The Golden Line (Knotted 1)

She could not find it in her heart to care that the panel of her skirt would not cover her, that the men were shifting around her enclosure to glimpse whatever might be seen of her sex.

The males made a game of it—a series of growls projecting from one Alpha to the next to see who might get her pussy to twitch and leak a drop of slick first.

Not all calls were successful, but some did inspire the desired outcome. And there was nothing Morgaine could do to stop the inevitable, horrible, trickling response.

“Look at that pretty slit, all glossed and hungry. Do you want a cock, Omega? I can’t wait to watch your first knotting.”

Silently sobbing into her hands, mortified that something so personal would be broadcasted for the entire ship to view, Morgaine tried her damnedest to shut them out. She’d hated what made her Omega—her body’s shameful betrayal, loathed how little control she had when the bone shaking rumbles were made.

Mostly, she hated the males who cheered, shouting encouragement for her to open her thighs and give them an even closer look.

Leaning up on an elbow, she let them see her tear-marked cheeks and tried to communicate that she was more than a hole they all could fuck. “I have great skill in dying cloth. I can make rare greens and purples from ingredients local to our forest in shades so vibrant they were highly sought after by my neighbors.” She didn’t know who she was pleading with, the males too caught up in their game to listen, but Morgaine muttered on all the same. “I know the traditional dances to flute music and sew well. At harvest, I am useful in the fields. I had friends…”

Silence slowly broke up the noise, a sense of quiet amidst the sound of shuffling feet eerie. Whatever had ended the raucous tableau, she didn’t know. She didn’t care. She just hoped they were listening.

They were not. Sergeant Uriel had returned into their midst, growling with heavy disapproval at the raucousness of the crowd and the pathetic figure she displayed. “Stand up, Omega. Stand now and keep your eyes downcast.” His low bark harsher than she’d yet heard. “I will not have you be seen this way.”

Pressing her palm to the floor, she shifted to her knees, looking over her shoulder to see an older male had come to view her shame. His rank had to be high if the glittering marks on his armor were any indication. He did not at all look pleased.

Climbing to her feet, she did exactly as she was told, kept her eyes downcast, and shoulders straight.

“Commandant, this is Morgaine of the Ivex Colony on the fourth continent of Nauu. She was harvested from one of our more resourceful settlements.” Sergeant Uriel stood at stiff attention, listing her attributes as if selling a horse. “Her eyes are blue, hair golden, long in the fashion of their females. She speaks only the common language and has been educated by farmers. A simple girl, with simple skills, but great beauty.”

Mortified to be spoken of as if lacking, Morgaine’s cheeks went red, but she kept her lips sealed.

“Why was it lying on the floor?”

Sergeant Uriel did not soften his assessment in the slightest. “This one is feral, Commandant. She is indolent and argumentative. As such, her handling has been strict and her education requirements adjusted to diminish her flaws. She needs more training than most.”

The commandant shook his head, lips thinned. “I have heard enough of this case, and frankly, I’m tired of the petitions. Her presence on my ship has been a distraction to the ranks, and to come here and find her exposed, enticing my soldiers to quicken her pleasure, it cannot be tolerated. Look at her thighs… they are dripping with slick. This sort of lewd behavior is only tolerable in the pleasure quarters for those who’ve earned the right to be entertained by an Omega, not in the main gallery by any passing male.”

“She is a virgin, sir. Her body is preparing for penetration. We also suspect she is on the verge of her first estrous.”

It was intolerable, and Morgaine could not bite her tongue. “I did not ask them to growl at me, nor did I like it. Don’t think I’m doing this on purpose!”

“Silence!” The commandant’s roar shook her, causing Morgaine to back away.

Sergeant Uriel was equally incensed. “Do not speak again, Morgaine.”

Measuring the shrinking Omega, bushy brows drawn low over unforgiving eyes, the commandant decided her fate. “If you don’t want it to sit, then sitting shall be made painful. Three strikes with a cane across her buttocks. Two across the shoulders. Tomorrow we shall see how straight she stands and how seriously she takes this honor. If I find her lying down again, the punishment will be doubled. Omegas must know their place.”

***

Punishment was served immediately. Amidst the grumbled disappointment of the males who had yet to push their way to the front of the crowd, Morgaine was pulled from her glass cage. Pulled rather roughly.

Marched back through the halls, dragged when she couldn’t keep up, past gawking strangers. When they found her door, she watched Sergeant Uriel press his hand to the wall and it opened at once.

Thrust inside, she found Corporal Esin, smiling, the room decorated with flickering lights and smelling of a savory meal. He took one look at Uriel’s stormy countenance and lost all traces of joy.

“She is to be caned.”

Already reaching to strip off his tunic, Esin declared, “I’ll bear her punishment. As many strikes as you see fit, sir.”

“You will not.” The door closed at his back, the smooth wall seamless, before Uriel released her aching arm. “Five strikes were ordered by the commandant as a necessary reminder of what she is and who she owes her fealty to. For her disrespect to your leadership, I am adding another strike.”

“Sir.” Crestfallen, Esin gave her a look that set her skin bumping in fear. “Six strikes… she’s so small.”

“You may brace her and offer comfort as it’s done.”