Page 70 of Knot Mine

Just like that…I get it.

It’s not that she loves him, or even likes him. She just doesn’t want to be seen as losing to me. Her pathetic, loser brother stole her boyfriend and that’s what has her so enraged. It’s like a kind of clarity settles in my mind and I know Zale can feel it too as he sits back in his chair with his arms crossed and a small smile.

Stabby hedgehog? He hasn’t seen anything yet.

Standing, I walk over to her calmly. I can see my parents shift out of the corner of my eye, ready to intervene.

Romilly blinks, and stops her pacing to look up at me nervously.

“It was my fucking birthday too.” I lean in, keeping my voice low and level. “That’s another thing we always doyourway, Romilly. Everyfuckingyear. But I’m done with all of this. And I am done with you.”

“No. Wait, Lo-Lo…” She falters like I’ve taken all the wind from her sails, grabbing for my wrist but I shrug her off.

“I didn’t…I didn’t realize. I didn’t think. I just wanted him. It hurt that that no matter what I did, he never wanted me. Everyone said we were perfect together. I just wanted to be perfect.” Once again, it’s all about her.

Not about her lies, not about how she’d stolen him from me first.

Or how she let him believe they’d had a drunken hook-up, and that she was possibly his Mate. She’d tried to gaslight and make me the bad person, when she was pulling the strings behind the scenes all along.

“Me. Me. Me. You are so fucking petty and self-absorbed, Rom.” Why hadn’t I ever noticed this side of her before? Why had I placed her on a pedestal?

“Me? What about you?”

My hands ball up into fists as I try to stay calm. “Get out of my apartment. You’re not welcome in my home.”

The room goes silent. I think I hear Bell quietly gasp.

This wasn’t like me. Not with her.

I’d always given her everything.

“Shiloh…” My mother whispers quietly, but my father places his hand on her shoulder. He steps towards my sister and wraps an arm around her shoulder as she breaks down into sobs.

“Come on, Romilly. I think I should take you home, love.” As he passes me, he reaches out and gives my hand a squeeze.

Once the door clicks shut behind them, my mother leans forward with a sigh, her head in her hands. “I have no words for what just happened.”

“I don’t need you to try and make it better, Mom. I just need you to understand that I need some space from Romilly. I need to focus on my Mate, my degree and my life.”

Getting to her feet she inhales, straightening her shoulders in a gesture I recognize well. “I guess I have some parenting to do.”

Reaching out, she strokes my cheek gently before pulling me into a tight hug. “I love you, Lo. And we’re happy for you. You deserve the world.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Zale

Once Shiloh’s parents leave, it’s like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. He turns to me with a small smile and I can feel the love and gratitude filtering down the bond. Holding out my hand, he takes it, linking our fingers before stepping towards me and into a kiss.

Kissing Shiloh is addictive. He tastes like toffee apples, sunshine and happy memories. Now that we’re bonded, I can recognize his pheromones more clearly, but they’re still muted. I made a mental note to talk to him about that later, because if we were going to be having a baby, I wanted him to have the best healthcare.

“Wow, that was quite enough excitement for one day.” Bell gets to their feet with a big stretch and a yawn. “I’m so proud of you, Shilly.”

“Stop calling me that.”

“I’m just glad you told the big bad bitch to stuff it.” They raise a brow at Shiloh, giving him a cheeky grin. “It was long overdue.”

As if something has just dawned on them, they start doing a little happy dance right in the middle of the lounge. “And now, we can celebrate your birthday however you want to! Yay!”

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