Page 60 of Knot All that Glitters: Part 1

“I’m not sure I can go through with this,” Tic finally voices what I’ve been feeling from him for the last few days. Ever since we made Haven fall apart for us in the park.

“Not you too,” I groan, tipping my head back against the booth. We’re not in the VIP area tonight. I’d wanted to be, but our girl wanted to dance and it’s easier to keep an eye on her from here, right next to the dance floor, than from the balcony above.

Jude leans his elbows on the table and shakes his head. “Come on, brother. You know this isn’t right.” He slides his gaze over to Creed, who came back from the alley with Haven smelling like sex. “And I don’t think big brother is going to let us do it. He’s made his feelings clear.”

I arch a brow at Creed, who just glares back at me in response.

“Okay, so say we don’t go through with it.” I know it sounds like I’m agreeing and maybe I am, but I can’t just let it go either. “We lose theemotionalpain. Sure his career and finances will suffer but-”

“You don’t think he’ll get emotional about having everything he worked for ripped away?” Creed growls out. “Really?”

I lick my lips. “No, he will. But Haven will really hurt him, the way we hurt after-”

“Janie is dead,” Creed says bluntly, making the rest of us flinch. “She’s dead, and she doesn’t give a fuck about what we’re doing. Even if she did, I can’t imagine she would want us to hurtanother omega in order to get revenge. She was vicious, but not that kind of vicious.”

He’s right. Everything he just said is right. But it doesn’t make it easier for me to swallow. I failed Janie all those years ago. As her alpha, her prime, it was my job to keep her safe. I didn’t.

What the hell kind of alpha does it make me if I fail her again all these years later, when we’re so fucking close to getting everything we’ve planned?

Tic slides a look in Creed’s direction before looking back at me. “While I don’t agree with Creed’s delivery, I do agree with the sentiment. Janie isn’t in a position to care about anything we do. If she was, she wouldn’t want us to hurt Haven for her.”

Jude nods and I let out a frustrated breath. “So what? That’s it? We just call everything off? Everything we’ve worked for?”

“None of us are saying that, Hale,” Tic says calmly. “We have plenty of other methods to make Bell hurt.”

I want to argue. Like fuck do I want to argue. I want to have a fucking shouting match with them right now, hash everything out well and truly, but we can’t do that here. Not while it’s Haven’s birthday and we’re at a club full of people.

Not when Haven and Ren are dancing up to the table, hands stretched out toward us in invitation. Unsurprisingly, Jude’s the first to move, sliding out of the booth to scoop Haven over his shoulder while she squeals.

“We’re not done talking about this,” I growl.

He pauses and looks over his shoulder at me. “We’re done for tonight.” It’s rare that Jude draws a line in the sand. He’s happy to let me lead. He stays out of the way when Creed and I butt heads. So he must really be done with this, at least for tonight.

Haven pushes up, hands braced on Jude’s ass to look at me through strands of her silky brown hair. “Everything okay?” The concern on her face is clear and the last thing I want is her being anxious at her own birthday celebration, so I smile and reach out, tucking her hair behind her ears.

“Yeah, mouse, everything’s fine. Nothing for you to worry about.”

The smile she gives me could light up the entire world. “Oh good. Will you come dance with me?”

Tic and Creed are already sliding out of the booth, echoing Jude’s sentiment with their actions. I sigh and nod. “How can I resist?”

Haven giggles as I stand as well, and then flops her head back down, but I notice she doesn’t drop her hands from Jude’s ass.

“You gonna keep hold of me the whole way to the dance floor, button?”

“Well, I have to hold on to something to keep from falling. Your bubble butt is as good as anything.”

“Bubble butt!” I bark out a laugh as Jude growls and sinks his teeth into her hip. She squeals and jerks at the contact, but Jude’s got a firm grip on her and doesn’t let her fall. In the next instant, Haven’s looking at me again. Beaming.

“You’re so pretty, Hale.”

I arch a brow at her as we make it to the edge of the dance floor. “I’ve been called a lot of things, little mouse, but pretty isn’t one of them.”

Jude flips her up and over his shoulder, setting her on her feet. He keeps a hand on her to hold her steady until she gets her balance and she tosses him a grateful smile before looking at me again.

“But you are pretty.” The tip of her pointer finger brushes over my still smiling mouth. “So pretty when you smile, but freaking gorgeous when you laugh. You should laugh more.”

There’s no reason for her words to hit me so hard in my chest, but they do. I used to laugh a lot. I used to play and have fun. But look at where that got me.

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