Page 105 of Knot What She Seems
“Want to bet?” Amusement glitters in his eyes as he glances at me before focusing on the road once more. The butterflies in my stomach go absolutely crazy, and I wipe my sweaty hands against the bottom of my dress.
“What are we going to bet?”
Luka contemplates for a moment, one of his long fingers tapping against the edge of the steering wheel. After a moment, his lips unfurl into a mischievous smile. “If I’m right, you have to come to dinner at my house this week with me and the other guys.”
I swallow. Dinner with him and the others? I’m not sure I’ll be able to handle dinner with just him alone. Refusal is on the tip of my tongue, but it isn’t what comes out.
“And if I win?” I inquire.
“What do you want?”
I think, then smirk triumphantly as an idea occurs to me. “The four of you have to ease up on Ted.”
Luka doesn’t even hesitate before saying, “Deal.” He’s either immensely confident in himself…or desperate to please me. “You know, Brylee, that we’re not trying to be assholes when it comes to your brother.”
I make a noncommittal humming sound, even as my curiosity piques.
“We don’t hate Teddie,” Luka continues. “At first, we only pushed him hard because he’s the crown prince, and we’ll need someone strong in power if our country is going to survive this shit. But then, when we discovered you…”
“Yeah?” I press, urging him to continue, my heart galloping in my chest. I’m going to need bug spray if I have any hope of surviving the butterfly infestation in my belly.
“I know you two are close. All we ever want to do is protect you—even from the emotional pain of losing someone you love. We want to help make him stronger because it’s rough out there.” Luka’s gaze slides to me, and I’m struck dumb by the emotion in his eyes. I feel hot and cold all over, and prickles of awareness race across my skin.
He’s pushing Teddie…for me? To protect me from the pain of losing him? I know they alluded to it before, but hearing it said so blatantly causes my chest to tighten.
Memories of the last time I saw my brother play on a loop in my mind.
His sunken cheeks…
His glazed eyes…
His dry lips…
The sweat on his cheeks and forehead…
Luka can’t protect me from losing Teddie. None of them can.
I ignore the uncomfortable stinging in my eyes and dig my phone out of my clutch.
“Let’s see who won the bet, shall we?” I ask, grinning in his direction.
But my smile instantly falters when I type indates.
It appears I’m going to Alpha Team X’s house later this week.
Fuck.
37
BRYLEE
A live quartetin full tuxedos plays in a corner, filling the space with soft sound. Chandeliers glow dimly overhead, and the clink of champagne glasses is a regular occurrence, as the elites of the city congratulate themselves on their latest victory. Perisseúo is exactly the sort of place my mother would expect an alpha group to take me, and it’s exactly the sort of place I hate. It’s the sort of place that bedazzles young omegas into believing the silky smooth lies of alphas.
I sit stiffly in my high-backed chair, grateful that our seats are tucked into an alcove for more privacy. Though I’m unsure I know any of the people mingling nearby, I really don’t want to run across anyone else tonight.
All the familiarity and lightness that Luka and I built up on the drive over evaporated the moment we stepped inside the elevator for the ride up to this luxurious rooftop restaurant, and I was hit by potent memories.
This was not at all what I expected the dinner with Luka to be.
