Page 23 of Knot Our Omega

He came over and looked. “I approve,” and went back to work.

That was all the encouragement I needed. They each got a quail named after them because, well, it made me smile.

And after the stress of seeing Reyna…I needed a smile something fierce.

“I want to ask you guys something,” I said. The coop was almost finished, and this question had been brewing in my mind for far too long.

Instantly, they gave me their undivided attention.

This probably wasn’t the place to be talking about it… Work still needed to be done, but once the thoughts of Reyna faded, the visions of what I’d noticed wouldn’t leave me alone. Better to say something than let it simmer.

“Some of the shifters gave you guys looks,” I said. “Is that because you’re DarkShadow?”

I tried not to ever say bastard pack, even though that’s what most people called them.

“Or was it because of me?” I hated to say it, to even think it, but I couldn’t help wondering if I was the reason they were looked at with such disdain.

“Oh, honey, it wasn’t you,” Vargas said. “We’re Darkshadow. We’re the bastard pack. We’re the ones everyone’s scared of—the ruthless ones who’d tear you limb from limb if you crossed us.”

Laughter bubbled up from inside me.

“What, you think it’s funny?” he asked.

“Since I’ve been here, you’ve done nothing but be kind to me. Spoil me. Treat me like I have worth. Not once have I thought of you as ruthless. Not once have I been scared. Sometimes I’ve been embarrassed—but that’s because I’m me.”

“That’s because you’re one of us,” Penn said. “You’re our family, Rumor.”

Just then, Wilder, the quail, hopped out of his box and started running, and the conversation was over as I chased him, herding him toward their new home. Penn’s words stayed with me until I went to bed.

In the beginning, I was happy for the bedroom, the nest they made me. It was a sanctuary. It was mine.

Now, it was lonely.

And tonight, I struggled to get to sleep. But worse than that, I struggled to stay asleep.

A night terror ripped through me so horribly I wasn’t sure at first if it had been real. A wolf, teeth bared, leaping for me. It was a nightmare I’d had as a child, and for some reason, it had come back today, same wolf and everything.

I tried all the tricks I knew—putting my head on the other side of the bed, turning onto my side, my back, counting to fifty, telling myself dad jokes I’d heard, anything and everything. Nothing helped. I couldn’t settle.

So instead, I got up and tiptoed to the bedroom closest to me.

I opened the door.

Penn shot up—wide awake. “Rumor, are you okay?”

“Yeah,” I said, still standing in the doorway, but it wasn’t true. My head was spinning. I was far from okay. “Can I sleep with you? I had a bad dream.”

“Of course.” He pulled the covers back, and I padded over, shutting the door softly behind me. I climbed in close, straight into his arms, needing his warmth, needing his scent.

I was getting used to my pack’s touch—hugs, a gentle hand on the small of my back, a caress of my check. But this? This was new.

They always talked about my scent...but theirs? Such a draw. Each with a subtle difference, but all three with an undertone of amber…my favorite.

“Do you want to tell me about your nightmare?” He brushed the hair from my forehead, tucking it behind my ear.

“No. I don’t want to—” Instead of finishing the sentence, I leaned in, brushing my lips against his.

A short kiss.

---