Page 82 of Knot What She Seems
Madam Ellora is always spewing out nonsense about how alphas treat their mates—ridiculous things about sweet surprises that are the exact opposite of my lived experience…until now.
I’ve never had an alpha treat me so delicately. So reverently.
When his gaze lifts to find mine in the mirror after he finishes washing my exposed skin, I’m not sure what he sees.
But he’s just broken something inside of me. Some hard shield that I thought was impenetrable—made of steel. He’s fucked with my preconceived notions about alpha males. About what mating means…what it should mean.
My mind is still whirling and spinning as he grabs a towel and dries me off, then carefully helps me back into the suit.
Just before he zips it up, he sneaks a tiny kiss at the base of my neck.
Lightning crackles through me, all the way to my toes, and breaks the silent spell we’ve been under.
“You can’t tell anyone,” I whisper, almost pleading.
“Mate,” he responds, as if that’s the answer to everything.
“Not even your packmates. No one else can know.” Fuck. My illusion is falling like a house of cards.
“No one.” He gives a single nod.
I wait for him to ask why I’m here or what’s going on, but the huge man stays silent.
There’s a loud knock on the door to the room, and I can hear Sam’s voice blunted by the walls and wood, calling out, “Teddie! Assembly! Come on!” Thankfully, he doesn’t enter.
Colter turns to the bathroom door and twists the knob, looking back once before he leaves me speechless as he walks away.
Once he’s gone, I grab the edge of the counter, hunching over it and squeezing my eyes shut as anxiety wallops me. “It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay.”
But I’m not sure if I believe it.
It’s been an incredibly long time since I’ve had to trust anyone other than Ted or Caran. And now, in the space of a single stupid evening, I’m indebted to two men.
And I might even be falling for one of them.
I blow out deep breaths through pursed lips and stand, because I don’t have time for a meltdown. I have to maintain Teddie’s cover.
“Emotions are just obstacles,” I murmur to my reflection repeatedly as I shove on a new T-shirt and repin my wig.
They’ve always been obstacles…but I don’t know if they’ve ever seemed so insurmountable before.
28
BRYLEE
The first timeI met the triplets, I was sixteen.
Teddie had left earlier that morning to attend a meeting in my parents’ stead, and I’d followed him. Of course, Teddie knew I was in the car behind him, but I’d like to believe he was oblivious.
A part of me always resented the fact that Teddie was handed all of this power despite not wanting even an ounce of it. It wasn’t as if I thought Teddie would be a bad ruler, but my twin was often impulsive. He would make decisions without any thought to the consequences.
I just wanted my parents to trust me like they did Teddie. It wasn’t as if I wanted the throne for myself. No. That wasn’t for me. But to be able to help? To do what I could for my people? I needed that. More than anything.
So I followed Teddie to the domineering estate of some esteemed noble my parents wanted to impress. When my twin stepped out of the car, I slid further down into my seat, until only the top of my head was visible. I knew that this particular noble was in possession of land rich with oil. It was no secret my parents wanted to own that land for themselves and the country. This meeting had to go off without a hitch.
I created flashcards to help Teddie deal with Byron Wallis.
Would my brother remember to ask Byron about his pet dog? My sources claimed that Byron was obsessed with his mini doodle. Would Teddie know not to mention Byron’s omega, who passed away two years prior?
