Page 11 of Knot Enough

I followed my nose, guided to the scent I wanted to see the most. Cotton candy and bubblegum filled my nose while I watched Finn silently take a sip from his drink on the back porch. I hid in the shadows for a bit, watching him, loving the moment I was stealing when he thought no one was watching. Once I had enough of the view, I stepped out of the shadows and onto the porch. The noise of the porch door moving had Finn looking in my direction. He seemed surprised.

“I’m not a dream, you know.” I joked as I skipped lightly, crossing the distance between us. Finn’s eyes watched me intently as he gripped his drink tighter. My grin widened at the effect I was having on the alpha. I sat on the other side of the large couch that he was sitting on. Without a second thought, I grabbed his drink, lifted it to my lips, and took a sip. I almost choked at the burning sensation going down my throat.

“What the hell is that?!” I asked, wiping my lips with my arm. Mirth danced in Finn’s eyes as he took back his drink.

“Vodka, " he said, taking a sip without a second thought. I marveled at him. I was never great with alcohol; I always preferred cocktails and drinks that disguised the taste of it.

“Unbelievable,” I marveled as I watched him take another sip with ease.

“She okay?” Finn asked as he placed his drink on his lap, still holding it. My grin dropped a little.

“Sleeping like a baby, but that's not what you're asking.” I paused for a second. “She will be. She’s strong, and she'll pick herself up. Always has and always will. My job is to be there when she drops and keep her from falling apart till she puts herself back together.” I said, leaning back on the couch. I looked up at the stars.

“What happened tonight?” He asked, after staying silent for a moment. I play around with the thought of telling him or not before speaking.

“My guess is she saw someone that upsets her,” I said, finally. Finn's eyes narrowed, and he opened his mouth to say something. I stopped him and continued speaking.

“I can't tell you more than that. It’s her story to tell,” I said firmly. Finn closed his mouth and nodded.

“Now, with that being said,” I decided to change topics. I got up from my seat and walked in front of Finn. Watching him closely, I looked for any signs of displeasure as I stepped closer to him. My legs moved in between his. I barely had a chance to register it when Finn pulled me into his lap. Both my legs surrounded his waist, and my hands went to his very filled-out chest.

“What’s being said?” Finn asked with a mischievous expression on his face. I had nearly forgotten what I was going to say as I studied his face. I shook my head to clear my thoughts, leaning my head against his.

“Thanks for helping her. She would have been way worse off if she had been by herself,” I said, closing my eyes and remembering the day they rejected her. I never wanted her to go back to that place again.

“She’s pack. Of course, I’ll look after her.” Finn said with a tone that made what he said seem obvious. I smiled, a feeling of gratitude overcoming my body. Without second-guessing, I leaned in and kissed him. It was a light feathering touch. Finn didn’t try to deepen the kiss, but I could feel a slight grumble coming from his chest, almost like a purr. I didn’t want this to turn into something sexual, just an expression of gratitude. We’ll have plenty of time to explore each other later. Sensing my thoughts, Finn didn't move his hands from my waist. I could feel his hands twitch, indicating his want to move them, but he didn’t, and I was grateful for that. I pulled away from him, already missing his warmth. His eyes were dark and hooded now.

“Was that alright?” I asked, worried now that I might have crossed a line.

“More than alright. Can we do that again?” He nearly groaned his words out. I laughed at his reaction and lightly kissed his cheek.

“Another time. I need to get back to Lydia. I don’t want her waking up and wondering where I am.” I moved off his lap. His hands tightened around my waist for a brief moment before letting go.

“I won’t be able to sleep tonight.” He pouted as he watched me stand up. I chuckled and threw him a wink.

“I hoped so,” I said with a chuckle as I walked back into the house. I heard him breathe out a sigh.

“Trouble.” He muttered under his breath as I closed the door. I chuckled to myself and walked down the hallway.These alphas are going to be fun to play with.I touched my lips, enjoying the memory of the kiss as I headed back to Lydia. A pleasant surprise ran through my body when I noticed Sorren exiting my room. He gave me a wink before walking into his bedroom. Lydia was sleeping peacefully in our bed. She usually had a hard time sleeping without me.Apparently, that wasn’t true anymore.I tucked myself next to her and pulled her towards me. I was out like a light within seconds.

The light hit my eyes, making me groan. I could feel the warmth coming from Lydia as she struggled to get out of my grasp. My eyes closed, I smiled as I felt her move. I tightened my arms around her and moved us to the other side of the bed. She made a noise of surprise at my actions.

“Gabriel! Let go! I have to pee!” she yelled, struggling even more. I was awake now and enjoyed her in my arms.

“Not until I get my morning kiss,” I said, rubbing my nose against her neck. She squirmed in my arms at the touch. Her neck was always a highly sensitive place.

“Fine, let me turn around.” She gave in after a few more seconds of struggle. Her body relaxed against mine. I loosened my grip to let her turn over. To my surprise, she slipped out of my grasp instead of giving me the kiss I wanted. I froze in shock for a moment at the quickness of it. Lydia laughed and placed her hands on her hips triumphantly. A cheeky grin spread across her face.

“You sneaky little-” I said as I pounced on her. She giggled and moved out of the way of my arms. She and I played a light-hearted game of tag while she tried to run to the bathroom. She eventually made it once she was out of breath and sweating slightly. I chuckled at the sound of the door closing.

I showered in the bathroom located in the nest and dried off my hair before coming out in nothing but a pair of gray sweatpants. Lydia was on the bed, still in a large t-shirt I owned and a pair of shorts, looking at her phone. I watched her scroll through it, distracted enough not to notice me in the room. I silently tip-toed towards her. The floor was covered in a soft carpet, but I didn’t want to take any chances of her hearing my footsteps. I wrapped my arms around her once I got close enough, causing her to jump slightly.

“Gabriel!” She yelled, looking at me with mock scorn. She tried to act upset, but I could see her mouth twitching as she tried not to smile. I ignored her and looked down at her phone.

“Whatcha looking at?” I asked, catching a glimpse of a chatbox. Lydia turned back around, turning the brightness down.

“Corretta wants us to come to her ballroom dancing competition. It’s the first one of her freshman year.” She looked back at her phone. Corretta and Lydia were two years apart in age, but Corretta took two years off school to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. In her soul, she was a ballroom dancer, but the competitions and pay for being one was not enough to live off of. The only way she could make a living out of it was if she went big and won a famous competition that existed on T.V. Corretta didn’t want that type of pressure on herself, so she settled for working on a degree that would let her stay involved in ballroom dancing while also participating in the competitions.

“Let’s go then. There’s no need to rain on her parade when we have nothing going on. It is the weekend, after all.” I said as I watched her thumb hesitant over the keyboard. She looked back at me nervously.

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