Page 65 of Knot the Alphas' Feral Omega

She was the kind of mother I strived to be if I ever had kids.

“Mom, how am I supposed to trust Oliver again?” The words were quiet, and I almost didn’t expect her to answer. Her breathing was heavy and even, and I thought she may have been asleep.

But then her shoulders shook a little as she chuckled, and she leaned over to kiss the top of my head. “He’s a man, just like any other, no matter how alpha he is. Make him crawl, and only give him your forgiveness when he earns it.”

34

Lilah

I hid in Killian’s room for the rest of the afternoon after we got back from visiting my mother. I took a nap and woke up feeling more rested than I had in a little while.

I had the feeling that it was, at least in part, due to the fact that my body was no longer reacting as violently to the alphas’ scents when I first woke up. The first few days after I came back to the house when I woke up and wasn’t quite aware of where I was, the scent ofalphain my nose immediately sent me into a near-panic attack, and only comfort from Killian would keep me relatively calm.

Now, though, I could manage the mild tingles of panic all on my own, and they were happening less and less as time went on.

Thank God.

The faint scents of dinner in my nose made me perk up as I brushed my hair, tugging the tangles out. I headed downstairs, still wearing the loose shorts and tank top I’d tossed on before snuggling down to sleep. The air was warm enough that I didn’t feel a chill, and when I walked into the kitchen to see Killian and Emmett working on dinner, their eyes widened slightly.

“Hey, baby girl.” Killian grinned and crossed over to me, wrapping his arms around my waist and dropping his head to kiss my lips. He wore an apron over his loose gray shirt and sweats—a stupidly good look on him. His glasses were slightly askew, his dimples deep and bright when he pulled away to smile down at me, and I felt something inside of me unwind even further.

“Hi.” I grinned at him, then looked over where Emmett stood at the stove. He was wearing comfortable house clothes, too, and the small smile he flashed over his shoulder made me want to squirm. “What are we doing?”

“Emmett and I are making you dinner,” Killian said, winking before he turned me around and nudged me toward the dining room. “Go sit down, and we’ll be out in a minute. We’re almost done. I was going to come wake you up in a few minutes if you didn’t get up on your own.”

The flutters in my stomach grew stronger, and my smile widened. “Okay. I’ll...go sit down then.”

It went against everything I had read on the Internet to go into the dining room and wait for my alphas to serve me, but I couldn’t say I was too upset about it. The idea that an omega was the servant of the house and that their only role was to servetheir alphas in whatever way possible was archaic at best and incredibly sexist at worst.

The fact that my alphas were going out of their way to show me how much they valued me and apologize for their actions meant more than I could express in words.

“Dinner is served!” Killian announced with a flourish as he walked into the room, his hands laden with plates.

I couldn’t help giggling at the display as he and Emmett quickly set the table. It was ham and all the fixings for dinner tonight, and I snorted as Killian loaded my plate for me—again, with far more food than I could reasonably eat in one sitting.

“Something funny, sweetheart?” Emmett asked, his voice steady and quiet as he sat on my right.

I picked up my fork and stabbed through a roasted potato, grinning cheekily at him. “I was just wondering if you guys know how to make mealsotherthan holiday food. So far, we’ve done roast and ham. I’m expecting a fucking turkey next.”

Killian tossed back his head and laughed, taking his place on my right. His plate was full, but he didn’t pick up his fork and dive in, instead lacing his fingers under his chin and staring at me with his eyes twinkling.

Emmett was eating on my other side, but that didn’t make his attention any less focused or intense. The feeling of both alphas giving me their full attention made me squirm a little. I couldn’t say that I hated it...

But it made it all the more stark that Oliver wasn’t there with them.

“Where’s Ollie?” I asked, aiming for casual. The tremble in my voice betrayed me, though, and Killian’s expression twisted a little.

“He had a few things to wrap up at the office tonight,” he said evenly.

My stomach twisted, and I let out a sigh. “He’s avoiding me,” I stated, setting down my fork.

Emmett sighed, reaching out with one hand. “Not because he doesn’t want to be here,” he said quietly.

“He’s just trying to give you some space to get better, baby girl,” Killian added, furrowing his brow. I could see the conflict in his green eyes, and it didn’t take a genius to deduce why.

The alphas on either side of me wanted me to get better and wanted me to decide to stay—because, scent-matches or not, we hadn’t made any formal agreement that I was going to join the pack. It was entirely up to me at the end of the day, and until I had a bite on my neck and a bond in my chest, there was a chance I could leave and seek my fortune elsewhere.

The thought made me snort.Seek my fortune. I sounded like the heroine of a Regency novel.

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