Chapter 8

Tide

Pearl grumbles, rolls over, and resumes her dainty snores in the cutest display of omega disapproval. I bite back a sigh and release a gentle purr as I extricate myself from our tangled limbs.

The radio beeps again. I rise from our thoroughly destroyed nest and stalk across the room to yank it out of the charging station.

After a few sentences, I place it back onto the desk and grab some clothing from the closet before tossing them beside the nest and joining my female. She frowns as I pull her against my side, but wriggles her way on top of me and settles her ear over my heart. Her satisfied sigh fills me with pride .

Despite spending days lodged within her body, I yearn to sink my cock into her and lock us together with my knot.

She tilts her hips and grinds her leaking pussy against my stomach.

It's all the invitation I need.

She gasps and jerks awake as I surge into her tight heat. Her throaty voice as she speaks my name seals her fate.

I pull her face to mine and hold her captive by her hair as I plunder the depths of her mouth in time with the thrusting of my hips. I invade her with cock and tongue, ruling her entire world and giving her every inch of me.

She accepts me as only an omega can, but more than that, she opens her heart and soul to mine as only my mate would dare.

My Pearl. My tiny treasure.

I growl as my knot expands much sooner than I intend. She moans into my mouth as I cram myself balls deep inside her and lock us together with my knot. Her breasts heave against my chest as she writhes on top of me, still stroking her tongue over mine.

She's perfection. I fill her womb with my seed and slowly morph our frenzy into lazy greed. We lick and nip. Taste and tease. Worship and enjoy.

She splays her freshly bandaged fingers over my sides and settles her ear over my heart again .

Her stomach rumbles.

With my knot locked behind her pubic bone, I shuffle around until I brace my back against the wall and she sits in my lap with her legs around my hips. Her ragged breathing matches my own. I tuck her against my chest and wait until we settle into the new position before leaning over and pulling the tray off the shelf.

At first, she pushes my attempt to feed her away and mumbles about needing sleep more, but I continue until she accepts. Her stomach rumbles again. She sighs and eats everything I offer, losing herself after a few bites and humming in delight.

When I press the cup to her lips, she wrinkles her nose but drinks a few sips before turning her head away.

"I really don't want anymore," she murmurs against my chest.

I set down the cup and frame her face with my hands. She studies me with a mixture of satisfaction and want.

"Your heat broke a few hours ago. How are you feeling?" I ask.

She shrugs before clutching at my neck as the movement shifts my knot inside her.

"Full," she groans.

I chuckle and nuzzle her temple.

"Good. Expect to feel this way for the next nine months. "

She stiffens.

"What?" she asks, despite already knowing the answer. Her nostrils flare as she instinctually checks her pheromones.

"You're carrying my offspring," I say.

Her pupils shrink, but she works through several thoughts before a smile stretches across her face. Joy glows through our bond.

"Of course, I am. You were very thorough."

The cheek of my female. I love her.

I take her mouth in a searing kiss and growl as molten lava jettisons down my shaft and into her womb, nourishing the child growing within and protecting the woman of my dreams. I'll have her locked on my knot for the next few weeks to ensure she remains healthy.

Babies created by an alpha omega pairing will consume the mother if not provided with copious amounts of seed during the first trimester. My omega will demand I knot her nonstop for months.

I can't wait. Even now, with her tight, wet heat wrapped around my cock, I look forward to sinking into her again and again.

But the radio sits askew on the desk, reminding me of other matters.

Our purrs create beautiful music as we bask in our perfect union. Masculine and feminine. Powerful and resilient. Possessive and demanding .

My knot deflates with an audible pop. I flip her onto her back and seal my mouth over her core. Her bandaged fingers claw at my shoulders and she snarls with impatience. I fill my mouth with our combined essences and plaster my palm over her sex before ferrying my prize to her lips. She moans in delight and demands more.

I give it. I give her everything.

When she smirks and wriggles down into the blankets, I brace myself for her displeasure and pull her into my lap. Her brows scrunch in confusion as I grab the clean clothes off the floor.

"No. Stop," she snarls as I fit my shirt over her head. "What are you doing?"

She bats my hand away and glares up at me.

"Dressing you," I reply.

"Why?"

"We're leaving our den."

"Why? Has it been ten days? Are we out of quarantine?"

"No."

Panic fills her eyes. She stiffens.

"Is it my sister? Is she sick? Did something happen to her?"

I kiss her forehead and reassure her.

"No, tiny treasure. Your sister is fine."

"Then why?"

"You'll see. Let me dress you."

"No. "

Her petulance knows no bounds. Before I can sigh, she whips the shirt off her head and slaps it against my chest.

"Not until you mark it with your scent."

Pure alpha joy overfills my heart and floods our bond. I rub the fabric over my shoulders and abs, but she shakes her head and grips my shaft through the shirt. A wet spot grows as she strokes me, but the light-colored material hides my viscous seed.

With a pleased hum, she threads her arms and head into the shirt and settles it around her hips. When I reach for the pajama pants I chose for her, she pushes them away, grabs the second shirt, and balls the fabric between her legs.

I watch with growing desire as she marks my shirt with her scent and tugs it over my head. She does the same with my jeans, smearing her slick into the material before handing them to me. I hold out my palm and silently demand she give me her pants. She gladly hands them over, but doesn't wait patiently for me to give them back.

I never thought a union could be so fulfilling. She completes me.

Her eager hands work the pants over my shaft until she deems them properly marked.

We finish dressing. I scoop her into my arms and climb down the ladder. She stares in wonder at our main living space, and I belatedly realize the only time she was down here was when she was in the beginning stages of estrous. She wasn't interested in furnishings or accommodations then, but she appreciates all my hard work now. The bond glows between us.

I lift the bar off the front door and step out into the main bay. Sounds of people drift through the space, but the path topside remains clear, so I ascend the stairs and check the area before stepping out onto the deck.

The sun warmed metal heats the soles of my feet, but I don't plan to be out of our den for long, so I ignore the discomfort and stalk toward the bow.

I stop in front of the first container and knock on the door before sliding open the viewing window. The girl inside stands from her seat at the table and steps toward the center of the room to see us better.

Pearl squeals and nearly topples out of my arms. I lift her higher on my chest and tighten my grip on her.

"Gem! You're alright? You're eating okay? Sleeping? You look so much better."

As they reassure each other through the grate, I exchange nods with the man on guard in the radio shack.

"I heard they pulled people from the ocean yesterday," Gem says .

Pearl goes ramrod straight in my arms.

"Really? Were they from our shipwreck?"

"I don't know. They won't tell me more, but I heard the commotion and asked Cadence and she said—"

"Cadence? You have a friend?" Pearl interrupts. Apprehension, distrust, and uncertainty colors her tone.

"I have several. All beta females. They talk to me when they bring me food. I… I like it here, Pearl. I almost don't want my quarantine to end," she finishes in a whisper.

I take the risk and speak.

"We have three different female only communal pods, or we can outfit a solo pod for you, but don't decide yet. Say a quick goodbye, tiny treasure. I need you back in our den before you get too needy."

Pearl's cheeks heat with a blush. Gem's eyes widen.

"I'm pregnant, Gem."

A long pause.

"And you're happy?" Gem asks.

"Very," Pearl whispers through the lump in her throat. Tears drip from her lashes. The joy in our bond outshines the pain of her past.

Gem nods and gives a tight smile.

"Good. Then I'm happy for you. "

My omega opens her mouth to respond, but I growl a terse farewell before closing the window and stalking down the row to a bigger quarantine container.

I knock to announce our arrival before sliding the viewing panel open. Three times wider than the other, this window allows a better view of the entire room.

Five narrow cots line the far wall. An elderly lady with white hair lifts her head, looks at us, then drops back down onto her pillow while a child springs up from the second bed. The girl's red curls bounce in the sunlight as she runs across the room to hide in the hygiene corner.

My omega gasps as a third woman rises from the cot on the other end.

"Mama!"

Tired eyes lift from the floor. Life flows back into the beta woman as she recognizes her daughter.

"Pearl! Oh my gods, I can't believe you're alive! Is Gem…" Her words dry up as she uses a crutch to hobble to the table in the center of the room.

"Gem is safe. Healthy. Getting stronger every day," my brave omega replies with a slight tremor in her voice.

Her mother plops into a chair and sobs in relief but reveals epic control when she wipes away her tears after only a few moments and meets my eyes with a stern gaze.

"Is this your alpha? What's his name?"

I understand where my female got her grit as the woman stares me down without flinching, despite her obvious lack of leverage.

"His name is Tide, and he's mine , mama. He's the captain of this ship, my forever mate, and the father of your grandchildren, including the one already growing inside me, so don't glare at him."

I shift my gaze down to my tiny treasure and stare in mute gratitude as she fulfills a wish hidden deep within my heart.

She protects, loves, and nurtures me as only an omega can.

The child within me sobs in relief while my alpha soul howls in delight.

Her mother speaks, but with my senses so tuned in to my mate, I don't hear her words.

"Is that true? Is my dad here, too?" Pearl asks as she fillets me alive with her wide eyes.

I swallow and nod but walk away from the refurbished shipping container without speaking, unable to form the words she hopes to hear. When I stop in front of a faded lime green pod a quarter of the size of her mother's, she fills her lungs and holds her breath.

I open the viewing slot and reveal the sterile room within. Her father lies on a padded table. A clear hose disappears into the crook of his arm. His pale lips and shallow breaths aren't promising, but Turbine, the old woman wearing white from head to toe and sitting in the chair by his bedside, has saved men closer to the brink of death. Her worn hands work her mortar and pestle as she hums an ancient tune under her breath. Tinctures and jars line the table behind her.

She looks up and aims weathered eyes at my omega before meeting my gaze.

"Let me go to him," Pearl begs as she pounds her fists against my chest.

Turbine shakes her head. Pearl misinterprets the signal and breaks down.

I pin the side of her head against my sternum and purr until the fight seeps from her. She wraps her arms around me and cries.

"He's in quarantine. You can't go in there until we're sure he isn't sick."

"I spent every day of my life with him until a week ago. I need—"

"No," I snarl.

She struggles for freedom, but I wrap my arms around her and give her a safe place to rage.

"He can't die alone! I'll hate you forever if you don't let me hold his hand."

I shake my head and purr through the lump in my throat .

"Do you even have a heart? How can you be so cruel?" my omega cries.

Taemin, my second in command, hops from the roof of one shipping container to the next, stopping upwind and far enough away to not trigger my alpha possessiveness.

"You got The Barge all wrong, female." Pearl jerks and turns watery eyes up to him. Anger tinges my rumble, but Taemin continues. "When I said he ain't never left survivors, I meant he protects his people with an iron fist. He chased down pirates and killed ‘em all so word wouldn't spread about our oasis, and when we took on a couple of their prisoners, not knowin' they were sick, he implemented a quarantine period for all newcomers. We'll never lose our younglings to an outbreak again, so don't hate him. He's protecting you and that babe in your belly."

Pearl blinks up at him until I snarl. My fury fades when she meets my gaze.

"The playground… how many… no, I don't want to know. Oh hells, I'm sorry, Tide."

She cries the tears I never allowed myself to shed, cleansing my soul of the crushing weight of loss and failure.

"Lass, don't cry, it's not good for the babe," Turbine says without looking up from her craft. Her low, scratchy voice tells of a hard life and the wisdom earned from surviving. "Your father has some fight left in him. I'll do my best to ensure he meets your youngling."

Pearl heaves a shuddering breath and captures my face in her bandaged hands. With tear tracks wetting her face and her lashes glittering in the sun, she's the most gorgeous creature I've ever seen.

"I'm sorry I doubted you." She pulls my face down and kisses my forehead. "Thank you for pulling me from the ocean." She presses her lips to my left temple. "Thank you for saving my family." Her soft kiss on the right side of my head floors me. "Thank you for claiming me," she murmurs against my cheek.

My purr hits an octave lower than ever before.

"I love you, Tide. Take me back to our den, please. I need you," she whispers against my lips.

With every intention of complying, I lean down and invade her mouth in a searing kiss. When I pull back, we both struggle to catch our breath.

I lift her higher on my chest and drop my chin onto the top of her head as I spin on my heel and head toward the stairs.

"I love you, too, Pearl. My mate. My omega. My tiny treasure."

Her blissful sigh marks the beginning of our happily ever after .

I found her. She's mine. Mine to breed. Mine to protect. Mine to cherish.

Forever.

Continue reading for a preview of the next book in the series, Drowned by the Dreadnought (The Knottiverse: Alphas of the Waterworld Book 8) .