Page 107 of Unhinged
“Anyway… being around them twenty-four seven has me rethinking everything. About alphas. Or at least…thesealphas.”
“That’s not a bad thing, honey.” Georgia leans forward. “They’re fated to you. And from what I’ve seen, they’d burn the whole damn world down for you. Even if it meant setting themselves on fire in the process.”
“They would.”
“Then what’s the issue?” Marcus asks.
I stare into my coffee. “I don’t know how to be an omega. I knotted one of them today… and then I panicked and came here.”
Marcus lets out a short laugh. “Brydgett, I don’t think that’s how it works. You can’t knot an alpha.”
“You can,” I growl, “when you’re bouncing on his dick while he’s cuffed to a chair.”
His eyes go wide and whip toward Georgia, who’s got a hand over her mouth trying not to laugh.
“Sorry, Georgia.”
She snorts. “Don’t be sorry, Brydgett. I’m no blushing old woman. I know my way around an alpha knot.”
I bite my lip to keep from laughing and fail.
Marcus is grinning now, too. “Okay, but explain. Specifically, why the hell your alpha was handcuffed to a chair while you were having sex with him.”
I sigh. “I was mad. Or not mad, more like worked up. There wasn’t anyone to hurt and Acid suggested sex. He told me to cuff him and take what I needed. So I did. I got caught up in the moment and took his knot.”
“And?” Marcus pushes.
“And I panicked. Full-blown meltdown. Hyperventilating. He broke the cuffs, held me until I calmed down.”
Marcus watches me for a second, then says, “So, what’s the problem?”
I lick my lips. “The problem is… I haven’t been knotted since I was raped. The night Judge was made. And it sent me into a spiral. And now? I’m freaking out because I should still be scared or upset… but I’m not. I’m kinda just like… that was nice. Let’s do it again.”
Silence.
Then Marcus speaks. “One, I had no idea about your past. Or Judge. I figured it was a one-night stand, alpha was a dick. I’m sorry. If I ever see this guy, I’ll kill him myself.”
I look down, nod once.
“Two, it sounds like you’re finally opening yourself up. To your Kismets. To the bond. You say you don’t know how to be an omega, but you are being one. You took a knot. You’re thinking about your reaction. You think you’re too damaged, but you’re not. You’re Brydgett. You’re a badass woman and a mom.”
He leans in, grinning.
“You couldn’t handle some bakery-owning, kiss-me-on-the-forehead-and-make-me-waffles alpha. You need an alpha—or three who can handle the same kind of crazy you carry.”
I flip him off. “Well, fuck you too.”
He just laughs.
Georgia takes my hand, her thumb brushing across my knuckles. I glance at her.
“Honey, Marcus is right. You can’t erase what happened. And you’ll never forget. But youcanforgive.”
“I’ll never?—”
“Nothim. Not the alpha who hurt you.” Her voice is soft, but there’s steel under it. “Forgiveyourself.Forgive life. You’re healing, and it scares you. You thought this was all behind you, that you’d never meet alphas worth a damn. But you did. And now you’re panicking because you’re not sure if you’re handling it the ‘right way.’ But there’s no such thing, Brydge. There’s onlyforward. However that looks.”
She smirks.
