Page 127 of Knot What She Seems
And if I happen to catch my omega meeting up with those other alphas?
Well…
Who’s to say a party can’t end in a little bloodshed?
45
BRYLEE
A shiver ticklesmy spine as I shove aside tree branches and hustle away from Alpha Team X. Though my hormones rage at me and want me to turn back around and dive into their arms, there’s absolutely no way I can do that right now.
Tonight’s award ceremony is all about Ted, and I have no choice but to appear as him.
I’ve been debating when to tell the guys about my whole charade, but I haven’t found the right moment yet. Not with my dad calling this week to express his disappointment that I didn’t accept Brock and his pack. And definitely not after the phone call from Caran that said it was another bad week for my brother. I’ve barely been holding it together.
If I can just get through tonight…
A twig snaps behind me, and I tense.
Fuck!
Those overbearing alphas are following me.
I knew they let me go too easily, but I was so eager to get away that I didn’t really second-guess what Kylian said and took him at his word.
I’m an idiot.
But, I’m also a problem solver with a few tricks up her sleeve. Or, at least that’s what I’m telling myself after all the war-planning contingency assignments I’ve had to do recently.
Reaching into my pocket, I grab my earbuds. I toss one in and then quickly tell my phone to call Harper, who picks up on the second ring.
“You are the absolute worst for making me get ready alone—” she starts, but I cut her off.
“I need a favor.” In a hushed tone, I explain my request, which is a little outlandish, but most distraction strikes are.
“On it,” she responds immediately, hanging up before I can even say thank you. But my heart swells with the gratitude I didn’t get to express. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be grateful to be sent to Darling, but I just might be.
Harper is beyond amazing and I would never have gotten to know or trust her otherwise.
I slow down and crouch in a patch of dirt, pretending to fix my shoe, forcing the guys sneaking into the forest behind me to pause as well.
Two seconds later, the side doors of Darling burst open and nearly a hundred omegas fly down the steps into the moonlight. Some wear ball gowns, others still have their hair in curlers, and some are merely in bathrobes. But they are all shrieking madly.
“Squirrels! Oh my god, squirrels in the bathroom!” The omegas flap their hands in dramatic distress. One woman even starts to cry, and I cringe, feeling slightly guilty—until they spot the guys.
“Look! Alphas! You have to help us.” The omegas swarm the men like bees to honey, and I glance back to see them surrounded. Ridge looks annoyed, Luka surprised, and Kylian holds up his hands in a calming fashion as he smiles.
Jealousy singes my throat, but it’s there and gone in a millisecond because I brought this on myself. And I need to move.
“Please!” and “nasty tree rats” and “can’t get ready” float over to my ears as I hustle away, knowing that the guys have no choice but to help.
If there’s one thing an alpha male can’t stand, it’s an omega in distress.
The final time I glance over my shoulder, the guys are being led into the castle—all of them except for Colter. My brow furrows as I realize that I didn’t see my masked giant with the others earlier.
“Mate.” As if I summoned him, his voice whispers through the forest, making the leaves around me quake and sending a delicious shiver across my skin as I turn back around.
He steps forward, dressed all in black, his skull mask a smaller version than what he’s worn before, showcasing his perfect lips. And his eyes are fully visible for the first time, a fringe of thick, dark lashes around each as he stares at me.
