Page 8 of Knot Mine

“It’s fine.” I lean in, mimicking her earlier encroachment, letting the cold-water drip all over her exposed toes. “I’d have some unresolved rage too if I had to force an Alpha to pick me. Every. Single. Time.”

With a confidence I don’t feel, I stride past everyone, and into the house, Bell and Colton close behind where the surprisingly sweet Alpha directs me to his room to freshen up.

Chapter Four

Zale

“What’s the matter?” Millie asks, pressing up against my arm as she crowds into my space, her body heat soaking into mine. When I’d turned down her invitation to a dinner downtown tonight, I hadn’t expected her to show up with Sadie and the other omega’s they liked to hang around with.

She’s wearing a low-cut red sequin top that laces up her back with chains and a pair of black jeans. Her curls are glossy and tame as they cascade down her back like some sort of fairytale princess. Aside from the smell of vodka coming from the red cup she’s holding as she sways to the music, there’s a lingering scent of something sweet, buttery and almost toffee-like as her hand links with mine.

It was normal to release pheromones and scent one another when you were dating, but for some reason, it always made me a little uncomfortable. Public displays of affection weren’t something I’d grown up with. My Alpha mother disapproved of behavior that could bring the reputation of Blackwood Tech into question, and apparently, being affectionate in front of others was something that toed the line.

Wasn’t it strange that in a world where we’re ruled by our secondary genders, placed into a societal hierarchy where ourvalues are based on our genetic worth, we’re also not allowed to act according to those natures?

Millie was always really considerate with her pheromones, and that was something I liked about her – she wasn’t trying to influence me using our natures, unlike Sadie. Sadie would use everything in her arsenal to get what she wanted.

“You seem distracted.” Big green eyes look up at me, filled with concern and

a flicker of guilt uncurls in my gut, like a sleepy plant unfurling after hibernation.

My attention had been caught, once again, by Shiloh Vos. I hadn’t even wanted to come to this party tonight, but Evans had been determined to find someone other than Sadie to suck his cock, so here we were. I knew the second he’d approached Shiloh’s omega housemate that it could only spell disaster, and oh look, I was right.

“It’s your brother…it looks like he’s fallen in the pool.” Fallen isn’t the right word, but if I say that I think Sadie pushed him…well, I don’t know if that would upset Millie. She seemed to flit between being overprotective of her brother, and strangely cold. I was an only child, so I had no idea if this was normal between siblings, so I just avoided mentioning him. She doesn’t even look. In fact, her eyes seem to dim a little with the mention of him.

Frowning, I wrap my arm around her shoulder, wanting to comfort her for some reason. It seems to do the trick as she perks up and places a soft kiss on my lips. Another wave of buttery sweetness spikes and I let it wash over me. This was the scent I’d been apparently drawn to that night, the first night we slept together.

As she pulls away to look up at me again, she rolls her eyes. “He always manages to get himself in these situations, but don’tworry he’s a very good swimmer. If he had his way, he’d live at our summer house in Crete all year round.”

It was hard to imagine Shiloh enjoying the beach with his pale skin and grumpy nature. I couldn’t picture him enjoying anything other than the books he always seemed to have his nose buried in, the library, coffee and his friend, Bell. The man rarely smiled, so what did enjoyment even look like for him?

“Do you want to go and check on him?” I ask as he climbs out of the pool to the sounds of drunk people cheering and clapping.

“He’s not a child.” She steals another kiss. “Besides, have you met my brother? He’s more likely to be angry at me for drawing more attention to him.”

That sounded about right.

“Has he always been so…prickly?”

Her brows knit together for a moment, before she takes a sip from her red cup. “He’s always been different. Always thought differently, wanted different things. When we were children, he used to follow me around as if I’d hung the moon. Now he prefers that we pretend we don’t know each other.”

“Does that bother you?”

“No, not really. I’m happy with my life. We’re adults now and Shiloh has his life and I have mine, here with you.” She squeezes me with one arm, making sure she doesn’t spill her drink. The smile she gives me almost makes me wince. I couldn’t ask for a more understanding, patient, adoring girlfriend but there was something about the way she treated and talked about her brother that made me uncomfortable. It could also have been the way she spoke about our life as if it was already predetermined that it was ‘our’ life.

Although I try to ignore him, my gaze drifts back to Shiloh. His white shirt is plastered to his skin, clinging to him like it’s trying to merge with his body.

Normally hidden behind baggy sweaters and oversize jumpers, and tonight a floaty shirt, I didn’t realize Shiloh‘s frame was so…lithe. He was almost delicate. He has a long torso, with narrow hips and while his shoulders are somewhat broad, he’s still much smaller than me. if I didn’t know any better, I might almost assume that he was an omega.

Not that I’d ever dare to mention it to him because that might earn me a punch to the face. I tried to steer away from gossip and rumors, I didn’t care about who was fucking who unless it had an impact on my life, but even I had heard about the time someone had called Shiloh an omega and he’d broken their nose.

Of course, the Vos family had the power and the money to cover it up, just like how so many other scandals were buried at Oakley. Shaking my head, I chastised myself because it was also wrong to say that omega’s all looked a certain way. People came in all different shapes and sizes.

Blake catches my eye as we both watch the drama unfolding. Sadie was ruthless when she wanted to be. Evans had been trying to ignore her from the moment she arrived, but there was no ignoring her now, not when Campbell had shoved him aside to run to his friend’s aid. Evans curses and grabs another beer. As he pops off the cap, he glares at Blake.

“Don’t fucking say it.”

“Cockblocked,” he coughs.

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