Page 77 of Knot Their Omega
He’s so calm and comforting as he keeps encouraging me to breathe, switching from Japanese to English as he wipes away every tear that strays from my pooling eyes.
“S-Sorry,” I end up whispering, fighting hard not to sob. “I-I don’t… normally… it’s not…” How do you explain that you don’t normally cry in front of people? That you despise the idea of anyone seeing how weak and vulnerable you are over the simple idea of being stuck in what the world would deem a “safe” space?
I shouldn’t be crying or feeling this way, yet the feelings are so strong, I can’t even try to ignore them. To push aside all these big emotions and act as if they’re not destroying me from the inside.
Maybe this feels wrong because I’ve never cried to another through things like these. I do it in silence. In the quiet corners of my room, in the depths of the night, knowing no one will hear me.
I won’t burden anyone with my sadness.
Kai shakes his head before he rises and wraps his long arms around me like it’s a natural occurrence. It should feel weird or burdensome, but the moment he holds me, I feel a sense of safety. That despite the world feeling like it’s closing in on me… in this man’s arms, I’ll be okay.
I’ll survive it all.
“Your feelings are valid, Astraea. It’s okay to feel overwhelmed. This is scary, but you’re safe. You’re not alone. I’m right here, okay?”
I nod into his shirt, hugging him a little tighter as I let myself cry. These emotions need to be released into the world, so I can rise from these limiting sensations and conquer them with execution.
When I’m able to stop sobbing, he sits next to me and lets me compose myself. Ember and Blaze had moved to their beds in the corner, sleeping away the exhaustion from being overstimulated and frightened earlier.
I can look around the room without it feeling like it’s caving in, but the uncertainty is still fresh. The fears are still lingering beneath all the unknown.
“You don’t have a lot of stuff,” Kai quietly mutters, drawing my attention to him as he slowly scans the room. “We can get this place cleared in thirty minutes, tops.”
“Th-Thirty minutes,” I whisper in disbelief. “But… where would you put it?”
“Our place,” he announces. “You’d be staying with us.”
“W-Why…” I look at him in confusion because I’m not understanding why I’d stay with him and the others.
“Did you think doing Nate a favor by being our temporary Omega meant you’d be staying here at the Haven still?”
“Y-Yes,” I whisper the truth because that’s exactly what I thought would happen. “He doesn’t want me on his tour bus. Why would I stay with you guys in your place?”
“Why not?” Kai says it so casually, I can’t even comprehend it. It’s something I don’t see him being so nonchalant about.
“That’s… not something you’d say,” I confess, and he actually smirks a little.
“It’s what Kenji would say, and he likes to influence me, oddly enough,” he confesses and even shrugs. “We’re reaping the benefits of having an Omega to ensure Nate’s tour isn’t canceled. Your cooperation with us also ensures none of our business commitments are interrupted. The government may be making a big deal with Nate’s tour because he’s a celebrity, but I’m sure Kenji’s and Icarus’ jobs would have been in jeopardy, too, if you didn’t volunteer to help us.”
“Would your job have been affected?”
His smile only grows as I see a dark twinkle in his eyes.
“No.”
“Interesting.”
“Curious?”
“A little,” I confess.
“Only if you allow us to help you,” he whispers and reaches over to wipe a single tear I don’t realize left my left eye. “You don’t need to stress about this when our pack can help.”
“But… there’s not much benefit. I mean…” I’m trying to explain my thoughts. “It’ll only be temporary, and I have a lot of stuff. It’ll be a lot of work and time-consuming for you to move all of this stuff, only for it to be at your place for a few weeks.”
“Nate gets to continue his career and not lose everything he’s worked hard for, thanks to you. Icarus gets to keep being one of the top talent managers in America. Kenji gets to enjoydrumming shit, so he doesn’t deal with the stress life brings to him daily. I get to watch my pack continue to thrive despite the circumstances placed against them, hoping we’ll fail again.”
Fail again?