Page 17 of Knot in Their Wildest Dreams: Part 1

Ugh. I had to be more careful. Especially since despite his apparent distaste, he wasn’t exactly pushing me away. Somehow we’d inched so close to each other that I could see the pulse of his heartbeat through his neck, the muscular spot where I imagined I’d bite him. Although I’d never, ever do that. A bite with this pack? It would be complete self-destruction.

And it was apparent that every day I stayed here, it would get worse. My hormones ached for me to be near them, urging me to touch, smell, taste every inch of the very men who wished for my demise. I had to wear a mask of indifference every moment I was around them, and it was starting to wear on me.

But I would never let it affect my work. I was great at managing my teams, and most of my work was done via remote meetings. I could do this for the next few months, even with my body aching to be near the men who put me in this awful position.

“I have a meeting soon. I'll keep you updated.” I said to my uncle before we ended the call. I closed my eyes once I had a moment to myself. In this house, I couldn’t even speak freely.

I hadn’t been able to look around the house much at all, however I was finally picking up on their patterns. They would leave for work early in the morning, save for one of them who stayed behind at home, presumably to keep an eye on me. So far I hadn’t seen any internal cameras except for one in the main hallway, pointed at the entrance. There was also one that covered the main hallway to their rooms. I figured that must be where anything important was kept, but I’d need all three of them to be away to get near the area, plus I’d have to figure out how to disable the camera without being caught. The whole thing was so complicated.

Unless… A devious thought formed in my mind. What if I used my omega charm on them to let their guard down? It was the longest shot in the universe, but if I got them to trust me, maybe I could get them to admit their part in the kidnapping. Or at least find out who was leaking information to them. If they stopped seeing me as a rival, stopped hating me, maybe we could make some headway.

One thing that I had on my side was the knowledge that they were my scent matches - if they ever smelled my true perfume, they’d be ravenous animals, obsessed with claiming me. It might work to get my way, but could also end up with me being bitten and then bound to them forever. I wasn’t willing to risk that.

I sighed. It was hard enough stopping myself from giving up and running to them, begging for their knots. I couldn't trust they would control themselves around me once they smelled me. It had been torture every night, catching a whiff of their blended smells as I tried to sleep. I’d had to double up my suppressants just so it didn’t trigger an early heat.

A sharp knock at the door jolted me from my thoughts. I flinched, heart skipping, then quickly grabbed a robe and wrapped it around myself as I rose from the chair. Taking a deep breath through my mouth, I reached for the handle and pulled the door open.

It was Liam. He was fully clothed this time, thankfully, but that didn’t make him one bit less appealing to my omega senses. My immediate impulse was to grab him and pull him to me, to mark him as mine. But I steadied myself and stared up at him. He looked at me with guarded eyes.

“Our first outing is scheduled to be this week.” He said without any hint of what he was thinking. I nodded.

“I’m aware.”

“This Saturday, nine o clock. We’re taking you to Club Instinct. Be ready in the foyer by eight thirty.” I should hate the way he stated it like an order. But something about his tall, demanding presence made my heart skip a beat. I wanted him to order me around more, and more, until I pushed his buttons so badly that we tore each other’s clothes off.

My teeth clenched, but this time, it was more than just my usual irritation. I felt the spark of something within myself, wanting to egg him on, make him feel an ounce of the frustration I was feeling. “You know, I’m not a fan of being bossed around.”

His eyes flickered, his guarded expression slipping just enough to reveal a hint of amusement. “You don’t like being bossed around? Could’ve fooled me, considering you’re doing a pretty good job of following orders these days."

I could have tackled him right then and there. In fact, the image played out in my head, but ended with me on top of him on the floor, ripping his shirt off, kissing him, and riding him in a way that I really needed to stop thinking about.

“Oh, I’ll be there. But don’t expect me to make it easy on you.” I said, tilting my head to the side, letting him get a nice view of my neck. I watched him closely, seeing his pupils get larger before he looked back up at me. An alpha, especially one who didn’t have any omega attention for a while, could never resist looking at an omega’s neck - the ultimate spot for claiming.

His smirk faltered for a split second, but he recovered quickly, leaning in just enough that his scent - warm, woodsy, and infuriatingly calming - wrapped around me “I don’t expect anything except your usual disagreeable self. Now, I can promise you that you’ll get my pack on our best behavior, which is our default. Remember. Eight-thirty.”

And with that, he turned and walked away, leaving me alone with the sound of my own pounding heart and the realization that Saturday couldn’t come soon enough.

Chapter 12

Vigo

I combed my hair one last time and stepped back to assess myself in the mirror. Tonight was significant. It would be our pack’s first official outing with Celeste, and every detail mattered. The club we’d chosen was exclusive - a place where we could claim privacy if needed, but still be seen by enough people to set the internet buzzing.

I’d gone with a sharp black suit, the kind that hit my bank account hard. The jacket was perfectly tailored, hugging my shoulders and tapering at the waist. I wanted to exude confidence, knowing that this would be one of the first public sightings everyone would see of us together. We had to sell that our relationship was real.

The photos of us would undoubtedly be splashed across the internet within hours, and we’d look great to all the eligible omegas. Also, a small part of me wanted Celeste to see what she was missing out on. It didn’t make sense, but for some reason I wanted her to be impressed. I wanted her to want me, to wantus. It was completely nonsensical, but once again, I chalked it up to having an omega on the premises after a year of celibacy.

After a final once-over, I stepped out of my room and into the hall where the others were waiting. Liam stood with his hands in his pockets, his broad frame accentuated by a charcoal gray suit. His hair was styled back, but he let his stubble turn into a five o'clock shadow, giving him a roguish edge that somehow made our golden-haired pack member look even more impossibly perfect.

Dante leaned casually against the wall, but there was nothing casual about how he’d dressed tonight. His dark hair looked striking against his brown skin, and his dress shirt hid the tattoos that we knew covered his body. He rarely dressed up like this, but he looked like the ultimate tall, dark, and handsome alpha that women swoon over.

We hadn’t made many public outings since the Darlington Ball, and I worried we might be a little rusty. But the moment we heard the sharp click of Celeste’s heels echoing down the hall, the air shifted. Without thinking, we all straightened up, alpha instincts kicking in. When she turned the corner, the sight of her froze the air in my lungs.

Damn her. She looked just as stunning as ever, her hair styled in waves over one shoulder, her body wrapped in a silver shimmery dress that hugged her figure, emphasizing every part of her as she walked toward us. My eyes were stuck on her for longer than I realized, and I had to snap my head away from her to make sure my pack mates weren’t leaving their jaws on the floor. I immediately felt the alpha posturing in the room, and tried to tamp down on my instincts.She isn’t ours,I thought to myself.

When she spotted us, the mood was tense. She looked at us and put her hands on her hips, her small clutch shimmering in her hand.

“Really impressive, guys. I’m sure everyone’s going to besoconvinced you like me.” Her eyes almost rolled out of her head, and Dante stepped forward.

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