Page 73 of Knot my Alphas

Iris stops fighting me but loud, heart-wrenching sobs escape her.

Loosening my hold, I put her back on her feet.

Her shoulders sag as she continues to sob.

Anxiety slithers down my gut. Holding onto her shoulders, I gently turn her around to face me. “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”

She shakes her head vehemently.

“Then, what happened? Why are you crying? What’s hurting you, baby?”

“I just feel so useless,” she says, swiping at her tears. “I can fight and thrash against you but Callahan turns me into a mindless puppet. My instincts turn against me. I can’t fight back and he doesn’t hold back from taking advantage of it.”

Cold washes over me as memories of that awful night rise in my mind.

Callahan had her nearly naked on a bed and was about to claim her. He’d used his powers of compulsion to force her into submission.

As alphas, we were forbidden from using our superior nature on omegas like that. Our present laws protect omegas from predatory assholes like Callahan but of course, a man like him couldn’t care less.

After murdering so many innocent people, I doubt he cares about breaking one more of our laws.

“I’m so fucking useless,” Iris says as tears splash down her cheeks. “Even if I’m standing before him with a gun, he’ll easily make me shoot myself with it.”

“You’re not useless. You’re the bravest woman I’ve met.”

“What’s the point of being brave if I can’t protect myself or the people I love?” she demands. “Even Julian thinks I’m useless. Why else would he lock me up in a room and go fighting those people who came to hurt us?”

“Julian doesn’t think that. He wanted to protect you.”

“I don’t want anyone’s protection!” she hurls back at me.

I’ve never seen Iris behaving this way before. Hands clenched at her side, she’s panting and wheezing while tears stream down her pale face. Golden strands fall into her eyes, casting a dark shadow over them.

She’s hurting. The sweet, shy girl I’d come to know was gone.

Guilt washes over me.

All the blame lies with us. We’d failed to protect her against Callahan over and over again.

“I’m so sorry,” I whisper and pull her against me.

She pushes at me but I don’t hold back and tighten my arms around her.

“It’s all our fault,” I say in a low, angst-filled voice. “We failed to protect you. We let you get hurt.”

Sobs escape her as she goes still in my arms. Her warm tears soak into my shirt, telling me to keep holding onto her.

“I want to get stronger,” she says through clenched teeth. “I want to be strong enough to fight him.”

I nod against the crook of her neck. “You will. I’ll train you to kick any alpha’s ass.”

She stares up at me. “You will?”

I nod. “I promise.”

Suddenly, her arms wound around my neck. Pulling herself closer to me, she seeks my mouth.

The moment our lips meet, she thrusts her tongue inside my mouth.

---