Page 10 of Knot All that Glitters: Part 1

I should feel happier about this. Don’t get me wrong, I am pretty happy. I mean, I just set up a date for my pack with a beautiful girl. A beautiful omega. One that makes my alpha want to purr. Which hasn’t happened in years. Fucking years.

But there’s a taint to it, a sour note that I just can’t wash from my mouth.

We’re not dating this girl because we want her, because we see a future with her.

And part of me hates that. So much. Just as much as I hated lying to her.

After one conversation with Haven Bell, I’m not sure she deserves what we have planned for her.

In fact, I’m fairly certain she doesn’t.

Iknowshe doesn’t.

Jude bounces on his toes as I approach my pack. Tic has a cigarette hanging from between his lips, smoke drifting aroundhis face as he watches me approach. Hale stands with his arms crossed and a hard look on his face.

I wonder how long he’s going to be able to keep that up in the face of Haven’s obvious sweetness. Not long, I suspect. None of my packmates are saints. We’ve done shit that I’m not proud of, but it’s all for a good cause. I’m not sure thatthisis something we should do, though.

I don’t know if we’ll be able to come back from it.

Jude’s bouncing stops when he sees the look on my face, sees the frustration there. “She said no.” He spins to glare at Hale. “I told you to send me in. I’m the cinnamon roll compared to the rest of you!”

“We don’t need a cinnamon roll, Jude,” Hales blows out a puff of smoke. “We needed a closer. And you know Creed is that for us. Omegas can’t resist his alpha pheromones. They love that petrichor shit.” I roll my eyes at his statement, even though it’s true. I have the strongest alpha presence out of the four of us, and based on the research Tic did leading up to this little plot, I’m the best equipped to lure our sweet omega into our trap.

I hate it. But this is what we agreed to. This is the plan we’ve worked on for years, just biding our time until the girl in question was old enough that we didn’t feel like complete assholes for seducing her.

The nearly ten-year age difference is bad enough, but I can’t imagine trying to do this with her when she was a teenager. I’d feel even worse than I already do.

“She said yes,” I correct, and Jude whips around to look at me, along with Tic and Hale.

“She agreed?” Atticus asks like he can’t believe it. “She agreed to let us court her? Even with her father’s views on packs?”

I grit my teeth at his use of the word ‘court’, even though it’s what I used when speaking with Haven. “She told me where she’d be tonight.”

Hale curses. “Where’s that, Creed? Tucked up in bed? That’s not the same fucking thing as her agreeing to see us.”

I narrow my eyes at him in warning, and his jaw tenses. “She’s sneaking out to go to The Market with Florence Karlin.”

“She does that?” Jude asks, sounding reluctantly impressed. I don’t blame him. From everything we’ve learned about Haven Bell, she doesn’t step a single toe out of line. We’ve been watching her for far longer than just the last week and we’ve never picked up on her forays into the city. Alone. Without her bodyguards or anyone to keep her safe. Only another omega for company.

It makes my alpha itchy just thinking about it.

“So she didn’t agree,” Hale says, frustration clear. “Fuck.”

I scowl at him. “Look, man, she straight up said no. Said her father wouldn’t approve of a pack courting her and that mattered to her. Then she felt the need to inform me she’s not a path to her father.”

Tic snorts. “As if we’d want anything from that motherfucker.”

“What did you say to that?” Jude asks.

I shrug. “What we agreed. That we’re here for her, not him.”

Hale’s mouth curls into a pleased smile. “Good. Feed her lines like that and she’ll be eating out of our hands in no time.”

My stomach clenches at his callous words, the tone of his voice. Guilt hits me, and I know they feel it through our pack bonds based on the way they all look at me, like I’m too fucking soft. Maybe I am. Maybe I’m not cut out for this kind of thing, using a young woman in this way.

After a moment, Hale sighs. “I don’t know how many times I have to remind you, but you agreed to this. You helped plot all of this out, Creed. This is the way forward. Theonlyway forward.”

I bite my tongue so hard I taste blood. I did agree. Years ago, when we hatched this plan, I agreed. Long before we nurtured it into the monster that it is now. Before we’d even set eyes on Haven Bell in person.

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