Unhinged Omega: A Dark Reverse Harem Omegaverse Romance (Ghost Alpha Unit Book 4)

The world’s gone to shit, but some things never change.

Like the way an omega can drive even the most hardened alpha to distraction.

I catch myself staring as Cosima glides into the room, all ethereal grace wrapped in borrowed silk. Her silver hair falls in damp waves, framing features that wouldn’t look out of place on an old-world goddess.

For a moment, I forget to breathe.

It’s not often something catches me off guard these days. When you’ve seen as much blood and brutality as I have, you develop a certain… numbness. A protective shell of cynicism and disinterest.

But right now, watching this slip of a woman command the attention of every alpha in the room without even trying, I feel that shell crack just a little.

I shake my head, trying to clear it.

This is ridiculous.

I’m Geo, for fuck’s sake.

I’ve stared down warlords and drug kingpins without blinking. I sure as hell shouldn’t be getting flustered over some omega, no matter how pretty.

But there’s something about her. Something beyond just looks. A presence, a gravity that pulls at me despite my best efforts to resist.

Is this what Raven’s always going on about? I try to catch that ‘moonlight scent’ he waxes poetic about all the damn time, but all I get is the faintest hint of… something like lavender, maybe?

It’s frustrating, like trying to grasp smoke.

My sense of smell is fucked. Half because of the white-haired smug jackass I’m still itching to shoot, half because I finished the job myself. I’ve never regretted that, but right now… it’d be nice to actually smell what has Raven and Nikolai ready to tear each other apart like old times.

I realize I’m still holding the gun, pointed vaguely in Nikolai’s direction. Cosima’s gaze flicks to it, but there’s no fear in her eyes. Just a cool assessment.

I tuck it back into its holster. ‘Rest well?’ I ask, aiming for casual and probably missing by a mile.

She tilts her head, considering. ‘Well enough, considering the circumstances.’ Her voice is low and melodic. Fuck, that’s a pretty accent, even muted. ‘Though I’d sleep better knowing my medication was on its way.’

Ah. Right to business then. I can respect that.

I hold up the package the courier just delivered. ‘Rush order, straight from Raven’s most trusted supplier. Should have everything you need to keep your… biology… under control.’

She nods, relief evident in the slight relaxation of her shoulders. ‘Thank you.’

‘Don’t thank me,’ I growl, suddenly irritated. ‘Thank Raven. He’s the one bending over backwards to play nurse.’

Something flashes in her eyes—amusement, maybe—before it’s quickly hidden behind a mask of indifference. ‘Of course. I’ll be sure to express my appreciation when he returns.’

I toss her the package. She catches it with surprising grace, those delicate fingers already working to open it. The robe slips a little as she moves, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of skin.

I force my gaze away, only to find Nikolai glaring daggers at me.

Right. Possessive alpha bullshit.

Because that’s exactly what we need right now.

‘How’s our other… guest?’ I ask.

Cosima’s expression softens. ‘Exhausted, I think.’

‘Good,’ I grumble. ‘Less of a threat that way.’

She meets my gaze steadily. ‘He won’t hurt me.’

I don’t miss the emphasis on me.

‘Can you take a look at him?’ she asks, glancing back in the direction she came from. ‘I think he’ll let you if I’m there.’

‘You think?’ I echo pointedly.

She just nods, watching me again.

Shit. I’m melting under her gaze. Like putty in her damn hands. I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. ‘Fine. I’ll take a look.’

Not like there are any other options, considering whatever the fuck these idiots injected my in-house doctor with hasn’t fully worn off yet.

Nikolai bristles. ‘I’ll go with you.’

‘Like hell you will,’ I growl, already stomping off toward the guest suite where the most likely cause of my death is resting. ‘Last thing I need is you two getting in a pissing match and tearing my house apart. You stay here and… I don’t know, brood menacingly or whatever it is you do when you’re not actively making my life difficult.’

Nikolai bares his teeth in what might charitably be called a smile. Are his canines pointed now? When the fuck did he get fangs? Shit, maybe he always had them. “Whatever you say, old man.”

“I’m not old, kid,’ I retort on my way out of the room. ‘Sit your ass down and try not to break anything while I’m gone.’

He says something I can’t make out, but I don’t give a shit. Cosima follows me without a word, but I catch a glimpse of her vaguely amused smirk.

If the Knight isn’t the death of me, it’ll be this stupid fucking pack assembling around me.

No.

Assembling around Cosima.

Mercurial planets orbiting around their moon instead of the other way around.

And what the fuck am I, then? As much inconvenience as it causes me, I have a bond with Raven. A bond that feels like it’s tightening around me by the minute.noveldrama

Goddammit.

As we enter the opulent guest suite, Cosima’s steps quicken. Her bare feet make no sound on the thick carpeting. The silk robe Raven lent her ripples like water against her lush curves with each graceful movement.

I catch myself watching the hypnotic sway of her wide hips and force my gaze elsewhere.

Focus, you fucking fool.

‘Just be careful. He’s weakened, but don’t piss him off,’ she says when we reach the ornate door leading to where she left the Knight. Even from the hall, I can hear him growling softly with nearly every breath, like a dozing beast.

Careful isn’t exactly my strong suit. ‘Weak or not, he’s still dangerous. Stay behind me.’

I draw my sidearm before pushing the door open. The hinges whisper silently. I keep everything well-maintained down here. Can’t have squeaky doors giving shit away.

The Knight lies sprawled across the king-sized bed, his massive frame making the furniture look almost comically small. His broad chest rises and falls in slow breaths. The silver mask Cosima found for him is still firmly in place, his choppy white hair spilling onto the bed like a halo.

With the mask and all the blood washed out of his hair and off his muscled body, he looks less like a wasteland monster and more like a scarred war god.

A war god that’s awake.

And watching us.

His feral blue gaze flicks to Cosima, then to me again. A lower, deeper growl that makes my teeth ache rumbles in his chest.

‘Quite the house guest you’ve brought me,’ I mutter, keeping my gun trained on him. Even asleep, he radiates menace.

‘Put your gun down,’ Cosima mutters. She moves past me before I can stop her, approaching the bed with no apparent fear.

I tighten my grip on the gun. ‘You sure about that, princess?’

She ignores me, perching delicately on the edge of the bed. One small hand reaches out to rest on the Knight’s human arm. The growling cuts off abruptly.

‘See?’ She glances back at me. ‘He’s perfectly safe.’

As if to prove her wrong, the Knight suddenly lunges upright with shocking speed. Those razor-sharp talons lash out.

Not at Cosima, but at me.

I barely manage to dodge backward, his metal claws whistling past my face close enough to stir the air. My back hits the wall hard enough to knock the breath from my lungs.

‘Fuck!‘ The curse explodes from me as I level my gun at the Knight’s head. My finger tightens on the trigger…

‘No!’ Cosima’s voice cracks like a whip. She places herself between us, one hand still resting on the Knight’s arm. ‘He’s just protecting me. Put. The. Gun. Down.’

The Knight has gone completely still, but that deadly hand remains extended toward me. Ready to strike the moment I make a wrong move.

For a long moment, nobody moves. The only sound is our ragged breathing.

Finally, slowly, I lower the gun.

But I don’t holster it.

I’m not that trusting.

‘That’s what you call perfectly safe?’ I growl.

‘He thought you were going to hurt me,’ she says calmly. ‘He’s… protective.’

‘No shit.’ I eye the metal talons warily. Even with my enhanced healing, those would do some serious damage. ‘Maybe warn a guy next time?’

The Knight just studies me. Another growl builds in his chest, but Cosima murmurs something too soft for me to catch. The sound cuts off again.

It would be impressive if it wasn’t so fucking terrifying.

‘We need to get him looked at,’ Cosima says, turning those violet eyes on me. ‘His wounds aren’t healing properly.’

I bark out a harsh laugh. ‘What makes you think I have anyone qualified to work on… whatever the hell he is?’

A mutated victim of medical torture, the annoying little angel on my shoulder whispers in my ear. Meanwhile, the devil on the other shoulder is chanting, Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!

‘Because you’re Geo,’ she replies smoothly. ‘You have everything.’

Fuck. She’s good.

I study the Knight more closely now that he’s not actively trying to slice my damn face off. Seems Nikolai isn’t the only alpha that wants our appearances to match.

It’s… unsettling how still he can be. Like a statue carved from marble and steel. His breathing is so shallow I can barely detect it.

‘Can you understand me?’ I ask, keeping my voice neutral. No point antagonizing him further.

Those blue eyes burn straight through me.

Was I just imagining things? Is he not capable of thought?

But then he gives a single, stiff, slow nod.

Progress.

‘Good. I’m going to need to look at those wounds Cosima mentioned.’ I gesture to the torn flesh visible between the metal plates grafted to his shoulder. ‘That means getting closer. You gonna behave?’

Another nod, though a low growl rumbles in his chest.

‘He will,’ Cosima says softly. Her small hand hasn’t left his arm. ‘As long as you don’t make any sudden movements.’

Sounds great.

Definitely not like I’m about to get freshly disfigured.

I grunt an acknowledgment and approach slowly, hands where he can see them. The Knight tracks my movement but doesn’t lunge again.

Up close, the contrast between flesh and metal is even more obvious. Whoever did this to him wasn’t going for aesthetics. At all. The metal enhancements—or replacements—are crude, functional. Meant for pure destructive capability rather than integration with his body.

But with the new mask Cosima somehow acquired for him, a mask with actual facial features worked into the metal—a straight nose, cheekbones, even lips set in a solemn line—he looks way more human than the last time I saw him.

And with his white hair falling around the mask in choppy layers…

Well. If you squint and ignore the fact that he’s at least eight solid feet of scarred muscle and barely contained violence, he could almost pass for handsome in a classical, statue-from-hell-come-to-life kind of way.

Almost.

I crouch down next to the bed, keeping my movements slow and deliberate. The Knight’s glowing blue eyes track my every motion, but he allows me to get close enough to examine his wounds.

The damage looks… extensive. And not just the new injuries from the chaos on Nikolai’s territory. Some of these gashes look weeks old. A few long cuts in a bruising criss-crossed pattern suggest he was beaten with whips. Maybe even chains.

When I reach toward his back, where there are six deep vertical wounds—three on each side of his upper spine—the Knight lets out a dangerous growl. I immediately back the fuck up.

‘Whoever did this was a butcher,’ I mutter, more to myself than anyone else. ‘No finesse. No consideration for long-term viability.’

‘Does it hurt?’ Cosima asks softly.

The Knight’s gaze shifts to her. He doesn’t reply. Obviously. But he doesn’t nod or growl, either.

My eye narrows. ‘Can you feel pain?’

This time, he stares at me instead.

Interesting. The last time I saw him, he seemed completely disconnected from physical sensation. Just a relentless killing machine.

But now…

‘Can you speak?’ I ask.

More staring. More silence.

I study the Knight’s metal mask, trying to figure out what’s going on behind those feral blue eyes. His gaze holds mine steadily, but he makes no move to respond.

‘So that’s a no on speaking,’ I mutter. ‘Question is… physically can’t, or just won’t?’

‘His mouth has… problems,’ Cosima says carefully.

She’s still perched on the edge of the bed, one delicate hand resting on the Knight’s massive forearm. The contrast between them is striking. Her perfect fingers against his scarred flesh and cold metal. Like a fairy tale princess and her cursed beast.

Only this one won’t be turning into a foppish prince.

Huh. Guess Raven can fill that role for her.

‘Yeah, I caught a glimpse at the airfield. Pretty rough,’ I reply with a wince, remembering the horrific glimpse of exposed muscle and sharp teeth where his original mask was broken.

The Knight lets out a soft sigh that’s barely audible but unmistakably human. The sound startles me more than his earlier growls and snarls.

‘Well shit,’ I say, unable to keep the surprise from my voice. ‘There really is someone in there, isn’t there?’

Those blue eyes fix on me again, and this time I catch something in them. Not just animal instinct or programmed responses. What is that? Resignation? Like he actually gives a shit that he’s fucked up.

You and me both, big guy.

Not that I’d ever admit it.

‘Alright,’ I say, running a hand over my face. ‘I’ll get my doctor to take a look. Assuming he hasn’t quit after the shit Raven and Nikolai did.’

The Knight tenses at the mention of Nikolai’s name, a low growl building in his chest. Cosima’s fingers tighten slightly on his arm, and he stops.

I’ve seen plenty of alphas wrapped around an omega’s little finger before, but this is something else entirely. The level of control she has over him, the way he responds to her smallest gesture…

Kind of sweet, actually.

‘My doctor’s good,’ I continue, scratching the stubble on my jaw as I watch them both carefully. ‘Specialist in combat trauma. Done work on soldiers with prosthetics before. Nothing quite like… this.’ I gesture vaguely at the Knight’s metal arm and bladelike claws. ‘But he can treat the wounds. Get you on the path to at least partially healing.’

Cosima nods, relief evident in the slight relaxation of her shoulders. ‘Thank you.’

‘Don’t thank me yet,’ I warn. ‘First I have to convince him to come back after your boyfriend’s little stunt in my dungeon.’

She arches one delicate silver brow. ‘And which ‘boyfriend’ would that be?’

‘Take your pick,’ I grunt. ‘The pretty pain in the ass or the psychopath from your motherland.’

A ghost of a smirk touches her lips. ‘That’s funny, I thought the pretty one was your boyfriend.’

My face reacts in shock and irritation before I can fully mask it, judging from the gleam of amusement in Cosima’s eyes.

‘Not even gonna dignify that with a remark,’ I grumble. I eye the Knight warily. He’s gone completely still again, watching our exchange in his usual silence. ‘Look, I’ll make the call, but you need to keep him under control. Doc’s twitchy enough as it is these days.’

‘He won’t hurt anyone unless they threaten me,’ she says with quiet certainty.

I bark out a harsh laugh. ‘Yeah, because that’s so much better. You realize half the alphas in this place are a threat just because you exist, right? An unmated omega…’

‘I’m not unmated,’ she cuts in sharply. ‘I’m just unmarked.’

Well. That’s even more interesting. It’s also a distinction without a difference, depending on who you ask, but I decide not to push it.

I glance between her and the Knight, noting how his massive frame seems to curl toward her protectively even while remaining perfectly still. Like a sentinel, ready to spring into violence at the slightest provocation.

‘Right,’ I say slowly. ‘Well… that’s going to be a whole other problem.’

She meets my gaze steadily, chin lifted in subtle defiance. ‘The only problem is people trying to control me. I make my own choices.’

‘Fair enough.’ I hold up my hands in mock surrender. ‘But try not to let those choices end with my base getting torn apart, yeah? I just had the place renovated.’

That smirk returns, a little sharper this time. ‘I’ll do my best.’

‘I’ll go track down the doc,’ I mutter. ‘You two… behave.’ I eye the Knight meaningfully. ‘No maiming anyone while I’m gone.’

He just stares at me, utterly still. But I swear that in the shadows of his mask, I catch a flicker of something almost like amusement in his eyes.

Nah. Can’t be.

I’m so stressed out, I’m seeing shit now.

As I head for the door, Cosima’s voice stops me. ‘Geo?’

I glance back. She’s still perched on the edge of the bed, still touching the Knight’s arm like it’s the most natural thing in the world. Like she isn’t petting an alpha who could tear her apart before she could blink.

‘Yeah?’

‘Thank you,’ she murmurs. ‘For helping.’

I grunt noncommittally. ‘Don’t get too grateful. Just trying to keep my house in one piece.’

But we both know that’s not entirely true. There’s something about her that makes me want to help, want to protect. Even knowing she’s probably the most dangerous person in this place right now.

Not because of what she can do.

But because of what others will do for her.

As I pull the door shut behind me, I catch one last glimpse of them. Beauty and beast, silver and steel, locked in some kind of screwed up orbit I can’t begin to understand.

And I realize I’m completely, utterly fucked.

Because I’m starting to care.

And in this world, caring is the quickest way to get yourself killed.