Page 17 of Believe it or Knot

Only it is that bad. Worse than her fingers, an angry red burn, already blistering across the span of her lower back. I reach for the burn cream at the same time Rafe snarls. His fist snaps out, colliding with the asshole’s nose. Blood spurts from it and Sorrel shrieks in horror, lunging toward the two of them.

“Outside!” she shouts. “Get him outside before he gets blood everywhere!”

Rafe obeys her command, hauling the other alpha through the swinging door as easily as if he were a child and not a grown man. Sorrel grabs a wad of napkins and follows them, and I follow her, the burn cream still in my hand.

When I push through the door, I see countless curious eyes on the scene. Sorrel’s customers watching with raised eyebrows as Rafe hauls the other alpha across the wood deck and up to the parking lot. A teenage girl wearing a shirt that matches Sorrel’s and carrying a gray plastic tub catches my eye, though she’s staring after my beta and pack member.

I wave my hand to get her attention and she snaps to me, her cheeks going bright pink and her back straightens. She knows who I am. I can tell just by the way she’s looking at me, which means pretty soon, everyone will know that the Cordova pack is in Lake Kilrose.

We need to get this wrapped up as soon as we can. The last thing we need is a video of Rafe beating the shit out of some random alpha posted on the internet. It won’t be impossible to talk our way out of, but I’d rather not have the hassle.

I curl a finger at the teenager and she hurries over to me, before drawing up short and bobbing her head in a half bow, like I’m royalty.

“You work here?”

“Y-Yeah. Yes. I work here,” she mumbles, keeping her eyes off my face.

I smile to put her at ease, but I don’t think it works. She continues to stare at my shoes as I say, briskly, “Great. Sorrel’s going to take a break really quick. Can you finish the order she was working on and man the cash register?”

She flashes her brown eyes up to me with a quick smile. “Yep. I can do that.” Then she scurries away from me mumbling, “Grayson flipping Cordova. In Lake Kilrose!”

Yeah, we need to get this wrapped up asap. Hopefully, before Liam sees that his beta has been hurt, because there will be no keeping him from reacting negatively and loudly. And probably publicly.

While I’d support him all the way, I really don’t want to deal with the fallout from that kind of scene.

As the screen door on the restaurant swings shut, I take the stairs to the parking lot two at a time and find Stephen Stillwell with a wad of bloody napkins pressed to his face. He’s growling at Rafe, Liam and Sorrel, who’s tucked behind the two men.

“I don’t give a shit who you are!” Stephen growls. “You don’t get to come up here and throw your fucking weight around.”

Sorrel shakes her head and sighs. “That’s not what they’re doing, Stephen. You were way out of line today. Don’t worry, I’ll still… You’re still getting what’s coming to you.”

“What I’m fucking owed, Sorrel,” he all but roars at her.

My girl’s chin dips down to her chest, looking weary and defeated, all the fight draining out of her. “Right,” she concedes. “What you’re owed.”

He glares at her through the small gap between Liam and Rafe and then growls and stalks away from the group, just as I join them.

We watch as he climbs into a giant pickup and speeds away; the engine roaring his displeasure, but I don’t give a fuck. He’s never getting within spitting distance of this woman again.

Liam’s shoulders slump as he spins toward Sorrel, tugging her into his body as a soft purr pulls from his chest. His chin slides onto the top of her head, then his cheek. It makes the lingering rage in my heart melt enough for me to focus. It seems to have the same effect on Rafe, because he relaxes as well, turning to run a hand down the back of Sorrel’s head.

Our girl pulls back enough to smile up at him, shakily, even as she still looks a little pale and drawn. The last few minutes have taken their toll on her.

“Don’t crowd the girl,” I demand.

Sorrel’s nose wrinkles adorably. “What’s with the face?” I ask, pointing at said face. Such a pretty one, too.

She shakes her head. “It’s nothing. I just never realized how much I would dislike being called ‘the girl’ like I’m a penniless commoner in a Jane Austen novel brought before the elderly duchess aunt of the pack that’s courting me.”

Liam chuckles and leans in to press a kiss to her temple. She lets him. I don’t know if it’s because she knows him better than me, or if it’s his omega magic working on her. Either way, I’m grateful she’s allowing one of us to comfort her.

“Do you want to tell us what that was about?” I ask, folding my arms over my chest.

She sighs and shakes her head, not meeting my eyes, and I hate it. I don’t know if it’s embarrassment or fear that keeps her gaze on the tips of her worn converse, but I don’t like either of those emotions coming from a member of my pack. Shit. It’s too early to think of her like that, isn’t it? It is. Yes. I’ve exchanged all of three minutes of conversation with her.

“Not really, no,” she answers honestly. But then continues like she knows I won’t just let it go. “The Stillwell pack is a bunch of bullies. They’re the wealthiest and strongest pack in Lake Kilrose, so they’re used to getting what they want. And it… shows.” She shrugs, looking up at me with a small smile. “But it’s not anything for you to worry about.” Then she sticks out her hand. “Hi, I’m Sorrel.”

Half my mouth ticks up in a smirk and an enfold her hand in mine, noting the callouses on her fingers. This girl works for a living. “Hello, Sorrel. I’m Gray.”

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