Broken Bonds, page 1
Broken Bonds
K.L. MOORE
Contents
Content Warning
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Epilogue
Afterword
First Published by K.L. Moore 2023
Copyright © 2023 by K.L. Moore
All rights reserved. This publication or
any part of it
may not be reproduced or used in any manner
whatsoever without the express written
consent of the publisher except for
use of brief quotations in a review.
Edited by Jessica Gilly
Cover design by Mary Lasko at Mary Lasko Book Covers
In memory of :
Dawson Parker Cobb ~08/01/2022~
Fisher Tate Gréaud~10/27/2021~
Baby Moore, who my husband says he always thought was a girl and fittingly named Birdie~06/2015~
We weren’t ready to say goodbye before hello, but life is funny like that. We love and miss you. Until we meet again, xoxo.
P.S. If you didn’t wanna meet us, you could have just said that…. No need to be so dramatic. Just sayin’.
(Dark humor is a valid way of coping with grief, and my family is one of those out there that use it.)
Content Warning
Please take the time to read this before you move forward.
It is highly probable that this book will crush you with its contents, so be prepared to face the consequences should you continue forward.
Death is a major topic of discussion in this story, even to the point of body identification, which may be triggering for some people. So, if this is the case for you, I kindly ask that you avoid reading this story to preserve your peace. Our FMC is left in a state of mourning at the onset of this book, as she has lost all of her mates in a tragic accident. If you feel that this is not something you can handle, then I kindly ask that you refrain from reading this.
While our FMC is mourning, there are brief moments of her mentioning not wanting to be alive. At the start of her story, she is in a dark and deeply depressive state, struggling to even get herself out of bed as she grapples with the misfortune she’s been dealt. If you’re looking for something that’s going to make you feel something... Well, you’ve found the right book.
I’m going to gut punch you, rip your heart out, and stomp it into the gravel before grinding it into dust and blowing it away on the wind. And then I’ll find all your dusty pieces and magically put you back together again.
At least, that’s my hope, anyway.
Some triggers that may be found in here include:
*Death of loved one(s)/partner(s)
*Vehicular death
*Depression
*Suicidal thoughts and ideation
*Body identification
*Traumatic birth
As for the spice that happens later on, I think the only thing you should be aware of is some mild *lactophilia* that presents itself when the babies are born.
There are also a few paranormal elements in this book, but I won’t say more than that to avoid spoiling anything. Aside from the few instances that occur, I wouldn’t classify this as a paranormal omegaverse romance.
I have written this book in remembrance of my nephew who was born sleeping in August of last year. It is filled with my raw emotions as I struggle to grieve and slowly learn to accept and move forward. Please remember that everyone grieves and moves forward differently and at their own pace. There is no right way to do so.
We will have a HEA, but I’m going to drag us through a football field full of broken glass to get us there.
If it makes you feel any better, I have cried while writing this, so you’re not alone. I promise.
If you are determined to persist with this calamitous journey, you should arm yourself with some tissues. Many virtual hugs and chocolates are being sent your way.
xoxo, KL Moore
Prologue
RULE
Van’s driving too fast again, despite how much he knows Ramsey hates it. He’s gotten a thrill out of speed ever since I’ve known him, but he’s also typically pretty good at keeping it in check because of our girl.
Especially now.
We’re gonna be fucking dads.
It’s a wild concept to think about, but strangely exciting at the same time.
“Van, you need to slow down, man. I’d like to get this food back to my Rosebud in one piece. You know what she’s like when she’s hangry,” Ollie grunts, shivering as he pictures a very pregnant and very hangry omega if we don’t get this food back to her in one piece.
I shake my head in amusement before rolling it back against my headrest and looking at him with a grin.
“You scared she might rip your balls off, O?” I needle, smirking at him.
He rolls his eyes, flipping me the bird. “You know just as well as I do what our girl is like when she’s hungry. Don’t sit there and try to tell me that’s not what you’re afraid of.”
I snort. “You’re damn right I’m scared of that happening. I need my balls, dude. How else will I pump our omega full of more babies? You know it’s my super sperm that split the egg in three,” I tell them cockily, like I have ever since we found out.
Honestly, I don’t care who biologically sired these kids. None of us do. But it’s fun to aggravate the others and get them all started on an entire argument over who they think is the dad.
Lake looks back, glaring at me. “It was not. Quit trying to be so full of yourself. It was obviously my swimmers that split the egg after they beat the shit out of all of yours,” he says, smirking.
“You’re all fucking idiots,” Ollie grumbles.
Van doesn’t say anything, just speeds up a little more, which has my laughter cutting off as I swallow when I catch sight of the speedometer.
Lake glances back at us both, a bit of concern shining in his eyes. Van’s been on edge all day, silently brooding like he does when something’s upset him. We’re almost positive this time it’s because Ramsey’s pregnancy hormones have her quick to snap these days. None of us are used to a prickly Ramsey, but Van least of all. He needs her smiles and sunshiny disposition, because without it he says there’s a void inside of him. One that only Lake and Ramsey can fill with their brightness to make him feel again.
They’ve never talked much about their lives before coming to AOA. Even now, over a decade later, we barely know anything about their lives from before. But based on Van’s feelings and clear trauma, I’ve always assumed he didn’t have the best childhood. Probably the worst of us all. He’s not always doom and gloom, just… when Ramsey or Lake are upset with him.
Today she got mad because he was hovering too much. I mean, technically she was mad at us all for the hovering, but he’s taken it the hardest because he’s the one that was in her crosshairs when she snapped. The kicked puppy look he’d given her made her feel bad afterwards. We all could see it, but she was frustrated. To be honest, we all were.
We’d be lying if we said we weren’t even a little nervous about having more than one baby at a time. Nervous about the change, but also about our omega’s health and well-being. Although she’s having a relatively healthy pregnancy so far, multiples take a lot out of you and there’s always the chance something could go wrong.
So, maybe we read one too many pregnancy and baby books, and maybe we’ve been out of control with our questions and concerns because she’s capable of listening to her body, so I can’t really blame her for getting so frustrated.
But now it seems Van wants to let out his frustrations with speed, which is something I really fucking hate. Flashbacks to a different time, when I was much younger, reel through my mind whenever I’m in a car that’s going way faster than my comfort level.
Van is quickly reaching that point and I can feel my vision preparing to darken as it throws me into the worst memory of my life.
Shattering glass. Crunching metal. Screams and cries of anguish.
“Van!” Ollie snaps when he realizes Van still isn’t paying attention to him… or the fucking road.
My eyes widen when the back passenger wheel hits the dirt off the pavement, skidding out and making the car go sideways for a moment. When Van gets it back straight again, my heart is in my throat and my pulse is hammering in my ears.
“I’ve got this Ollie, damn. Chill out,” Van groans, still not slowing down.
“You do not! You damn near just ran off the road and we’re getting closer to the curves. Slow the fuck down so I can get back home to my omega!” Ollie seethes, glaring at the back of Van’s head.
Lake looks back at us again, shooting us both apologetic and concerned looks before reaching over and gripping Van’s leg.
“Hey, Ollie’s right. We want to get back to our girl and that won’t happen if you’re driving recklessly,” Lake tells him carefully.
My eyes volley back and forth between them, my heart still beating erratically as I catch the curve just up ahead. The one with the giant oak tree right in the center.
I glance at Ollie, eyes wide. If Van doesn’t slow down now, there’s a good chance we could hit that tree because no way can these tires or this car drift around that bend.
“Van, you need to slow the fuck down right now,” I whisper hoarsely, unable to take my eyes from the road as we get closer and closer to that bend, the tree in my sight by now.
A hefty dose of fear washes down my spine when I realize he’s still not slowing down, and he’s also panicking.
“Fuck! Fuck, fuck, FUCK!” he yells, slamming his foot repeatedly on the brake to no avail.
Clutching my seatbelt with a white-knuckled grip, I glanced over at Ollie with fear lodged so deep in my throat that I could hardly breathe. His lips are pressed firmly together in a thin line and his hold on the food in his arms is so tight he’s crushed the bags.
“Why aren’t we stopping? Van!” Lake yells, his voice full of panic as he also notices the bend we’re quickly approaching.
“The fucking breaks aren’t working. Godsdammit, I knew I should have taken this damn thing in to be serviced,” he moans, fear keeping him pumping the brakes even though it won’t help.
Is this it? Are we going to die?
Will any of us make it?
What about Ramsey?
Fuck.
My Starfire. Our babies.
My throat gets tight, and I can feel my eyes burning the closer we get to that fucking curve and tree.
“No, no, no,” Ollie groans, holding his head in his hands.
“Can we jump and survive?” Lake asks, his voice thready as the car continues to speed ahead, slowing just the smallest amount without his foot on the gas any longer, but nowhere near enough that if we hit that tree any of us will survive.
“No. Not at this speed. Godsdammit, I don’t know what to do,” Van growls, his eyes growing wild with desperation.
When we make it to the curve, Van tries his hardest to make it around, turning the wheel hard. The back tires slide, and at first, I think we might actually make it, but the tires are older and have needed a change for a while now, just like the brakes. The whole car needs a tune-up, but we’ve all been so distracted, and we normally take Ramsey’s new car anywhere we go these days. It hasn’t felt important.
It does now though, as we hit dirt and spin, the tree growing closer and closer. Ollie cries out and I reach for his hand, holding onto it with a nearly bruising grip. Lake scrambles to get his seatbelt on, but it’s too late.
When we crash, my head snaps back, and then slams against the window so hard I can’t even feel it. An image of Ramsey flashes behind my eyes, my beautiful Starfire, and my heart seizes in my chest. Then all I see is endless darkness, the last thing I hear is the cries of my brothers and the crunch of metal as it wraps around a tree.
OLLIE
Tears cascade down my cheeks, my heart in my throat as my life flashes behind my eyes as the car spins and spins. Ramsey is the primary focus, my everything, the very breath I breathe. So beautiful and fierce.
I slam into the car door when we hit the tree, crying out and gasping in pain when I feel something snap inside my chest and push into something that feels vital inside of me. Rule’s hand clutches mine tightly until it suddenly goes limp. It becomes hard to breathe and panic consumes me as I start to feel like I’m drowning. I try to shut down my end of the bond so Ramsey can’t feel it, but I fail and her worry floods my system just before her pain when, one by one, our bonds go up in flames.
Rule is gone. I know that when I look over and see him slumped over in the seat, unmoving. Not a single breath pushes his chest out, and more tears stream down my cheeks. When I look in the front, Lake isn’t there, and the windshield is completely shattered.
Van is… fuck.
A gurgle pulls from me as I see his neck is sitting at an odd angle. My heart cracks until it completely shatters in my chest.
They’re gone.
My brothers.
My omega’s bonds.
And before long, I will be too. I can already feel my life slowly bleeding out of me.
All I can think about as I lay here dying is Ramsey and our babies.
We failed her. We promised her forever.
This isn’t the forever she planned.
When the world starts to dim and my vision goes blurry, I send up a silent prayer that she’ll forgive us for leaving her and that, somehow, she’ll survive this.
VAN
Fuck.
Motherfucker!
I’m a bastard.
I’m a right bastard who deserves to be tormented in the afterlife for what my omega is about to endure because of me.
I didn’t get to tell her I’m sorry.
To kiss her and tell her how much I love her.
Now, she’s going to suffer because of my poor ass decisions. All because I wanted to throw a bit of a tantrum at having my fucking feelings hurt.
Our babies.
I’ll never meet them.
Ramsey will be alone when they come into the world, and guilt consumes me.
I roar in pain when we make contact with the tree and my airbag deploys, breaking my nose and sending my neck snapping back. I watch as everything moves in slow motion, the other love of my life flying out of the shattered windshield because he’s not wearing his fucking seatbelt.
“LAKE!”
Just as he hits the ground, his body rolling before coming to a stop on his side with his back facing me, my head slams back so hard that I hear a snap and everything instantly goes dark for me. Ramsey’s gorgeous, smiling face the last thing I see.
LAKE
I’m flying.
Soaring through the sky.
Just before I hit the ground, I see my girl.
My Petal on the wind.
Ramsey.
Isn’t she so beautiful? The light in the dark.
My beating heart incarnate.
Everything I am and everything I’ll ever be.
I’m so fucking sorry, Petal.
In the end, I step into the darkness with open arms as I slam against the ground, pain ricocheting through my body until everything goes cold and numb, and then there’s just nothingness.
Chapter One
RAMSEY
They’re… gone.
Just like that.
And now I’m alone.
How am I supposed to go on without them?
They don’t tell you how much it truly hurts to lose a bond, much less multiple. Possibly because if they did, then who in their right mind would ever choose to willingly bond on the off chance that those bonds could break?
