31. Belle

Iknew it.

Rian is an Omega, and he has gone into heat.

It"s his first one too, so it will be extremely painful, and I hate that there isn"t anything I can do to help him.

I am not allowed in the nest after all.

Even if I attempted to join them, Troy would bite my head off.

He would kill me, as he promised, and I ball my hands into fists.

I know what I am, but I still don"t deserve to be treated so horribly.

Troy is a bully and I won"t let him intimidate me.

But right now, I will stay away.

My self-preservation is stronger than my desire to satisfy Rian and be by his side in his time of need.

Alphas go crazy when their Omegas are in heat.

They call it a rut.

So, I will stay balled up under my bed.

Even as Rian"s pained cries echo through the house and into the night beyond.

Those harrowing cries. I will never forget them.

So much want, desire, and need all in one, and I shiver beneath my bed, rolling up into a ball.

The real thing is nothing at all what the heroines go through in my book, and I squeeze my eyes shut, dreading the day when I get my first heat.

Omegas can die if they don"t receive a knot, and I bite my lip, refusing to cry.

At least Rian has his Alphas. Three knots to take the pain away.

Only death will be waiting for me when I go into heat. There will be no knots for me, and despite how hard I try, tears still slip free.

I just wish for one moment that they will let me join. That they could possibly want me as much as they want Rian.

That Rian wants me as much as he wants his Alpha"s knots.

Even if I was welcome in that nest, what could I do for Rian?

I"m an Omega. I am not equipped to take care of his needs.

Hours pass. My clock ticks on the opposite wall, but that"s okay. I"m used to being alone with nothing to do but stare at the wall.

I could read, but the noises coming from Rian"s nest are just too much.

They are making me hot with need, and all I can do is touch myself.

But even as I run my hands down my body, stopping at the apex of my thighs, I still find myself wanting.

I"m wet enough, but my fingers aren"t enough.

I have to leave.

I don"t know where I will go, but I have to get away from the house.

Rian"s baby powder scent is everywhere.

Rolling out from beneath the bed, I rise to my feet, sneaking to the door.

I hold my breath as I slowly creak it open, hoping that none of the Alphas hear me.

If they do, I will be dead.

Even sweet Leo wouldn"t recognize me now.

Lost in his rut.

It"s their first-ever rut. They won"t be themselves.

Clicking the door shut behind me, I press my back to the wall, shuffling along until I am directly opposite the nest.

Deep, sensual groans of pleasure seep through the wood of the door, and I freeze, ignoring that pulsing sensation between my legs.

The smell is even stronger up close.

Nothing but pure Rian on the other side of that door…

Nothing but pure heaven.

No. I will go. I have to…

If I am caught sneaking around the door, I am dead.

Troy will paint the walls with my blood.

Taking another deep breath, I shuffle along the wall again, and the moment I reach the stairs, I run.

Unfortunately, I bump into Jeremy on my way down, jerking back into a fighting stance.

We just stare at each other for a while, my heavy gasps echoing in the space between us.

Lucky for me, he doesn"t appear to be too lost in the rut.

He still has his senses about him somewhat, but I did detect that light growl just now when I bumped into him.

He"s shirtless, wearing nothing but boxers, but I don"t dare let my eyes wander.

Not even when his hardness stretches in my direction, letting me know just how horny and wild he is.

There"s lightning inside his storm cloud eyes, but I"m just not sure if that lightning is directed at me.

I"m lucky it was Jeremy I bumped into.

If it had been Troy…

Jeremy closes his eyes, running his hand over his face.

There"s a six-pack in his arms, and I bet Rian needed an ice-cold drink.

Omegas get awfully peckish and thirsty when in heat.

"The garage…"

I raise my chin.

He removes his hand from his eyes, and something like sadness glints inside the gray. "There"s a cot in there. You should be good to stay there until Rian"s heat is over…"

It takes some time for the words to sink in, and now relief floods through my veins when he gives me the option.

It may not be as comfortable as my bedroom, but at least it is far from the house.

Far from Rian and the sound of his glorious moans.

"Okay."

Silence swirls between us, and I bite my lip, thinking of something to say. "How is he?"

Jeremy looks me up and down, wondering if he should tell me.

There is deep mistrust in those eyes.

Rian is extremely vulnerable right now, and he is unsure whether he should tell me or not.

In the end, he says nothing, indicating his head toward the back door. "There are sheets and pillows in there."

With a sad nod, I wrap my arms around myself and walk past him toward the garage.

He doesn"t even wait to see if I got there safely. He moves up the stairs, Rian the only thing on his mind now.

I soon find the garage and the desolate cot at the back right next to the tool rack. The sheets are yellow and in need of some TLC, but it"s a far cry from the woods.

Before I bumped into Jeremy, I"d been contemplating spending the rest of Rian"s heat in the cold woods.

Sure, it"s still cold in the garage, but I pull up the sheets, and soon curl up, glad for the peace and quiet.

But I don"t dare sleep with the lights off.

After all, there is a house of dangerous Alphas close by.

If Troy catches my scent, he may follow me to the garage and kill me.

So, it looks like I will be sleeping with my eyes open.