Page 105 of Her Knotty Alphas

"Eyes off my alpha,Birdie." Hannah nearly snarls, making my brows shoot up. This is definitely a side to my omega I've never seen before.

Lizzie just rolls her eyes again. "Calm your tits,little sis.You need to just give in on the case, Hannah. I mean, look at this place." She pointedly motions around us. "Do you reallyneedthe money? One of your alphas is a fucking NBA star."

Hannah bristles. "That's not the point. Nana was the one to decide what happens to her money, and you guys going after her estate is like spitting on her grave. You didn't care about her, but you feel entitled to her money."

"Oh, like you cared about the old bat," Lizzie spits.

Hannah makes contact so fast I don't even register that she's left Noah's side until Lizzie's face is jerked to the left, a red mark on her cheek. Noah, standing stock-still, gives our omega a proud look while he adjusts his pants to hide his erection.

"You don't get to talk about her that way." I've never heard Hannah sound like this. Full of venom and anger. "She loved you, but you wouldn't give her the time of day.Iam the only person she had at the end. And you know what? I was surprised when I found out she left me everything. Now though? I'm glad, because that means that I get to do whatever I can to make sure you don't get a cent."

Lizzie's jaw is dropped, her hand grasping her red cheek. "You little bitch—" Whatever she's about to say is cut off by me, taking a step forward.

"You will watch how you talk to my omega. If you only came here to try to get Hannah to give in, you have five seconds to get off the property before I call the police to report a trespasser."

Her eyes narrow at me, before something strange comes over her expression. "Lorenzo…don't you want to know why I left?" She flutters her lashes, and Hannah lets out an omega growl at her blatant flirtation. Adorable to me, but it has Lizzie frowning. "If you convince her to give up the inheritance, I'll tell you everything about what happened. Why I left. All of it."

"You're delusional if you think I'd care about any of that." I shake my head. "You need to leave, Lizzie. Now. And stop flirting with alphas that don't belong to you. It's pathetic."

Lizzie's face turns red as she tries to figure out some way to make us bend to her will. "You just—you can't—"

"Bye bye, Birdie." Austin waves smugly.

"Don't fucking call me that!" she snaps and Noah smirks.

"You realize your chosen nickname is also just another animal nickname? Bye…Lizard."

Hannah chokes on a laugh, and Lizzie turns even more red, before spinning on her heel and stomping away. She's slamming the door to her car and peeling out when Brody parks in her empty spot. He puts one foot out of the car door and stands, looking after Lizzie's car as she drives off.

"Who was that?" He asks, brows furrowed.

"Hannah's step-sister, Lizard," Noah quips, and Hannah giggles, smacking him on the arm.

"That's not nice." But she can't hide her smile, and I'm glad that Noah was able to make her laugh among all the bullshit Lizzie brought with her. "It was Birdie," she clarifies, and Brody gets a stormy look on his face.

"I'll be reporting this to the judge. All of your step-sisters were ordered to not have any contact with you before the trial." Brody's frowning, looking at the tire marks Lizzie left in herwake, and I can only hope that Lizzie's mistake in coming here will count in our favor.

Brody approaches, and I tamp down my alpha urge to growl at him. He's just here to do his job. Luckily, the rest of my pack weren't as affected by Lizzie's presence as I was, and they guide him inside, leaving Hannah and I standing in the foyer.

I should say something to her. Explain…something. There aren't any words that I can come up with to make it okay that her step-sister is the same woman who somehow conned my friends and I into thinking she was our true scent match. Convinced us to let her move in. Caused years of damage in the wake of her departure.

Turns out I don't have to say anything though, because then Hannah's arms are wrapped around my waist, her face pressed into my chest.

"I'm so sorry." Her voice is muffled in my chest.

Frowning, I tilt her chin back so I can look at her. "What on earth areyousorry for,reinita?"

"I…I had no idea that Birdie was the omega you used to have. I feel like I should have, somehow, even if there were no clues. Though, I guess it should have clicked that the ages lined up, and that both Lizzie and Birdie are short for Elizabeth."

"My love, I didn't put it together either," I tell her gently, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her lips. "And it wouldn't have made a bit of difference anyway. I never wanted her, not really." She looks up at me, uncertainty in her eyes. "You know that I don't feel anything for her, right? There's nothing residual or lingering because it wasn't real to begin with."

She gives me a soft smile. "I know."

"It was so much different with you, even from the beginning." Emotion rolls in my stomach as I stroke a hand over her hair. "I couldn't stay away. I knew I should. Even before I scented you, I wanted you. Your sweet little laugh, your shy smiles. Theway you'd gently tease me about coming in to get my hair cut so often. The way you draw smiles out of everyone around you. I wanted it all." Her green eyes are wide as she looks up at me, and now that the words are flowing, it's like I can't stop them.

"That day? At Titus' party? I saw you, and it was like my world finally made sense. It was a silent permission from the universe to pursue you in a way a man my age has no business pursuing a woman like you. But I was greedy, and I was going to do it anyway. And then I scented you. I was a goner for you before,reinita, but after that? I found a missing piece of my soul." A small gasp leaves her and she looks like she's not quite ready to believe me. It's my job to make sure she does.

"The feelings only intensified day by day, when a little bit more of your personality would come out one inch at a time. The sassiness. Your mischievous streak. The way that you yell at the ref through the TV during Charlie's basketball games…" A small laugh leaves me, and I shake my head. "I love you, Hannah. Youaremy heart."

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