Page 80 of Believe it or Knot

My heart thunders in my chest as I pull back against his forward momentum, his insistent tugging. “I can’t,” I hiss at him. “He hasn’t invited me.”

Gray gives me an unimpressed look over his shoulder. “Don’t be ridiculous, Sorrel. He wants you here as much as I do.”

‘But how much is that?’ I want to ask. I don’t. Instead, I twist my hand until he releases me, letting me take a step back, farther away from the omega’s nest. Everyone knows you don’t just go into an omega’s private space. I’ve never seen Sylvie’s loft bedroom at her cabin, since it doubles as her nest. And we’ve been friends for years.

I won’t set foot inside of Liam’s space until he invites me. I’m not taking Gray’s word for it. The last thing I want to do is upset Liam when he’s been so warm to me. “I-I can’t go in there,” I murmur, turning on my heel and striding away from him, from them.

A second later, the world spins and flips and when I get my bearings, I’m upside down on Gray’s shoulder, my head hanging by his ass, and his hands gripping my thighs to keep me in place.

“Gray!” I protest, kicking my feet. But it’s too late. He’s already stepping over the threshold into Liam’s nest, and the scent… fuck, the scent of the three of them together is enough to get me wet all over again. No doubt scenting my arousal, Gray chuckles and nips at the outside of my thigh.

“What’s all this?” Liam asks in his slightly accented voice.

Gray flips me over his shoulder, dropping me unceremoniously into a pile of pillows and cushions and blankets that all smell like the Cordova pack. I even get a faint whiff of wood smoke and vanilla whiskey scent, though I have no idea how that’s possible. I know he hasn’t set foot in Liam’s nest. He hasn’t even been in this apartment.

I blink up at the omega hovering over me as the prime alpha answers him. “Our beta didn’t think she was invited to your nest. She was ready to bolt, rather than give you a chance to extend one to her.”

Liam frowns, a wrinkle forming between his brows, and I reach out to smooth it away without thought. He catches my hand and presses a kiss to my palm before murmuring, “I’m sorry if I made you think you weren’t allowed in here, lovely. Of course, I want you with us. Always.”

I swallow and look away. Don’t they understand that I’m terrified of what all this means? If they suddenly decide that they don’t actually want me? The farther I let myself fall with them, the harder it’ll hurt.

The omega bends and brushes his nose along the length of mine before kissing the tip.

“I also asked her to join our pack,” Gray says in an offhand way, like joining a pack isn’t a huge freaking deal.

Liam jerks away from me to look at his prime alpha with wide green eyes. “You did?” His mop of dark red curls shudders with his movement. “Really?”

Gray grins while Rafe moves closer to me and Liam. “I did.”

“And what did you say, conejita?”

My gaze flicks nervously to Gray, wondering if he’ll fill them in, but he remains silent, watching the three of us with an intensity I’ve never seen before. Its bordering on… proud, like he’s proud to see all of us together in Liam’s nest, that he could bring us all together.

Rafe nudges me with the back of his hand on my hip. “What did you say?” he prompts again. I drag my gaze away from Gray and focus on first him, then Liam.

“I wondered… I’m worried that you’ll change your mind.” I squeeze my eyes closed as the words leave me in a rush, not wanting to see their expressions as I bare my vulnerability to them. “The last thing I want is to agree and announce it,” because there will be an announcement, complete with my face splashed over every tabloid in the freaking world, “And then have you decide you made a mistake. I don’t... I don’t want to give more of myself and go all in with the pack only to have you realize I’m not…”

“Not what, lovely?” Liam presses gently, even though he must know what I’m trying to say. They all do.

“I’m not special,” I whisper. “I’m not… I don’t fit with the life you want, with the life you lead. A crowd of twenty people outside the car freaked me out. Being the center of attention makes me sick to my stomach. I still dress like a teenager. My hair will never be sleek and smooth. I flip burgers for a living.” I finish helplessly. It’s only a matter of time before they realize it, before the shine of a new conquest wears off and they see me for the small-town girl that I am.

The bed dips. A big soft hand slips up my neck to cup my cheek, thumb stroking my skin. “Sorrel Forbes,” Liam murmurs, sounding put out as hell. “How dare you say you aren’t special?”

My eyes fly open to meet his, and now that I’m no longer hiding in the dark of my closed eyes, I can see the empathy in his face, the gentle chiding. I can’t tell if I hate it or love it. Is it pity? Or does he know what this feels like, too? Has he experienced this kind of self-doubt?

Almost as soon as I have the thought, I dismiss it. He’s Liam Cordova. The world has loved him since he burst onto the acting scene when he was an adorable tween.

I look away from him, only to find Rafe watching me with a similar look of aching softness. I can’t take it. My eyes flutter closed again.

“But I’m not,” I say again. “It’s okay. Not everyone was meant for great things. I’m just… I’m one of them. I’m meant to live a small life. I was never going to…” I trail off. How can I explain it to them? “The universe conspired to show me I wasn’t meant for more.” Is what I settle on.

“Why do you think that?” Gray asks. I feel him move closer, kneeling on the cushions next to me.

My throat gets tight, my chin wobbles, but I don’t answer. I haven’t told anyone this. Not once. Not even Gage knows. When would I have told him? When he was deployed half a world away?

“Sorrel, lovely,” Liam’s fingers brush over my closed eyelids. “Open your pretty eyes and look at us.” I do. “Why do you think that?” He repeats Gray’s question.

Okay… Okay. This is it. I can do this. I can tell them. Share with them one of the most vulnerable parts of myself. I push myself into a seated position, scooting until my back rests on the cushion covered headboard. They move with me. Liam cuddles on one side, Rafe on the other, while Gray kneels by my feet.

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