She knew three different ways to say that word in Omari now.

A whoosh of breath, and Morgaine’s hand went to her heart. The sudden sharp sting that met her drew out a quick yelp and downward turn of her eyes.

Swollen and ugly, the twin crescents of an animal bite marred her breast.

“Pretty.” The male assured when she grew alarmed with the oozing wound. But it was more than his declaration; it was that throbbing whir in her heart. It too said pretty without saying anything at all.

This strange, almost suffocating feeling of completion was the promised pair-bond. A link forged between them that could never be broken.

Many of the Omegas who frequented their sacred sector during the day had spoken to her of the phenomenon. Most waxed on with dreamy eyes while Etaine translated. They loved their bond with their mates, the closeness and the promise of safety.

But a few had guarded comments. A few had been forced.

One absolutely refused to get up and even greet her mate when he’d come to call. Unlike her, she would not so much as approach the golden line. Morgaine was not permitted to ask her questions, and the woman had never approached to so much as say hello.

Then there were those Omegas w

ho’d chosen to reject such a thing, to cut their hair short, and to exist as simply female. Women like Etaine.

The connection in her chest rattled as her thoughts turned almost hesitant. It twisted about her fading reluctance and massaged it with feelings of wonder, Simin pressing a kiss to her mouth.

Her weight was laid back upon the nest, the man, her mate, crawling over her as he rumbled out words she didn’t know between kisses, and words she did.

Love. Mine. Care. Beautiful. Forever.

Wherever she ached, he somehow knew to rub. The bite mark that made her uneasy, he cleansed with soft cloth. Sour smelling unguent was delicately smoothed over every last bruise, and shockingly pressed into her slit by a mischievously grinning Alpha who pumped his fingers until she cried out in release. And over the course of his careful ministrations, her aches began to subside.

A long bath followed where he washed off all that sticky medicine, cleansed the tangles of her hair until the burnished gold was smooth and soft, and let her nap against his chest as he worked magic down her spine with probing fingers.

When she was clean and dressed in draping robes the women on this ship preferred, he offered her fabric and the items required for sewing, saying, “Make dress,” with a genuine smile.

Simin offered food that was warm, cooked through, and seasoned. Food he had not made, but that waited in the dining area of his domicile. Food that was so familiar, Morgaine swallowed it with the worst blend of a broken heart and longing for what could not be.

It was a recipe of her mother’s.

Who was far away and in the possession of men like Esin, Uriel, and the commandant. Men who had harmed her and would do so again.

“Kor’yr?”

Blue eyes wet with tears looked up from a perfectly created stew to find her mate brimming with concern. In fact, he looked ill.

Pressing his hand against his chest as if to soothe an incessant twinge, he said her name, stood, and carefully pulled her from her chair. Without Etaine to translate, most of what he whispered into her hair was lost. But it was the tone that mattered.

He sounded sorry.

Shaking her head, trying to communicate that she did not blame him, Morgaine swallowed down her tears.

This was to be her life now, and he had been better to her than any other male. He loved her. She could feel that clearly when the link warmed and cocooned her pain. She would make the best of it.

Large thumbs wiped her tears away, her Alpha cooing until she gave him a crooked smile. But when she went to reclaim her seat and eat the food with no further theatrics, he pulled her in another direction. The dining chamber behind them, he walked her through the front rooms until they neared the exit.

Assuming he was going to take her back to the Omegas because she was sad, Morgaine failed to notice who waited.

“Morgaine?”

It couldn’t be! “Mama?”

Morgaine was caught up by the woman she loved with her whole heart in a bone-crushing hug.

Tags: Addison Cain Knotted Paranormal
Source: readsnovelonline.net