Page 139 of Knot Their Arrangement

The band itself is a masterpiece of subtlety and wealth – probably worth more than everything I owned at the Safe Haven combined, yet designed to look understated enough not to draw undue attention.

It's meant to help with some alibi about me belonging to their pack, though the exact details are fuzzy.

I blame the chemicals for why none of this properly registered when I first woke up. The fact that I went from unconscious in a van to apparently engaged and in Dubai without questioning it probably says something about either the strength of those chemicals or my growing comfort with how absolutely insane my life has become.

The ring catches the light as I reach for the phone, drawing my attention again. The diamonds are arranged in a pattern that reminds me of stars, with tiny sapphires adding depth that only becomes apparent when you look closely.

It's exactly the kind of ring I would have chosen for myself – elegant without being flashy, unique without being ostentatious.

The fact that they managed to get a ring that perfectly suited my taste while I was unconscious probably should worry me. But then again, these men have proven repeatedly that they pay attention to details most would miss —and somehow got me into this country unconscious.

They notice my reactions to books, my preferences in food, and even the way I respond to different types of touch.

It’s so odd to acknowledge that these men actually care about protecting and learning about me at every chance and instance.

It’s heartwarming.

My bestie is picking up the phone in the first ring.

Which means she has to know its me despite the foreign number.

"Kamari! You know how worried I've been?" Astraea's voice hisses through the phone, and I can picture her pacing wherever she is. "Why has it taken you so long to reach me? Are you okay? Please tell me you're safe. I have your stuff! Well, it's at the guys' place and I'm kind of 6000km away from home, but if you need me, I can fly back so you can get your things."

"Girl, are you crazy?" I groan, watching Ezekiel pretend not to listen as he checks his weapon. "Why would I let you FLY all the way back here just to get my stuff? Yes, I have a lot of sentimental stuff in there, but it would have been in the trash or government property if you hadn't been thoughtful enough to take it with you when you left the Haven. Is Blaze and Ember with you?"

"They're back at home with a 24/7 dog sitter," she tells me. "They fit very nicely with the five other husky pups with them. Form a bit of a pack of their own with Ember being a little dominating bully trying to control those howling beasts."

I can't help but smile, imagining our dogs causing chaos wherever they are. Ember's always been the protective one, with Blaze backing up whatever trouble she starts. If they were human, Ember would definitely be an independent Omega defying all laws and trying to take over a pack of savage Alphas, with Blaze as her loyal supporter.

"Anyways, that's beside the point," Astraea says firmly. "Where are you?!"

"Uh..." I hesitate, catching Ezekiel's knowing smirk out of the corner of my eye.

"Kamari Prava Ahvi," she says in that tone that brooks no argument.

"Okay, okay!" I surrender, though I can't help whining. "And jeez. That's the first time you've said my full name; truthfully, I don't like it. Sounds like you're going to throw a chancla at me."

Her silence on the other end tells me she's waiting for a real answer. Taking a deep breath, I say it.

"Dubai."

The pause that follows is deafening.

"YOU'RE WHERE?"

"Ugh, it's a long story," I whine, watching Ezekiel's shoulders shake with silent laughter. "Let's just say, my ex-fiancé and my family decided to try and kidnap me, which is why they targeted our Haven in hopes of getting it shut down and claiming my passport and documents so I wouldn't be able to find another pack."

I’m a bit thankful Ezekiel had given me a bit of the summarized version when I was struggling to remember Astraea’s number by heart —since I clearly suck at that but can remember the very page number of a specific scene from my favorite books.

"W-W-What?" she gasps.

"But when they tried to shut down the Haven, three powerful Alphas got in the way. One was Knox, who I know is rich with his gym, but I didn't think he was billionaire status rich. There were two others. I think a doctor and then some mysterious guy who's a surgeon in another country? I don't know. They stepped in and backed Velvet so they couldn't shut us down, but they raided the place but realized my stuff was all gone already so the whole passport document thing failed." That’s semi true from what I heard Ezekiel saying on the phone earlier after I woke up, but at this point I have to improvise to not worry Astraea cause she’s dealing with a lot more then what I’ve surely dealt with.

"Why do they need all that?"

"They want to try and deport me to India?”I mean, would I be surprised if they did? No.“Or I guess give off the impression I'm an illegal immigrant and shouldn't be here," I explain, noting how Ezekiel's expression darkens at the mention of the mere idea. It’s kinda cute to see that he’s completely against the idea. "So since that didn't work, they tried the hard way of dragging my screaming ass which lead me to be drugged, and well...everything else is kind of blurry to be fair."

Semi-true, cause they did drug the air, but I obviously failed at the screaming flailing for my life part.

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