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“I’ll carry her,” Memphis says. “I don’t care if she screams. If we go fast, we can get her back to the Castles before she gets hurt.”
Even I know that Memphis is just bargaining. I remember his disgusted look at the fire the night before. Did he really care that much that I consented? Or is the thought of touching me still so unbearable to him?
Denver’s shaking his head. “No. The smoke from the fire is coming from the east, and if the wind keeps up, it’ll go south. If we go to Castle’s, we’re walking right into it. Camden’s right. We need to move soon, because the minute the wind shifts, the fire’s coming our way. There’s only one way to get her out in time. Someone has to knot her.”
For a moment, nobody speaks. Like they’re taking in the gravity of what they had to do. My occasional groans of pain are the only sound.
“Fine,” Memphis says, finally. “If it has to be done, I’ll fucking do it.”
My breath catches. Memphis is volunteering? Does that mean he’s not repelled by me? Could he find me just as attractive as I find him?
“No.” Denver’s tone brokers no argument. “You know you can’t. Can you honestly tell me you won’t bond with her? Can you promise you’ll be able to stop yourself from biting her once you have her?”
The two Alphas stare at each other. Then, with a roar of frustration, Memphis throws aside my makeshift tarp door and storms into the clearing.
“I’ll do it,” Camden says. “I’ve been with an Omega before.”
“So have I,” Denver shoots back.
Cam shakes his head. “Not during a heat, I bet. I’ve done it once. I was hiking, and ran into an Omega and her friends. She had a breakout heat, and if I hadn’t found them…it was awful, Denver. But I know what to do. I promise, I won’t bite her.”
Denver nods sharply. “Fine. But hurry. The fire’s coming, and we don’t have much time.”
He sweeps out the door, leaving Camden and me alone.
THIRTEEN
—
C A M D E N
The minute Denver closes the tarp behind him, Brooklyn backs away. She’s so weak and tired, it’s really just the tiniest of twinges backward. But it’s enough to tell me how frightened she is. My orders might be to hurry, but right now, I don’t fucking care. I’ll do whatever it takes to make her feel comfortable before I lay a finger on her.
I sit on the edge of her makeshift bed, carefully leaving her space. “I know I just told the others that you need a knot. But if that’s not what you want, I promise, I won’t lay a finger on you. Everything we do from here on is your choice, okay?”
Her big, blue and brown eyes just stare at me. She’s still wary. The mud’s all washed off her olive skin, and she’s just wearing a loose t-shirt and soft shorts underneath Denver’s jacket.
She should be wearing my clothes, not his.
I blink in surprise at my own jealousy. I’m normally not that guy. I always expected that one day, I’d bond with an Omega and a few other Alphas—with Cervus keeping the Omega population low, I never expected to be lucky enough to have an Omega all my own. Anyway, all that would happen far down the road. I planned on enjoying my independence a few years more, thanks. Now, all that’s irrelevant.
Now, all I can think is, Not Denver’s. Mine.
I take a breath and focus on Brooklyn. If I want her to trust me, I have to stay in the moment and react appropriately to whatever she’s giving me. I meet those gorgeous eyes and try to be as open as I possibly can.
“I’m gonna be honest with you, okay?” I tell her. “I want you. You’re so beautiful, and your scent—it’s incomparable. Being invited to your bed would be an honor. All that said, I wouldn’t want it like this. Not with you crying and suffering.”
Her expression shifts. Instead of looking wary, she looks almost intrigued.
“The only reason I’m offering now is because you’re in pain,” I explain. “Trust me, I’d rather wait until you feel just as sure about me as I do about you before I made a move. But I can see how this heat is killing you, and I want to help take that pain away.”
Brooklyn’s eyes aren’t narrowed anymore. If I’m reading her right, she might be…hopeful. She shifts slightly to sit up, and Denver’s jacket falls off her shoulder. In the dim light, I can see a mark on the smooth skin at the base of her neck. It’s pale and imperfectly round. Almost like…
Like a bite.
Now that I see it, the shape is unmistakable. An Alpha has already bitten her, yet her scent clearly tells me she’s unbonded—or at least, if there’s any remnant of the bond, it’s too weak to register. Which can only mean one thing. Someone forced her. When she was vulnerable, broken and in pain, some evil motherfucker took advantage of her in the most intimate possible way.
I can barely hold back my rage. I dig my fingers hard into my palms, because I know that she’s scared enough already. I refuse to let my own feelings take precedence over hers, especially now. I’m practically shaking with rage, thinking about how nobody protected her. Even though it’s impossible, a voice inside me insists that I should have been there to stop whoever the bastard was. Like Brooklyn should be mine to protect.
