Kestrel
“All right, so Merle was happy, and you all what…let her stay?”
I shake my head and bite my lower lip so I don’t laugh in this alpha's face and make things worse than they already are.
“Do you love Sage?”
Blaze cocks his head to the side. “Without question.”
“Do you love Kota?”
“Sometimes.”
“Don’t you want them both to be happy? Even at the expense of your own happiness?”
Blaze frowns thoughtfully and steps over a log. “Is Merle like a love interest?”
I burst out laughing. “No, gods, no. I am not your competition, Alpha. Merle is family. I know that we are all part of the same person, but it feels like we are family members. We love each other fiercely and want to protect each other, but we have different names, likes, dislikes, and different personalities. I’m left-handed, Raptor is right-handed.
I love chocolate; Raven hates it passionately.
I’m scared of spiders, but Jay can pick them up and feel nothing. ”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. I am not in love with my alters, Blaze. But I do love them, and I will protect them. Especially Merle, Jay, and Dove. In that, Raptor, Raven, and I are in agreement.”
“I see.”
“Do you?” I smirk at him and dance away, turning to face him. “Do you really want to know us?”
“I do.”
Merle might love these alphas, but the only one I have feelings for is Roseland, but I could see myself falling for this one.
“Tell me what it’s like when you kill someone.”
He smiles wider, tilting his head back, his whole body language turning flirtatious. “That is not what I was expecting you to ask.”
I shrug. “I like to be surprising.”
“I can see that. Well, killing, for me, feels like a job that needs doing. At the end, I feel satisfaction if I did it well, irritation if it didn’t go how I planned.”
“So, you don’t get a thrill. No butterflies, compulsions?”
“I enjoy the process of causing pain and exploring the inner workings of the corpse, but the actual act of killing is irrelevant to me.”
“Fascinating. Do you think that-”
He lunges forward and grabs my wrist, swinging me around and up hard against his chest.
“Ooh, Blaze. This is so soon. Be careful, I might swoon,” I whisper, sliding my free hand up his chest and around his neck. Our lips are just a finger’s width apart.
He chuckles. “Don’t tease me; I might think you mean it.”
We both laugh and separate. When I look behind me, I see an exposed tree root that would have sent me to my ass.
“Should I thank you for the assist?”
“Of course. It’s only polite.”
I lean into him, standing on my tiptoes, and press my lips to the corner of his. “Thank you, Alpha.”
Then I pull back, smiling. He throws his head back and laughs, following me without a care in the world.
We both ignore the unhappy growls from Sage.
Rolly has vanished. Roseland is with Pix, who is having his breakdown, and King is glaring from a distance as if he can’t bear to let me out of sight.
Hours later, Blaze is still walking beside me. Our flirty banter has given me a warm glow and taken away the sting of the hostility from the rest of the pack.
“It’s right through there,” Blaze says cheerfully, his hand brushing my lower back in the most delicious of caresses.
I glance back at him, then look ahead. “Really?”
“Go look.”
I let out a happy noise and rush off, disappearing through the trees, leaving them all behind. Hidden in a clearing is a massive house. It’s beautiful and lonely, all dark ancient wood and mysterious windows holding secrets that beg me to come explore.
“What do you think?” Blaze shouts.
“I think you want me to fall in love with you!”
He laughs, ignoring the other alphas and their hostility.
“I think I already have.”
If only.
I know he’s joking, but it would be nice to have someone care about me with a tenth of how they have cared for Merle. I am envious of her. She is very lucky.
I dance up onto the porch, listening to it creak, then climb up onto the railing, standing so I can get a better look at the space in front of me.
“It’s the perfect picture,” I murmur, holding my hands up like I’m taking a photo.
Four alphas walk out of a dark forest, dappled light dances in front of them.
The grass is the greenest; the storm has blown itself out, and the sky is now a patchwork quilt of white clouds and sapphire skies.
“Strike a pose, Alpha. I want to remember this moment forever.”
Blaze reaches behind him and loosens his hair tie. His black hair fans out. He looks like he’s walked off of one of those Wuxia shows that Raptor loves so much. Dangerous, deadly, incredibly sexy.
Oh, yes, I could love this alpha.
Easily.
“Come play with me, Alpha. I need a friend.”
He ignores the rest of his pack and comes straight to me, catching me when I jump off the railing and straight into his arms.
His eyes are smoky grey, but there are tiny silver flecks in them that make him seem warmer. His lashes are long and thick, and when he smiles, he’s got dimples.
I reach up and stroke his hair; it’s softer than I could have imagined.
“Hello,” I whisper with a grin. “Your alphas are bristling, getting ready to set the air on fire.”
“Scared?” he whispers back with an unholy light in his eyes that I want to play with.
“Not at all. You could kiss me and really set them off-”
I barely get those words out when he does just that, and I fall into the kiss. One that is as skilled and deliberate as the alpha himself. It’s just the right amount of playful, the right amount of dominance; his kiss demands an answer from me.
How can I say no?
I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him back with slow, luxurious movements, teasing us both. His scent is in my nose and lungs, on my tongue. My chest vibrates with a purr that I’m fighting to quiet. He’s so big, so strong.
I wonder if he’d take care of me if I took care of him.
A growl wrenches me back to the ever-present danger of the half-rabid pack that is furious I body snatched their omega.
I roll my eyes and pull back.
“You taste divine and kiss like a demon,” I say with a wink.
Blaze tosses his head back, laughing again as I slide down his body and trot up the stairs, ignoring everyone but Roseland, who turns with me, his expression unreadable.
“You’re back,” I squeak with pure happiness.
His frown deepens. “Raven?”
I sigh heavily and poke him in the chest with a finger. “You are giving me a complex. I don’t think I’ve ever been so unwelcome anywhere in my life. Except, you know, when I showed up at the family barbecue. Ain’t nobody hates the way a family can hate.”
“When can I speak to Raven-”
“Oh, my god! Just stop!” I shout. “I’m not Raven. I’m not Merle. I’m not Raptor. My name is Kestrel. I exist. I am a person, too.”
I glare at them, furious and hurt.
Frustrated.
A shove comes deep from inside, my head screams in pain, and I fall away.