AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I hum as though this is actually news to me, rubbing my palms down her back. “Sleeping skin-to-skin with us may help settle your Omega a bit. Any particular reason you got up and put on clothes?”
She tucks her face down, hiding from me. “Uh…mmm… nope,” she squeaks, lying horribly. “No. I was, uh, cold?”
She has to know that’s a ridiculous claim. She had me plastered to her front and Ronan wrapped around her back. Even after his knot released her, his Alpha wouldn’t. He spent the rest of the night unable to stand being more than a few inches away from her. She had to brush her teeth in his lap.
It’s a common reaction for an alpha after knotting his omega for the first time. I ignore the tiny pinch of jealousy snapping at my lungs and focus on my relief and happiness.
She let us all be with her last night, and it was perfect. She took our pack alpha’s knot. She told Theo she loved him.
She’s really ours.
Which makes her mine.
So why is she lying to me right now?
“Hmm,” I reply, the sound wry. “Cold?”
She seems to understand that her invented rationale won’t hold water. “Or—well, actually, I—umm…”
Not wanting her to struggle, I pet her head in soothing strokes, purring lightly. “You don’t have to tell me, sweetheart. Are you all right, though? Last night was a lot.”
She snorts. “You can say that again.”
“Last night was a lot,” Theo parrots, joking sleepily. He grunts and turns toward me, holding out his arms with his eyes shut. “Share, Arch.”
I roll my eyes, but tuck Meg into a quick flip. She giggles quietly as she lands between us, stretching over to kiss Theo’s scruffy cheek. “Hi, big guy.”
He smiles without cracking an eyelid, utterly content. “Hi, precious. Mmm, you smell so good when you smell like us. Come here.”
His big, brawny hand grips her thigh to tug her closer. I’m the only one looking at her face, so I see the pain tear across it before he feels her stiffen. His eyes finally fly open, anxiously scanning her.
“What? Where does it hurt?” He shimmies closer to her, smoothing a palm up her hip. His gaze lands at the apex of her thighs. “Fuck. Did Daddy’s knot make you sore, precious?”
She winces. “Sort of?”
I know it isn’t the whole truth, but I’m guessing she doesn’t want to rat Declan out to his teammate hours before they have to play a game together.
It doesn’t work. Theo’s eyes snag on her forearm. She’s wearing his T-shirt, and it’s huge on her, but we can still see the faint purple smudges marring her smooth skin.
I lurch upright, examining them closer. Shame lashes through me. “Meg, we?—”
Her hand lands on my face. She shakes her head. “It wasn’t you guys. It was Declan. He and I… hashed some stuff out last night.”
Theo’s expression is pure thunder. He sits up behind her and gently lifts her into his lap, cupping her cheek. “He bruised you?” Theo asks, staring into her. “Tell me what he did.”
“He didn’t mean to.” She shakes her head some more. “He was in a rut and I spiked and we just collided. Honestly, I don’t remember it at all. But I woke up knotted with him and he was freaking out. He wanted to call an ambulance.”
I can tell it’s true from the shape of the bruises. They’re smears, not solid ovals. Anyone trying to injure her would have left clear fingerprints behind. These seem more like smudges.
Theo still looks enraged. I set my hand on his shoulder. “We can watch the security tapes, Meg. If you’d like to know what happened.”
Her eyes bug out. “No! Please. I just want to forget it ever happened. Honestly, to me, it feels like the sex part didn’t even happen.”
The sex part? What other part was there? And why did she end up crying so much?
Meg sees the questions in my eyes and shoots her gaze over to Theo. Reminding me that he has to perform later today. She smiles at him, the motion weak. “Anyway. I’m fine. I just need some extra rest, I think. Can I stay in bed?”
Theo leans his forehead against hers. “All day, if you want, peaches. You don’t have to come to the game at all. Stay in bed. Get one of these knot-heads to play hooky with you.”
