Carnage Island (Reject Island)(39)

“Large cocks?” he asks.

“A knot,” I whisper, my cheeks heating.

The sparkle in his gaze tells me he already knew what I meant and wanted to tease me. “It’s only Carnage Alphas that have them. And only Carnage Omegas can accept them.”

“Accept them?” I repeat.

“When we fuck normal wolves or humans, our knots stay at the base,” he explains. “But when we take an Omega, the knot connects to her, creating a bliss unlike any other. Or that’s what I’ve heard and now observed, anyway. I’ve not yet experienced it for myself.”

His gaze heats with the words, his focus falling to my mouth before slowly returning his gaze to mine.

“You’ve never had sex with an Omega?” It comes out as a question, but I already know the answer because that’s what he said. I just don’t know what else to say and I want him to keep talking, to explain all this to me.

“Omegas are exceptionally rare. Most Carnage Wolf packs only have five or six, compared to maybe fifty Alphas and a hundred Betas. It’s why we develop clans within the packs.”

My brow furrows. “Clans?”

“Compatible mate groupings based on power and strength,” he defines. “Tieran and Volt are my clan. We share power and protect each other.”

“Like a mate-circle,” I translate, awed by this concept. “Nantahala males often have harems to satiate their hunger, but only one mate.”

Which is the purpose of the trials in my pack. Only the most eligible females win a mate. And the ones entirely rejected from the harem and mate process go to the Reject Islands.

Caius snorts. “The Nantahala Alpha has created a society that favors men and enslaves women. The male wolves have harems because they like to fuck, not because of some animalistic need to sate themselves. They don’t understand pack dynamics the way we do.”

The contempt in his tone sends a chill down my spine. He very clearly dislikes my former pack. Given everything I’ve been through, I’m inclined to agree.

“They purposely suppressed my wolf,” I tell him, my eyes narrowing. “I thought it was to keep myself pure, to be the perfect mate. But I feel the wrongness of it now. My wolf never wants to be caged again.”

“Carnage Wolves don’t suppress our animals,” he replies. “We embrace them. And we embrace our needs, too. That’s the purpose of our clans—Alphas need Omegas to procreate and to feel alive. But there are so few of them available. That’s why we form a circle, it’s not just about protection, it’s to share our chosen mate as well.”

My eyes widen. “Your clans only take one female mate?”

He nods.

“And also a harem?” I assume out loud since male wolves have needs, and to only be able to take one female mate per clan would mean they need more females on the side to sate their hunger.

“You’re thinking like a Nantahala Wolf, not a Carnage Wolf, so I’m going to forgive that insult,” he replies, making me frown. “Carnage Omegas are the center of our clans, Clove. They’re the jewel we all crave and desire. No other being could ever compare. So no, we do not take other women. Once we have our Omega, she’s all we desire. She’s everything.” His gaze turns intense again. “You will be our everything.”

I gape at him. “M-me?”

“Yes, Clove. You.” He presses his lips to mine, his kiss gentle yet maintaining an air of dominance at the same time. “You’re our missing jewel, the Omega we’ve been waiting for. We never expected to find you here, but that just makes this mean more.”

“You’ve been searching for an Omega?”

He nods. “Tieran has visited a few Carnage Wolf packs to meet eligible Omegas. There’s really only been two that he’s met, but they were both clearly taken with other Alpha clans, and while Tieran had the power to claim whoever he wants, he didn’t feel right about them.”

I blink. “I… I thought he was betrothed to Alpha Bryson’s daughter? Did he visit these packs before or after…?” I almost finish with the words, he slaughtered her, but the dark gleam in Caius’s gaze has me trailing off instead.

“He was never betrothed to the Nantahala Wolf. Our kind can’t take other wolves as mates. A Carnage Alpha needs a Carnage Omega, something Bryson knows very well.” He utters the name with fury, causing my wolf to shiver beneath my skin.

She doesn’t like his anger.

Neither do I.

But I also know it’s not directed at me.

“That’s Tieran’s story to tell,” he continues. “So I’ll let him do the honors. But you need to understand that Carnage Wolves and Nantahala Wolves are not the same.”

I try to dip my chin to tell him I understand, but his hand on my cheek stops me, his gaze intently holding mine.

“We value our relationships, and that includes cherishing our mates.” He nips at my mouth, the gesture more playful than cruel, his mood shifting from angry to relaxed as he pulls back to gaze down at me.

“Most packs have an Alpha and a Beta and a few other official roles, but that’s not how we operate,” he continues. “We have an Alpha clan at the top, meaning we typically have at least three Alphas in charge of a pack. There’s always one that’s stronger than the rest, but that Alpha chooses the strongest among us to support him.”