me on the bed. I can tell she wants to crawl over me and wrap Mari up in her arms, but she’s clearly trying to be respectful of Mari’s space. “Did you sleep okay?”

“I slept okay.” Mari rubs her puffy eyes, before glancing around the room. She stares at the window next to me, squinting at a thin cut of light at the edge of the curtain. “I didn’t mean to sleep so hard.”

Everly lets out a gentle laugh. “You didn’tmeanto sleep hard?” She tilts her head to one side, trying to understand. “Why wouldn’t you want to sleep well?”

Mari makes a face as if caught in a lie, then she forces a laugh. “I don’t know.” She shrugs and her usual sweet expression takes hold. “I guess I mean that I’m surprised that I slept so well. I normally wake up a lot at night.”

“Nightmares?” I ask, unable to help myself. I’m desperate to know more about the omega.What keeps her up at night? What haunts her?

“Nightmares?” Mari looks at me with her wide eyes, seemingly shocked by my question. “No. I just…” she shrugs again, clearly at a loss for words. “I don’t normally sleep well. That’s all.”

I meet Everly’s worried gaze. I texted her about Mari’s troubling past the second we got in the car yesterday. I’m sure the little beta has a thousand possible reasons for Mari’smemory loss. And if I know Everly, she’ll do everything in her power to help Mari move through her trauma.

“Here you go.” Everly picks up a tiny plastic cup off of the tray. “Your meds.”

“Oh,” Mari stares at the cup, clearly not wanting to take it. “You know, I actually don’t take those pills every day. I only take them when I?—”

“That won’t do, omega,” I gently cut her off, taking the cup from Everly. “Take your medication.” I hold the small cup up, waiting for Mari to take it. For half a second, I think she’s going to fight me, argue a bit more. But then, as if deciding better, she takes the cup and tosses her head back, swallowing the pill in one go.

“Drink?” Everly holds up a little glass of orange juice.

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