Page 121 of Knot Playing Fair 2

He cleared his throat. “I’m sure you can all guess why I wanted us to talk like this,” he said, for all the world like he was opening a lame-ass employee meeting at his restaurant.

I forced myself to unclench my jaw, layering faux-sweetness into my voice. “Because we’ve all fucked each other?”

Nat’s lips pressed together, and I tried not to make it obvious how satisfying it felt to have rattled him so easily.

“Because I need to make it completely clear to all of you that I shouldn’t come into your decisions about your future,” he said. “Byron, what happened between us was... well, I refuse to call it a mistake. But it was something that I would never have done if I’d realized that you and Mia would end up together.”

“Nat...” Mia closed her eyes and gently thumped the back of her head against the wall a couple of times, a sigh gusting out of her.

“See, now, this is what happens when people leave their crystal balls at home,” Luca said, still managing to be snarky even though his spine was stiff and his arms, tightly crossed.

Nat’s jaw tightened. “I’m trying to say that I understand there are repercussions to what happened, even though no one involved had any intention of hurting anyone else.”

I let my head flop back against the top of the couch, echoing Mia’s gusty sigh. “And you expect to be the sole recipient of these so-called ‘repercussions,’ do you?”

Nat’s tone, which had already been guarded, closed off completely. “I was the one who blew up my marriage with Mia.I was the one who unilaterally decided to start sleeping around.” He gave a single, flat laugh—devoid of humor. “Turns out, the dildo of consequences seldom arrives lubed.”

I lifted my head at that, even as Luca snorted.

“Nat!” Mia said, sounding somewhere on the spectrum between ‘scandalized’ and ‘fighting shocked laughter.’

Nat waved a hand in frustration. “My point is, I still believe the most obvious path forward is for you and I to divorce, Mia. I think it’s clear to everyone that your future happiness lies with this pack—who are, frankly, pretty fucking amazing. And I don’t want to be the millstone holding you back.”

Luca had uncurled a bit, and was now watching the back and forth like someone at a tennis match. Meanwhile, I knew I should have been relieved by Nat’s words—and all in favor of this new development. It was a bit worrying that I wasn’t.

Mia, by contrast, was burning holes through Nat’s skull with her warm brown gaze.

“What if I don’twanta divorce?” she asked slowly.

Nat looked stymied. “I know we talked about it before, and decided it was too much additional upheaval on top of everything going on with the restaurant. But... the restaurant isfinenow. So, I don’t understand why on earth youwouldn’twant a divorce.”

“I don’t want a divorce because I still love you, Nat,” Mia said simply... and the bottom fell out of my stomach.

Nat looked like he’d been hit with a two-by-four. I couldn’t help sneaking a glance at Luca... and wondering why hedidn’t.

“Mia...” Nat whispered hoarsely.

“I’m an omega,” Mia went on, unfazed. “I know I was raised by betas, and that you and I had a beta marriage—as much as we could, anyway. But I am still an omega. And omegas form packs. We form great big,amazingfamilies where the people involved can choose to love each other in whatever way they see fit.”

She paused, licking her lips nervously, as Nat continued to gape at her. To be fair to him, I might have been doing a bit of gaping myself.

“I know I wasn’t perfect at being a beta wife,” she continued. “In fact, toward the end I was getting downright shitty at it. But... have you never considered trying your hand at being a pack husband?”

Luca was watching the exchange with round eyes and a pale complexion. His eyes flickered to mine, only to slide away an instant later like water off an orange peel. My attention shifted to Nat as though drawn by a magnet, only to find him turning to me at the same time.

He swallowed hard. “I don’t think the others would be huge fans of that idea, Mia.”

Silence stretched for several seconds.

“I would,” Luca said quietly.

The soft confession shocked me more than anything else that had happened tonight. “What?” The word was dragged from me.

Luca couldn’t meet any of our gazes, directing his words toward his hands, folded tightly in his lap. “I’m still trying to figure things out for myself. But, Nat—you and Byron saved my life. You and he must have felt a spark, when you were together? Otherwise, it would have been a one-night stand, not three separate times. You like Emiel, and Emiel likes you. And, well, Zalen just wants everyone to be happy.”

Nat still looked like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. However, I was stuck on something else entirely.

“I didn’t save you, Luca,” I said, unsure why I had to spell this out. “I sat on my ass and let you get taken to your doom because I’m a fucking coward. I don’t deserve to be calledanyone’salpha, much less yours or Mia’s.”

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