Page 35 of Tying the Knot
Remembering that, I cast my glance around the busy street but see nothing suspicious, so I focus on moving forward and getting back to the hotel as quickly as possible.
By the time I burst through the reception door, I’m a complete mess. The heat has hit me so hard, so quickly, I feel like throwing up. I hold onto my stomach as I aim for the stairs, fumbling for my keycard in my coat pocket.
It takes me three tries to get the door to open, tears of frustration welling up until the green light flashes, and it clicks open. I drag the card out and stumble into the room, slamming the door behind me. I drop my bag, dragging off my hat and scarf to dump on the floor and strip off the rest of my clothes, feeling the cool air hit my fevered skin.
I sigh with a bit of relief and then fumble my way into the bathroom, my eyes half-closed against the light. I grab a sponge and run it under the cool tap, dousing my face and armpits with cold water, feeling it drip down my body in icy rivulets that feel wonderful.
Leaving the bathroom with the sponge, I cross over to the bag and remove my wet clothing from it, along with Nik’s tee. I place them on the radiator, still having the wherewithal to do this, so they don't go mouldy and gross while I’m curled up in my nest.
Falling into the nest and wrapping my blue blanket around me, I groan as the cramps hit me.
“Fuck.”
A haze drops over me, and everything slows down. I close my eyes, trying to force myself to sleep it off, but it doesn’t work. That isn’t how this works. I need the knot.
“Shit", I mumble, my lips already cracked from me breathing heavily through my mouth, so I don’t throw up on the floor.
However, the mere thought of that brings it to the forefront. My stomach churns, and I leap out of my nest, turning my twisted ankle more. I shriek as the sharp pain slices through me, but it’s the least of my worries. I bend over the toilet just in time to see my meagre breakfast in reverse. With tears and panting, I wipe my mouth and flush, hoisting myself back to my feet. I rinse out my mouth with the small glass in the bathroom and then hobble back to my nest, hoping that this will pass before the usual five days. I can’t do this alone. I can’t.
You can, and you will.
“No,” I weep. “This isn’t how it’s supposed to be.”
Curling back up in my blanket, the cramps ease long enough for me to drop into a daze before they return tenfold, and I find myself back in the bathroom to repeat the process several times over before exhaustion, pain and probably dehydration drag me under.
ChapterTwenty-Five
Dylan
“What is it?”Eli asks as I’ve zoned out.
Something doesn’t feel right, and usually, I have a sixth sense about these things. I may not be an alpha, but I’m not ordinary by any means. Ever since I was a child, I could tell when things were going to go sideways. I knew when my dad was going to leave my mum for an omega half his age when I was thirteen, and the hits just kept on coming. Trauma response? Maybe. Or maybe it’s something that sets me apart from the other betas of this world and what caught Eli’s attention six years ago. He takes it very seriously, which is weird. Of all the alphas in this pack, I’d expect Kaleb to be the one to have my back the most when it comes to this.
“She’s gone,” I murmur, turning and racing through the kitchen to the utility room. “She’s gone!”
The washing machine door is slightly open, and the back door is unbolted.
“Shit!” Eli thunders, coming up behind me. “How? They came over the wall?”
“Nope, she left on her own. Look, the back door is unbolted.” I move over to try the handle, and it opens wide when I pull it.
“Jesus,” he snaps. “Why? Did we do something to scare her off?”
I glance at the prime alpha going into a slight meltdown with surprise. I’ve never seen him so panicked about anything.
“Who knows? Some of us were acting a bit weird.” I glare at Nik and Kaleb, who couldn’t have made it more obvious that they were into her in the kitchen earlier.
“Don’t blame me,” Nik says. “I’ve only just caught up with this. You’ve all had days to get used to her scent.”
“Yeah, and now you are ruined like the rest of us,” Kaleb grumbles.
“None of that matters. I’m telling you that SUV that came past wasn’t lost. It was looking for her. And now we’ve driven her out of here straight into their path!” He storms to the door, bolting out without a coat, but shit. Yeah. We all follow him because standing around here arguing about who drove her away is time wasted. Lunging for the door, I see Eli looking around the courtyard and then marching over to the gate. He opens it and sticks his head out.
“Definitely left on her own,” he mutters, crushingly disappointed.
His face is breaking my heart.
I ignore his tone and barge past him onto the street, running around to the main road and back in the direction of the hotel.
