Page 56 of Knot Unwanted: Part One

It’s worrisome that it isn’t.

Maybe the suppressants she was on have something to do with it.

Her breath hitches on another sob. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

The question breaks my heart all over again. “Because you deserve kindness, Hailey. Because no one deserves what you’ve gone through and no one should have to face their demons alone.”

I say that and a part of me aches. Because who has been here to help me face my demons since my pack began falling apart? Who? No one.

A tear escapes her eyes, and she wipes it away so quickly it’s like she doesn’t want me to see her break down.

I’ve been a fool. I can’t leave her alone in here. I know exactly what she needs.

“Come with me,” I say softly, pushing to my feet. She looks up at me, confusion clear in her tear-stained face. “Trust me?”

I hold out my hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, she takes it. Her fingers are cold against mine, trembling slightly. I help herup, noting how she keeps her shoulders hunched, making herself smaller.

Leading her back to the nest room, I pause at the threshold. The space is mine.Ours. My sacred little spot that I don’t share with anyone except for my alphas—well, used to, anyway. The nest itself is saturated with pack scents—my own mixed with the alphas’ distinct markers. For a moment, I worry it might be too much for her. But then I remember how she didn’t react earlier when she entered the house. Maybe their scents don’t bother her.

“The nest…” I start, then stop, unsure how to even suggest it. This is uncharted territory. Omegas don’t invite other omegas into their nests. It’s madness.

And yet…

A whine builds in my throat as my logical brain tells me to leave the room and abandon this quest. I don’t…I don’t want to leave the room. Suddenly, I’m a little exhausted, too.

I glance down at Hailey. How do I tell her that something in me wants her here, wants to offer comfort in the most intimate way omegas can? That despite everything I know about omega territoriality, having her in my space feels natural?

But she’s already moving toward it, drawn like a moth to a flame. Her free hand reaches out, fingers brushing against a soft blanket. The longing in her expression makes something inside me want to reach out to her.

“It’s okay,” I say gently. “Come on.”

I climb in first, settling into the familiar curve of the platform. After a moment’s hesitation, she follows, movements careful as if she’s afraid of disturbing anything.

“I shouldn’t…” she whispers, but her body betrays her, leaning toward the softness.

“You should,” I counter, reaching for her hand again. “And you will.”

She lets me pull her deeper into the nest, and something in mychest loosens at having her here. The omega in me preens at being able to offer comfort, to share the safety of my space.

At first, we sit awkwardly, neither quite sure how to arrange ourselves. Then I think about how touch-starved she must be, how long it’s been since anyone showed her simple kindness, and I think: fuck it.

I open my arms. “Come here.”

Her eyes go wide, but there’s such naked hope in them that it makes my throat tight. Slowly, she moves closer, until I can wrap my arms around her and pull her against my chest.

A whimper escapes me before I can stop it. The contact sends waves of comfort through my body, like some vital piece clicking into place. I didn’t realize how much I needed this too—just touch, just connection.

She fits perfectly against me, soft and warm, her curves settling naturally into the spaces of my body. Her scent blooms with contentment, and instead of making me bristle like another omega’s scent should, it soothes something raw inside me.

“This okay?” I murmur into her hair. I almost groan. Her hair smells of Ren’s shampoo. He’d probably left a bottle in there the last time they’d been here during one of my heats.

She nods, pressing closer. “I haven’t…” her voice cracks. “This feels good, though I’m sorry to bother you. I won’t stay long.”

“No.” I tighten my arms around her before clearing my throat. I’m fucking happy she doesn’t have eyes at the back of her head because mine are so wide, my face is probably broadcasting every feeling I’m trying to contain. “I mean, I don’t mind.”

She tries to shift away, and I whimper again. Fuck. I press my eyes closed tight. I’m going to pretend that never happened.

But she heard it. She stiffens a moment before her body melts, like my whimper flipped some switch inside her. It’s…strange. Here we are, two people who should be at each other’s throats, and instead she’s finding comfort in me. As if she’s forgotten we’re supposed to be enemies. As if it never even occurred to her.

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