Page 39 of These Bonds that Unite Us
After slipping the soft material over her arms, I grab a helmet and slip it over her head next. “Safety first,” I comment as I flip the visor down.
I drive south, away from Starburgh and all of the chaos of the Northeastern states. Once we reach the upper part of Pennsylvania, I take an exit off the highway and bring us down winding back roads. We ride for several hours, with her arms around my waist and her body snug against my back. It’s peaceful to be on the open road. Watching the world pass by makes your problems seem small.
Turning back toward Starburgh, I drive us through a small town an hour away. The cute little town square is packed with people. I quickly realize why when I spy a row of food trucks on the other side. Turning down the next road, I circle back and find a place for us to park.
Omen’s smiling like crazy as she slips her helmet off and passes it to me. “That was incredible!” she gushes. “So freeing, but also slightly terrifying. Especially when there were other cars on the road. Can we do this again?”
“We can go out any time you want, firefly. Only if you eat though. Can’t have you ridin’ on the back of my bike if you don’t have the strength to hold on.” She quickly agrees but is distracted by the chatter around us. “Come on, let’s see what we can find to fill your empty stomach.”
This must be some kind of fall festival. There are little stalls everywhere selling fall treats and decorations. They even have a pumpkin carving station filled with families hanging out.
I wrap my arm around Omen’s waist as we get into the thickest part of the crowd, unwilling to risk losing her for even a moment. The people around us watch her walking by, their faces filled with pity and concern. I have to grit my teeth to keep from barking at them all. They need to mind their own damn business and stop doing shit that could make my girl feel worse than she already does.
“Woah,” Omen exclaims when we break through the crowd and see the food trucks. I forgot how much my girl loves to eat.
I trail along, her hand in mine, as she inspects each menu. When she struggles to decide, I step in and order the thing she wants to try most from each of the three options.
“You don’t have to–”
“I do. You’re my omega and you’re hungry. If I want to spoil you with food, I absolutely will.”
Carrying all of our goodies, I find a piece of empty grass by my bike and sit. Omen devours a fall harvest stir fry and I’m captivated as I watch her eat. Her eyes light up with each bite and she makes the most sensual little groans. It’s hell on my already semi-hard cock but my heart enjoys every excruciating second of it.
“One of my favorite fall hobbies was riding four-wheelers with my dad,” I share. “Before everything happened with my Aunt and I realized what assholes my parents really were.”
Her eyes are on me, sadness filling them when I mention my Aunt. Maybe we’ll ride down one weekend for a visit. Abby and her pack would be thrilled to meet her.
“You know when I found out Abby was an alpha instead of a beta, it was easy to accept her secret. I think some part of me always knew. After my parents disowned her, I stopped doing those fun things with my dad. No more fall trail rides or fishing trips. I spent every day waiting for them to decide I’d done something wrong so they could send me away too.” Omen makes a small noise of protest, but I cut her off with a small smile. “It’s alright, firefly. I’ve made peace with my past. Their choices were their own, and I can’t change the minds of someone so unwilling to bend.”
“Still,” she argues, “you didn’t deserve to feel that pressure as a teenager. It’s difficult enough to process the changes in your body as you get close to presenting. They should have supported you better.”
“Maybe you’re right. Maybe they never had the capacity for the type of parenting I deserved. We’ll never know because they aren’t going to change. They are far too stubborn.” I lace my fingers with hers again, ignoring the stacks of empty food containers sitting between us. “I didn’t tell you this to make you feel bad for how I grew up. It isn’t about my childhood at all. This is me telling you I fucked up.”
She tenses, her eyes falling to her lap, but she doesn’t pull her hand away.
“I never should have doubted you darlin’. You may not have told us with words, but you showed us from the start exactly who you are to us. We all felt the pull, but we let our confusion and anger cloud our judgment.You. Deserve. Better.”
When she tries to stand I use my grip on her hand to pull her closer. She crashes against my chest, her face turned up toward mine. “I swear on every beat left in this heart of mine, Omen Powell, I will never doubt you again. I won’t be walking away from you this time, they’ll be carrying me out in a body bag. You’re mine, and Fates dammit I am yours too.”
I slam my lips to her, pouring all of my love and devotion into this kiss. This is how our first kiss should have gone. I never should have said that bullshit to her when my doubts crept in. No, I should have kissed her like the world was ending, because without this omega in my arms it certainly fucking seems like it might.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Now Playing: 10 staTues tHat CriEd bloOd- Bring Me The Horizon
Everything hurts. My head, my heart, my entire fucking body.
It’s almost like my body got a taste of contact with my mates and has overridden the medicine Doctor Russell gave me to combat the severest side effects of the chemical rejection. Even rolling over sends sharp pulses of pain through my limbs, but it’s too hot in here so I have to suffer long enough to kick the blankets off.
Chest heaving, I stare up at the ceiling and wonder if this is it. The rejection has finally taken its toll and the damage to my nervous system is too much.
No.No. I refuse to give in to the dark thoughts trying to claw their way into my mind. I have too much to live for to give in now. Pack Graves aren’t my end-all, be-all. There is more to life than Fated mates.
My eyelids slip shut again. I don’t fight to stay awake because I know my body needs rest, but it feels like seconds later I’m whimpering and trying to bury myself beneath the mass of blankets piled at the bottom of the bed. The room is too bright, too big. I need the peaceful darkness of a nest.
Except I don’t have that here. My nest is back in the city in my abandoned apartment where I can’t reach it.
Tears track down my cheeks as a sense of hopelessness starts to seep into my heart. Why does everything always have to go wrong? When will I catch a break? Maybe I wasn’t born to find my happily ever after. Maybe my future has always been drenched in blood and misery.
