Page 84 of Knot a Tie
James sighs. “On another note, Rich, we need to have a conversation. Will you go and wait for me in my bedroom?”
Richard tears his eyes from me. The second before he does, he lets me see the longing in his gaze. I want to mewl like a kitten and curl up in my nest away from everyone, but apparently, James has other ideas.
He sits down as Richard hoists himself to his unsteady feet, making me wince with the pain he felt.
This is fucking annoying. I hope it goes away soon. His pain, obviously, but also the link I created between us. What a dumb fuck. I knew biting him was going to come back and, erm, bite me on the arse.
“Sorry,” I murmur as soon as Richard is out of earshot.
He frowns at me. “Why are you apologising?”
“Because it…” I huff out a breath. “I don’t know. Seemed like the right thing to do.”
He snickers softly. “Rayne. You don’t need to stand on ceremony here. We are enamoured with you on a level that surpasses any and all previous emotions. Being ‘right’ or trying to be someone forced isn’t going to make us love you more. That’s not possible. I told you before that you could be a rabid bitch, and we’d still want you, that’s true, but it’s more than that. We’d stillloveyou. Knowing that you are the sweetest, kindest, bravest, most loyal omega on this earth is just icing on our cake. We adore you as you are, with no need for pretence.”
Blushing, I look down, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. “I never did answer Cam’s question.”
“What was that?”
“What if I foundyouall to be horrid and didn’t want you.”
His gentle laugh makes me look up again. “Well, do you think we’re horrid?”
“Not a single one of you. You are all amazing. You’ve been caring and compassionate, and you haven’t pressured me or tried to force your thoughts about certain things on me. You had my back with my dad, and that means more than anything. You are a decent pack of alphas, and I’d be lucky to be your mate.”
“Decent?” he scoffs. “I think we’re fucking brilliant.”
I snort with mirth. “You are, I just didn’t want to inflate that ego. Thank you for everything you’ve done. You are the best prime alpha a pack could have. I will be honoured to join you soon.”
“The honour is all ours, Rayne,” he says, taking my hand and kissing my knuckles. “You get some rest. We will take care of everything downstairs. But if you could text your dad and ask if there are any updates, I’d appreciate it.”
“Will do,” I say, reaching for my phone to immediately get on that.
He nods and leans forward, pushing my phone down so he can enter my personal space. I tilt my head back and enjoy the feel of his lips pressed against mine. I open up at the same he does, and sweep my tongue over his, feeling a thrill shoot down my spine. He is an amazing kisser, and I can’t wait for the day that I can just kiss him for hours on end. Today isn’t that day.
I pull back as a thought occurs to me. “The rut? Are you okay? Do you need me to…do anything?”
He shakes his head with a smile. “It’s not as intense as a normal rut. I’ve deduced it’s because you aren’t in your heat, but it still makes me smile that it came about because you are our mate and that cannot be refuted now. We can wait until you are ready to take us again.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Rest your bits. They were battered last night.” A wicked smile plays on his lips.
“Thank fuck,” I groan in relief and flop back to the pillows. “I’m aching.”
“I apologise. We got carried away.”
“Don’t be sorry! It was amazing.”
“Youare amazing, baby girl. Sleep now.” He kisses my nose and I fall for him in a way that can only be described as love. It’s warm and beautiful and needy without being obsessive. I want him to curl up with me while I sleep, but he has things to do, so I reluctantly let him go.
“Are you sure you’re okay with me biting Richard?” I ask, needing to be sure so this doesn’t come back in an argument further down the line.
He hesitates for a second, but it tells me a lot. “Yes, it hurts, but only because I’m eager to mate with you. I understand it completely, and I’m not going to rake you over the coals about something your instinct drove you to do. Don’t worry about me or the others. We know you have a special bond with him.”
I nod, taking his words at face value. I’m sure he means them, it’s just my own anxieties that are prodding at it and making me feel guilty.
“I’ll come and find you when my dad messages back,” I murmur and look down so I can type out a text.
