Page 20 of Knotty Escape
“Oh, she’s jealous…” River teases, smiling like there’s something funny here. My instincts are screaming at me to claim them. Mark them with my scent. Bite them.
“Go on, Harrison. Tell Lila about the flamingo float you violated.” Wes turns his attention to me, whispering loud enough for everyone to hear, and not at all hiding his words as he says, “If he keeps it up, he’ll have to marry her.”
“Oh, fuck off, Wes! Can you two go circle jerk down the hall, so I can speak with Lila privately?” Harrison waves his hand at the other two alphas, taking both my hands in his. “Hey, it’s okay. They were just being little shits. There’s no one else,” Harrison soothes, and I slowly return to my normal self.
“Okay,” I nod, taking a deep breath.
“Sorry about them,” he says, shaking his head, pulling me in for a hug. I bury my face against his chest and take deep lungfuls of his scent. “Technically, I did assault the flamingo, a fact that those two will never let me forget. I… I haven’t been with an omega in a while. So my ruts are getting…rough.”
“Oh…” I frown, not sure if I understand. “Do you mean you haven’t knotted an omega recently?” I ask, locking in the growl that tries to escape with my words. Alphas need omega pheromones to get through their ruts. They don’t have to fuck, they just need the scent. A lot of clinics have chemical pheromones they use to calm alphas if they’re struggling with a rut.
It can even be prescribed by doctors if need be. I hear that there are alphas it doesn’t work for, but that's uncommon.
“No, Lila. I haven’t had sex with an omega in three years. Not since our ex cheated on us. And I’ve never knotted an omega before.” Harrison looks shy as he says the words, but that’s not something to be embarrassed about.
Being knotted by an alpha that barely tolerated you is what's embarrassing.
“I’ve been knotted before,” I say, looking up into his eyes so I can see his reaction. “You’re not missing out if his reaction is anyindication.” I shrug. “If you don’t judge me for taking a knot, I won’t judge you for never giving one.”
“I would never judge you for that, Lila.” He shakes his head, pushing my hair out of my face before cupping my cheek in his palm. “You are not an object. You are a woman. You aren’t less deserving of love, happiness, or respect because you’ve had sex with other men.” He frowns, searching for something in my eyes as I blink back tears. “You know that, right? That you’re no less important to me?”
I don’t know what to say, or how to respond, because his words contradict everything I’ve been told in the past, mostly from Larry. When I don’t respond, he growls, causing me to tremble in his arms.
“Listen close, Lila. Any alpha that tries to make you feel unworthy of love and respect is a piece of shit, period. But if that alpha is using your past against you, he’s a fucking scumbag. You could have thousands of past partners, and I wouldn’t give a shit. None of us would. I’m not telling you about my history to make you feel guilty. I’m telling you so you understand what I want, what my pack wants.”
“Okay,” I whisper, still trying to contain my tears.
“River and Westley only went on that date last weekend because they’re worried about my ruts. They thought if they could convince our ex to let me rut her, that I’d get better. They were misguided, but they were just worried about me. I’m telling you this now because I want you to know that you mean so much more to me than that. And I can speak for all of us when I say they feel the same as I do. I just don’t want you to find out from anyone but me, and then question our intentions, okay?” he pleads with me, looking so kind.
“I believe you,” I tell him honestly. His scent is flooded with worry and want. If he was lying, it would turn sour. He’s not trying to hide the truth from me the way Larry always used to.
“Thank fuck. There’s no pressure, okay? I don’t want you to feel like you need to accept a courtship to try and fix me. I want you to do only as much or as little as you’re comfortable with. I like you, and I want more. But nothing more than you’re willing to give us, Lila.”
“Give us the chance to convince you we can give you everything you need,” River says from down the hall, both alphas now visible. I guess the privacy was an illusion.
“Starting with a super fun date in an escape room!” Westley wiggles his brows, holding his hand out for me.
“Alright,” I agree.
Maybe I’m a fool, but I can’t pretend I don’t want exactly what they’re offering.
“Oh, this is so cute!”I squeal, bouncing on my toes. I’m so excited. The room is spooky themed, with little white ghosts hanging from the ceiling, and faux cobwebs in the corners. There’s a glass cabinet on one wall filled with tiny little spooky figures.
On another wall is a long cabinet that's only four feet high off the ground. It has several doors and drawers to open, and on top of it sit an array of figures. One of which is a faux human skull.
One of the walls is just a massive floor-to-ceiling bookshelf. I have a feeling that's where the door to the next room is.
“We have to find clues that lead to finding out more about the mysterious disappearance of the Count. Let's start here,” Wes explains as he reads a prompt card that was left as our clue, nodding to a book on a small stand.
It takes no time to find the first three clues in this room, and the guys let me insert the key to the hidden door behind the bookshelf so we can pass into the next room.
The theme matches, but this room has some hints of a murder having happened here. The biggest clue being a giant ass freaking blood stain on the floor and splatter on the wall.
The story seems to be that the Count went missing after a dinner party, but detectives couldn’t find any clues as to where he went. In the first room, we found our way into this room, and well… This is definitely where that guy was killed.
At least that's what I believe until I find a note…
“If you’re reading this, then you already know too much. He had to die. He was fucking her… My wife. Mine…” I read out loud, making the alphas all turn to face me. They have been letting me take the lead in here, but offering helpful hints along the way.
