Page 240 of Unhinged Omega
From the moment I first saw Azarel, I knew he was different, and not just because he was the first alpha whose scent intrigued rather than repulsed me. He was nothing like the men who licked my father's boots while ogling me behind his back.
When I told my father Monty was selling me off to his friends, my father told me to shut my mouth and never speak of it again. When Azarel found out, people died. Alotof people.
I always knew he was mine.
My mate. My alpha. My destiny.
I kept his name clutched to my heart like a secret, a cherished possession. Every stolen moment, every kiss, was a gift. A treasure plundered from the cold, careless hands of a world that had offered me nothing but pain. Until him.
Raven hesitates, something painfully gentle in his blue eyes. It's the look people get when they're about to say something they know will hurt you. When they're about to shatter an illusion you've been living with.
My nails dig into my palms again. Pricks of pain, familiar warmth pooling on the pads of my fingers. This time, the sting does nothing to keep the threads of me from drifting further and further apart.
Knight stiffens, another low growl rumbling from him as he watches my hands, but he doesn't move. Just remains close. Strong. Watchful.
"Cosima," Raven says carefully, reaching for my hand. I should push him away, but I don't. The warmth of his touch grounds me in a way pain, my old friend, cannot. "This Azarel you've been looking for?—"
"My mate," I correct, my voice brittle, on the verge of breaking.
Raven's gaze softens. "Your mate," he corrects with a solemn nod, "is the crown prince of Surhiira."
The world around me seems to freeze, then tilt sideways. The kitchen blurs at the edges as his words sink in. I realize my hand is shaking only when it meets the resistance of Raven's gentle, steady grip. Anchoring me. The one thing keeping all the frayed strings from unraveling.
But I'm not sure I want them to stop.
Prince of Surhiira.
My Azarel.
The alpha I've been in love with for years.
The alpha who held me in my darkness, and showed me warmth I never knew. The alpha who promised he would take me away from all of it one day.
The alpha who never once mentioned he wasroyalty.
The alpha who fuckinglied.
