Kinn by Mina Carter

5

He’d claimed his omega,bitten her and knotted her. She should be in heat by now. But she wasn’t.

Kinn grumbled under his breath as he returned to his quarters… their quarters now, to find that she’d moved the tiny nest she’d made yet again. When he’d brought her back here, he’d provided all the necessary materials, but she’d only taken half, making a small nest not in the huge bed in the master bedroom but in the closet in the second bedroom. It was only large enough for her, not for them both.

He hadn’t mentioned it, figuring she was still adjusting to her new nature, especially when he’d managed to tempt her to share his bed every night since. It had taken some work, plenty of snarling and spat insults from her at him, but he’d managed it, knotting her again and again and making sure to quell her panic each time. He’d been so sure that her nests would get larger, that she’d accept her true nature and her place in his life… but she hadn’t.

“What is this?” he demanded, motioning to the nest under the table of all places as she stood, her arms folded over her chest and a mulish expression on her face.

“You tell me. I’ve never been one for blanket forts before, and now I can’t seem to stop making them.” She glowered up at him. “This is more omega weirdness. Isn’t it?”

“Nesting is normal omega behavior, yes. The way you are doing it is… not.” He frowned at the small pile of blankets and pillows. “Is that comfortable for you?”

“No. It’s weird and I don’t like it. It’s bad enough my body keeps wanting things my brain doesn’t. But now I purr and want to make soft places to sleep. You did this to me!”

He beckoned to her, a silent order to come to him that she ignored with a glare. “I didn’t do anything to you.” He sighed. They’d been through this. “You are an omega. These are your natural instincts expressing now that you are near your alpha.”

“This is bullshit,” she snapped back, putting the table between them. “One, I wasn’t a damn omega before you assholes arrived and two, my sis—” She slammed her mouth shut so fast he was surprised she didn’t break teeth.

“Your what?”

“Sister omegas. I’ve seen a few claimed ones. None of them did this.” She pointed at the blankets.

He’d have bet good money that wasn’t what she’d been about to say, but nothing ever came easily with his omega. She was as prickly as a salla berry vine, and her words cut sharper than a warrior’s blade. Had Var and Rath had this much trouble with their females? He wasn’t about to ask them. It would be an admission of weakness, but still… those few moments when she submitted to him were a heaven he’d never dreamed could actually exist.

He sighed. “You cannot fight your nature forever, little star. You are mine. The Lord Overseer has already given his approval.”

She turned away with a small huff. He took a step toward her, intent on putting an end to this nonsense once and for all, but his movement was altered by a knock at the door.

A frown creasing his brow, he strode over, waving his hand over the access plate in irritation.

“What?” he demanded, finding the beta Mother Superior standing in the corridor. A quick, assessing glance over her revealed she was paler than usual, her gaze cutting past him toward Serena.

“Lord Healer, may I speak with your… err, may I speak with Serena?”

“He’s not my anything, and of course you can speak with me,” Serena said before he could speak.

“I am your alpha,” he growled.

She shot him a sidelong look as she moved past him. “So you keep saying.”

“Mother Superior, what brings you here?”

The small female bowed her head, her white hair falling forward to hide part of her face. “I have news about a… mutual acquaintance.” Her gaze slid to Kinn. “It is a private matter.”

He folded his arms. “Anything you want to say to my omega, you can say in front of me.”

Serena shrugged. “His royal pain in the ass, lord of the healing hall doesn’t like to be left out of things. Even when they’re none of his business.”

He folded his arms and scowled, frustrated to be having this conversation yet again. “Anything that concerns you is my business. You are mine.”

“Ignore him. I need to hear the news. Who? What’s happened?” Serena asked.

“It’s about your sister. Once I knew you were here, I sent word out hoping it would reach anyone missing you. I just received word back.” The pale woman bowed her head again, her hand lifting to touch the religious symbol at her throat. “I’m sorry, Serena. The news isn’t good. Max was wounded. Badly. They’ve done all they can but…” She bit her lip and shook her head. “I thought you’d want to know.”

He saw the blood drain from her face, and the slight wobble before she locked her knees.

“Your sister?” he demanded softly, crowding her. He didn’t like the stricken look on her face. “You have a sister? Where? Is she an omega like you?”

Her eyes lifted to him and the expression there was like a punch in the gut. She was scared… no, she was terrified. “Yes, I do. Not here. No, she isn’t.”

Her words were clipped as she looked past him to Mother Superior, but the other female had already gone, her duty discharged.

“I need to go. Now,” she said suddenly, trying to brush past him. He caught her, his hand latched around her upper arm.

“Where? I will come with you.”

“You can’t. It’s not. No. That’s not going to work.”

He snarled. “You don’t go unless I am with you. Ever.”

She tried to pull out of his grip and failed. “You can’t come. They’ll kill you,” she hissed.

It took him three very long seconds to process that statement. She meant it. But who were they and what could a human do against a Tolathian warrior?

He bared his teeth, his fangs dropping. “Are you saying I’m too weak to protect my omega?”

She laughed. The short bark was filled with bitter amusement. “You won’t need to protect me. If anything, I’ll be protecting you.”

Her words didn’t make sense and he frowned down at her. Then he smiled, stroking his fingertip down the line of her jaw. “You didn’t argue that you’re my omega.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, really?” She shoved at his broad chest. “Alright, yes! No, I didn’t argue. Yes, you can come with, but don’t come crying to me if they kill you. Okay?”

“I do not fear any human. I will not die. I will go and see if I can save your sister. But I want something from you first.”

She stilled. “You’re bargaining with my sister’s life? You are such an asshole.”

“Stop fighting your nature, Serena. That’s all I want. Surrender to me and I will do all I can to save your kin.”

He had her. He saw it in the sudden look in the backs of her eyes. A brief pang of… something filled him at using her sister, using her weakness, against her like this. Something that felt almost like guilt. He brushed it away. He didn’t feel guilty. He had no reason. She was an omega, his omega. It was what was best for her. He knew what was best for her.

“Fine!” she hissed, grabbing his jacket, her fists bunched. “Save her and I’ll do whatever you want.”

He covered her hands with his and then bowed his head to kiss her. “I will do all I can. How far away is she? What village?” He was already compiling a list of equipment he’d need to bring. “And we’ll discuss what happens when omegas keep secrets from their alphas another time.”

She gave him a look he couldn’t decipher. If he was feeling less generous given her submission, he would have said it was one of challenge. But he was prepared to be magnanimous given her emotional state. And… a sister. She had a sister who, despite her claims, very well might be an omega as well. If he could bring in another one, for one of his brothers…

“Bring your main pack,” she ordered him, the demand in her voice making him growl in the back of his throat and force down the need to remind her who was alpha here. “We’ll need your air-bike. It’s not far.”

He was already reaching for his pack when the impact of her words hit him. “Not far? You were captured several days from here. Weren’t you?” He snarled and yanked at the straps to his bag. “How many lies have you told me?”

She snarled back. “As many as I had to in order to protect my people. Speaking of which, I need something from you, too.”

“You’re in no position to make demands, little star.”

“This is a deal breaker. You cannot tell anyone where you’re going or what you see when we get there. No one. My sister would rather die than expose any of our people.” She tipped up her head to glare at him. “And so would I.”

He growled in the back of his throat, backing her up a few paces. She went, but only because he herded her with his larger form. The look in her eyes was as hard as that of any alpha he’d faced.

“What’s it going to be?” she asked, her voice soft but her eyes hard. “Alpha mine?”

She’d named him as her alpha. Finally. His growl stopped and was replaced by the soft rumble of his parth. “You will not die. I won’t allow it. I will not tell anyone what I see.” He thumped his fist to his chest. “You have my word.”

She sagged and exhaled in relief. “Okay. Hurry. We have to hurry. She might already be…”

He slung the pack over his shoulder and gathered her to his side with his free arm, holding her against his chest. “I will do all I can for her.”

* * *

An hour later she sat on the seat behind him as he rode his air-bike through a picket for an enemy camp he had no idea even existed. Especially since it was practically in the shadows of the damn citadel. Or at the very least within sensor range.

“It’s me,” she called out as blunt-nosed weapons swung toward them threateningly. “He’s with me. He’s a doctor.”

“Healer,” he growled in a low voice, so only she could hear.

“Shut the fuck up unless you want a gut full of lead,” she hissed back, nudging him in the back with her knee. He snapped his jaw shut and paid attention to their surroundings. It hadn’t escaped his notice that there were as many females as males among the rebels, and they all had the same hard-faced, flint-eyed look. He had no doubt that if he was on his own, he would already be dead. A shift of the wind around them brought several scents to his nose and he stiffened.

“Some of these females are omegas.”

“No, they are not. You’re mistaken. We’re all betas here. No matter what your damn nose is telling you.”

“Careful, little star. There are limits to my patience.”

She snorted. “Careful, Healer. You’re in my world now.”

And what a world it was. He’d seen several of the humans’ villages. This was something different. A military camp. These weren’t pockets of disorganized rebels. This was a xarthing army. No wonder Serena had made him swear not to tell anyone.

Tents the same color as the wasteland’s soil were set in perfect rows. They drove by a handful of vehicles, all of them clearly in use despite the fact there shouldn’t have been fuel or parts available. “How is this here?” he asked.

“It isn’t. It never was, and by sundown, it will be long gone,” Serena replied.

“I gave my word,” he growled.

“And no one here is going to risk their lives by sticking around to see if you keep it. This isn’t about your honor. This is about our survival.”

They traveled in silence for a short distance and then Serena spoke again. “There. She’ll be in there.” Serena’s voice was tight as she pointed to a larger tent marked with a dull red cross.

He nodded and headed that way. They were watched every step of the way, two guards at the tent’s entrance watching them with steely expressions. One was a male, the other a woman so tiny he wasn’t sure she was fully grown. Her grip on the big weapon in her hands begged otherwise, and he read his own death in her eyes if he so much as breathed wrong.

“How’s she doing, Tami?” his omega asked as she hopped off the back of the bike, leaving him to power it down. He gathered his pack from the back and followed a few paces behind her. Tami’s eyes flicked to him for a moment, and he had to bite back his growl. Beta, his arse. This woman was an omega through and through. Not the type he and his kind were used to, but she was definitely an omega.

“She’s in the main theater,” Tami replied. “Got hit by a prox-mine in sector Alpha-four. These assholes re-mined the northern approach to the mountain.”

“What was she even doing out there?” Serena muttered but then raised her hand. “Never mind. I already know the answer. Because she’s a stubborn fool who thinks she’s the only one qualified to do anything.”

Tami gave her a tight-lipped smile. “Like someone else I know. Rumor had it you were captured.”

“Rumor is wrong nine times out of ten. I’m here. Aren’t I?” Serena turned to him. “Come on, Doc. Your patient is this way.”

He followed her inside. The air was dim and thick with scents he knew all too well: antiseptic, blood, and the bitter taint of sickness. He noted infection too, a thick, unpleasant odor that clung to the inside of his mouth and nose. The contents of his pack were far better than anything he could see in use around him. Why were all these humans living this way? Omegas should have everything they needed to be comfortable and content. This was wrong.

The woman lying on what these humans laughingly referred to as the main theater, though, took his breath away. She was… identical to Serena. His gaze cut to the woman by his side.

“A twin?” he demanded. More secrets. “She’s an omega like you. She has to be.” It wasn’t a question. It was a statement.

“Yeah, but fuck all good that knowledge will do you,” the female on the bed growled. Her skin was pale as she lay there, her side covered in blood that had soaked through the bandages. Despite the wound, the female gripped a pistol in her hand, the barrel aimed right at him. “Rena, what did you do?”

“I could ask you the same question, Max. I go away for a few weeks and you get yourself blown to hell.”

“And you got yourself captured.”

Despite the banter he could hear the pain in the female’s voice and noted the way her fingers shook as they gripped the weapon.

Serena ran a hand through her hair and looked chagrined. “Yeah. But I’m here now.”

“With one of them.”

“To save you. We have an… understanding.” Serena looked at him and he nodded, knowing what she needed him to say. “I am a heal—doctor. I’m here to treat you. Nothing else. Once that’s done, I will leave and never mention this place to anyone. That’s the deal we made.”

Max narrowed her eyes at him. “Why?”

“Because my omega asked this of me.”

Her lip curled back from her teeth and she altered her grip on the pistol. From here he could see the grip was slick with blood. Her blood. “Your omega, my ass. Rena belongs to no one but herself.”

He lifted his hands, deciding not to argue when the female was clearly half out of her mind with blood loss and pain. “Shoot if you need to, but if you do, you lose any chance of being healed. Even from here I can tell your…” he searched for the human word. “Your gut is perforated. You won’t survive without me.”

Serena made a small noise of grief and worry. “Dammit, Max. Stop being fucking stubborn and let him help. He’s here. The damage is done.”

“You made a deal with this beast for me?”

“It was going to happen anyway. Had happened. So, yes. I did. Now put the gun down and let him do his job. He’s good at it. I promise.”

It was disturbing to see a female so like his Serena in such pain, but he pushed that thought aside. “I am the best healer on this planet. If I move quickly, I believe I can save you. But you don’t have much time. Decide now.”

“You’re an asshole,” she growled but lowered the weapon.

He chuckled as he moved forward, placing his pack on a nearby trolley and dragging it toward her. “So I keep being told. May I?” he asked, motioning toward her side.

She nodded as Serena rounded the other side of the bed to hold her hand. Sweat streaked Max’s blonde hair, longer than Serena’s, as she leaned her head back against the hard pillows of the bed. Her lips compressed, her hand tightening on her sister’s as he worked. He hated causing her pain, each flinch and caught breath making his heart clench.

“You’re doing really well, Max,” he murmured. He’d noticed humans liked talking and praise.

“Not my first rodeo,” the female bit out, her attention divided between him and another soldier who ducked through the tent flap. “Yes, Siobhan?”

“Patrols are in from the southern sectors, General. You’re going to want to—”

Kinn managed to stay on task as the pieces fell into place. This camp. The way the others had recognized Serena. He wasn’t just working on his omega’s sister. He was patching up the leader of the rebels.

Lord Tane would strangle him with his own entrails if he ever learned of this. But honor demanded he abide by his promise. He looked down at the female. Besides, this was a warrior. Taking her now would be dishonorable to everyone, including her. Even the enemy deserved better than that… if an omega could be the enemy.

“No more interruptions,” he barked. “You can issue orders or you can live. Choose.”

Max nodded, but Serena spoke, her voice ringing with command. “Siobhan, have Harris take command for now and debrief the patrols.”

Max’s lips quirked as Siobhan snapped out a salute and left the tent. “Still got it, Rena.” She looked at Kinn directly. “Okay, Doc. How am I looking?”

He grumbled in the back of his throat. “Like you’ve been hit by a proximity mine. Which you shouldn’t have been. You’re an omega. You should be protected. Cherished. Not on a battlefield.”

“Cherished?” Max started to laugh, but it died away to a pained gasp. “Didn’t know you alien bastards even knew that word. I’m on a battlefield because the alternative was to be brutalized and broken until I died. Thanks, but I’d rather go out fighting.”

“And you very nearly did.”

“Nearly, but not will?” Serena asked, her voice soft and full of hope.

“Not today.” He cleaned off his hands and then set out the rest of his equipment. “It would be best if you were unconscious for this next bit. It will be unpleasant and any movement might make things worse.”

To his surprise, the female didn’t answer but looked at Serena. “If I die, shoot him for me?”

“You know I will.”

Max looked back at him and then closed her eyes. “Okay then. I could use a nap anyway.”