Page 25 of Knot Enough

Finn had taken out an umbrella and set it up to keep much of the sun off us. I was sunbathing, but I decided to get up and head under the umbrella where Graham was. While Graham laid his back on his towel, I used his legs to rest my chin and arms while napping. We could hear the other three laughing from a distance.

Once they were satisfied from playing in the water, they took out the volleyball we brought with us. They managed to rope in another pack to play a couple of games. Graham had moved me into his lap, so we could watch them play. Sorren and Gabriel kept trying to show off, which would cost them the ball. Finn would watch in horror every time the ball didn’t manage to go over the net.

Finn had just scored a point when my phone went off on my towel. I would have ignored the notification until I got back, but it went off three more times in quick succession. I started to worry that Corretta had something serious happening with her. A few days after the competition we went to, she told me that her partner had retired and she was looking for a new one. I moved off of Graham to grab my phone. I almost dropped it when I saw the notifications.

“We want you back, Dede.”

“Please answer the phone.”

“Dede, pick up the phone”

My breath became quicker the longer I stared at my phone. Only two people had given me a nickname. One person was Gabriel, but his go-to was Lee or Leelee. The last person who called me something like Dede was Connor. Another text came through. This time, it was a picture of Graham and me lying on our towels.

“Who is he?”

“Why are you touching him!”

“You are ours, Lydia.”

My hands shook. I looked around us, trying to find him. The beach was crowded with so many other families that it was hard to see a single individual in the crowd. When they rejected me, I blocked their numbers. How were they texting me again?

“What’s wrong, Lydia?” Gabriel covered me with his arms, pulling me towards him. I hadn’t noticed that the other three had returned to Graham, so I moved my phone to show him. So many thoughts were in my head, and it was impossible to speak. With each text he read, I could feel him growing angrier and angrier.

“What the hell!” he yelled. He gently took my phone from me, blocked the number, and screenshotted the texts.

“What happened?” Graham asked, taking his sunglasses off. His usual smile had disappeared from his face. Gabriel handed him the phone. As Graham scrolled through the text messages, his expression got darker.

“I’ll get you a new phone, Lydia. Do you mind if I keep this one?” Graham asked. I nodded in agreement, moving my body to curl into Gabriel. I needed some sort of comfort. I could feel two other hands tracing my skin. From the scents, it was Sorren and Finn.

“Let’s get out of here.” Finn declared. No one argued with him. I think we all wanted to get away from such an open space. I need my nest, soft clothes, and blankets.

The alphas packed up our stuff quickly. None of us talked to each other outside of getting the things in the car. Gabriel remained close to me, keeping me tucked in his side and muttering words of comfort in my ear. I breathed in his scent, doing my best to calm down while waiting to return home. It didn’t take long before the guys had everything in the car. Finn returned to his motorcycle only after he gave me a quick hug and peck on the forehead. Sorren sat in the back of the vehicle with Gabriel and I. I was squeezed in the middle between the two. Once home, we left everything nonperishable in the car and quickly changed and washed. Without saying a word to each other, we all headed to the nest and formed one big cuddle pile.

“Lydia, do you know who might have sent you those texts?” Graham asked from behind me. He had me spooned into his chest. His voice was light, almost unconcerned. If I hadn’t seen his face when he read the messages I would have thought he didn’t feel bothered by them.

“I think it was my old pack. One of them would always call me Dede when he wanted something.” I answered, burying my face in a soft plushie I had in the nest. I heard a cascade of growls throughout the room.

“They have some nerve asking for you back after what they did,” Finn growled. He was between me and Gabriel in the nest. I could feel the vibrations through the bed.

“They can’t have you back,” Gabriel confirmed. Everyone grunted in agreement. Tears filled my eyes. I never thought I would find a pack that cared for me as much as these four men did. I had given up on having a family when the Jameson pack rejected me. They broke my confidence and dreams into so many pieces I didn’t think I’d ever put them back together again. I loved these men. I couldn’t say it yet, but I knew it in my soul. We stayed together well into the night. I managed to fall asleep despite the events that took place today. I was only woken up by the need to pee. I managed to untangle myself from the pile and slip into the bathroom. When I finished my business, I didn’t feel like going back to bed just yet. Instead, I left the nest, heading outside to sit on one of the porch seats.

The stars were beautiful and seemed to fill the sky. The Beckett pack house was just outside of the town limits which allowed a lot of the brighter stars to come out of hiding. The night sky calmed me and, as I looked up, I could feel my worries slipping away.

“You okay?” Graham asked from the doorway. I looked back at him and nodded.

“Yeah, I just wanted to get some fresh air.” I told him. I patted the spot next to me and he slipped in beside me. He held me close, driving away the slightly cold air of the night.

“You know one of my dads tried to teach me about the stars.” He admitted. I looked over, curious about the story.

“Tried?” I asked. He chuckled lightly.

“I wasn’t very good at it. I had a terrible sense of direction, finding the North Star was near impossible for me.” He explained. I laughed at the idea of a little Graham trying to find a little star while his dad watched. We returned to comfortable silence till Graham spoke again.

“You know there’s nothing to worry about, right? We will protect you, no matter what happens.” He assured me. I leaned my head against his chest, enjoying his pumpkin spice scent.

“I know, it’s just sometimes I feel guilty. My former pack, my scent matches, are causing all these problems for you and Gabriel. It’s all because of me that these things are happening. I feel responsible.” I explained, the stars giving me the confidence to speak.

“You shouldn’t.” Gabriel voiced out from behind me. I looked back at him in surprise. Before I had time to react he kissed my forehead lightly and sat on my other side.

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