Page 111 of Unhinged Omega

But he's clearly affected by me, too. The low growl continuously rumbling from him—just not the same as the snarling one he lets out when I look at his face—tells me that much. And yet he stays perfectly still, as if afraid any movement might shatter this fragile moment between us.

Even though he's tense and growling, the longer I study him, the more certain I become that he isn't going to attack me.

Which allows me to focus on an entirely different problem.

My heat is building, becoming impossible to ignore. And even though we're in the middle of nowhere, my scent couldattract other alphas for miles around. Never mind the physical distress.

I'm not safe here.

Being in full-blown heat out here could prove deadly. And even if my legs weren't going to jelly and I could go off to find something, I'mnotfucking myself with a splintery stick to try to take the edge off.

"Well," I mutter dryly, "this is awkward, isn't it?"

I find myself moving toward him before I fully realize what I'm doing. My hands shake slightly as I press them against his massive chest. The Knight goes completely still. Even his breathing stops.

Is he afraid of me?

Or afraid he's going to scare me?

I can't help but laugh softly at the absurdity of it. This enormous killing machine, terrified of a tiny omega's touch.

"It's okay," I murmur, running my hands over the planes of his chest. "I just want to try something."

A low sound rumbles through him, vibrating beneath my palms. The purr is such a normal alpha response that it catches me off guard. I let my hands drift lower, and the purr intensifies.

"Maybe we can help each other," I whisper, taking a deep breath as I risk a glance up at his mangled face. He snarls again. I stop and look down.

Take a deep breath, Cosima.

Perhaps this isn't just about getting through my heat. Maybe I can tame this beast, turn him from the nightmare that's haunted me into something... else. Something that devours me in an entirely different way.

He hasn't actuallydoneanything to me. He hasn't attacked me, at least not outside my nightmares. And it isn't his fault he's terrifying. He can't help being what he is or the way he looks.

Yeah. We're doing this.

I tell myself it's because I just need to get out of my damn heat, but I know the truth. The truth is… I want this. I want him. Hell, I'd rather it be him than Nikolai. At least the Knight doesn't run his mouth.

"You need to be gentle, though," I tell him warily. "And let me take the lead. Do you understand?"

He just stares at me, as inscrutable as ever.

Then, slowly but clearly, he nods.

My hands tremble slightly as I run them over the Knight's scarred chest, marveling at the contrast between smooth—albeit scarred—skin and the jagged metal that forms the foundation for his mechanical arm. Every inch of him is a testament to the cruelty he's endured. But beneath it all, I feel the steady thrum of his heartbeat. A reminder that despite everything, he's still human.

I let my fingers trail lower, tracing the defined muscles of his abdomen and going lower, lower. Even through the tattered remains of his gray pants, heat radiates from his skin. My breath catches in my throat as my hand brushes against something substantial.

Oh.

Oh.

I freeze, my eyes widening as I realize just how...proportionatethe Knight is.

Who am I kidding? His cock is like a fucking tree trunk. My fingers twitch involuntarily, and I have to resist the urge to attempt to wrap my hand around him fully to see if it's even possible. I sincerely doubt it.

He's massive.

Intimidatingly so.

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