Page 47 of A Knotty Road Trip

“I just don’t get it, Bella, how did you meet them? From LA to NY. You were never supposed to know.”

I furrow my eyebrows. “What are you talking about? Who?”

He groans, then stands and begins to pace. “Don’t play dumb, Bella. You were always the smartest omega in the class.”

Moving the glass I place it on my nightstand table. He may say it’s safe, but I’m not trusting it right now. This man is not the same as the one I loved. Kicking the blanket off, I move slowly.

It’s not my first time being drugged, and it won’t be my last. My heat is any day now and I know my father is going to keep me asleep for it. He never cared about my well being or how much pain I was in.

I may have been knocked out, but I still felt pain. He never bothered to give me medication to ease my discomfort. It was brutal, and I am not looking for a repeat performance.

When I get my feet steady on the floor, Paul stops moving and offers me his hand. It’s clammy and gross.

“Sorry,” he grumbles, letting me go and wiping it on his pants. He seems nervous, and there are shadows under his eyes. Honestly now that I’m getting a better look at him, he looks like shit.

“What’s going on, Paul? Please tell me. I hate being blindsided,” I groan as the room spins. Placing my hand on my stomach, I pray I don’t hurl.

“How did you meet my boys? The Knotty Trip? How the hell did my worlds collide so exponentially?”

“What?” I gasp, and sit back down on the bed. My mind whirls, and all I can see are the damn signs that I missed. The way they were upset I hated the band. The singing. The song writing. The hostess. “Holy shit!”

“Oh this is precious. You didn't know. You have been their little pet for days and didn’t even know the alphas you were alone with. Did you fuck them? I bet you did. Let me guess… Tate right? He always gets the omega sluts,” he sneers, and I glare as my eyes fill.

“How do you know them?”

“We have been friends for a long time, but they call me by my last name, Rich instead of Paul.”

Rich? Fuck. My heart aches. Why didn't they tell me? I made an ass out of myself. I even gave Angel his own CD. Wow, I bet they all had a nice laugh at my expense.

“Get out,” I croak, and he cackles, watching as my heart breaks. My chest hurts. Physically it feels like a dagger is sticking into me, shredding what was left of myself. I was vulnerable. I let them…

“I’m going to be sick,” I rush out, then race to the ensuite, just making it as I lose what stomach bile I have. I feel like I haven’t eaten in a few days, and who knows how long I’ve been drugged for.

“Gross. Don’t tell me they knocked your whore ass up,” Paul groans, and I shake my head.

God he’s so dumb. “You knew my father forced me to get the implant,” I mumble, then stand and brush my teeth. Not caring that he’s watching, I strip my clothes and step into the shower.

It’s not like he hasn’t seen it all before. He was my first and only until Beckett, and then Angel. Or should I call them KnottyTrip? Like what the fuck! And Beckett, I can’t even think about him right now.

I scented him, and he’s mine, and I think he’s known it since that first night at the airport, but he never said a word. I guess he was hoping I’d leave before finding out. How heartless can someone be?

Even after learning that I was destined to be an alpha’s whore.

Maybe it’s for the best that Paul kidnapped me and brought me here. I’m not worth their breath, and I doubt I will ever see them again.

I quickly wash, and when I step out of the shower, Paul is there with a towel.

“So can you tell me how you know them?” I ask, trying to fight the second round of tears.

He laughs and shakes his head. “I’ve known them longer than you, Bella. I’m their friend, Rich.”

My hands shake, and the towel falls. He gives my chest an appreciated glance, licking his lips, and I cringe, bending to pick it up and cover myself once more.

“You’re the friend they were waiting for at the restaurant. What, did they plan this all along? If they didn’t want me around I would have left on my own. They didn't have to go to such extremes,” I growl, getting angrier at the thought.

“Oh, Bella,” he says with a smile on his face. “I’m going to enjoy this. Hurry up and get dressed. Your father is waiting for you in the kitchen.”

He walks out and leaves me confused, and my heart shredded and bleeding on the bathroom tile. The moment my bedroom door closes, I fall to the floor and sob. Why did I ever think things could be different?

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