Page 22 of Forget me Knot
Lily raises an eyebrow at me. “A plan?”
“Yeah,” I say firmly. “We can’t just sit around waiting for something bad to happen. We need to be prepared.”
Emily looks like she’s about to cry again, and I soften my tone, trying to be reassuring. “We won’t let anyone hurt you, Emily. But we need to be smart about this. They know or think they know you’re here.”
Lily nods and takes a deep breath, her expression hardening with resolve. “He’s right. We need to figure out our next steps. Did that alpha know for sure it was you who came into the shop? Was he following you, or was it some mad coincidence?”
Emily stares at her like a deer trapped in headlights.
“It’s okay either way, Emily, but we need to know. You’ve done nothing wrong, okay, love. In fact, you did the right thing coming to me.”
The way Lily speaks to her, so calm and reassuring, makes me so proud of her when I know she is cracking inside.
“I’m not really sure,” Emily says. “I—I think I made a mistake. I saw him, and I ran. He must’ve known it was me…”
She starts to cry, and Lily and I exchange a glance.
“Hey, it’s okay,” I say softly. “He can’t get to you here. We’ll make sure of it.”
Lily sets her tea down and gives me a fierce stare. “We’re not going to let him or anyone else come near you, Emily. We’ll protect you.”
Emily sniffles and nods, clutching the blanket tighter around her shoulders. Her eyes are red from crying and exhaustion. She curls up on the sofa, and Lily and I stand up and move into the kitchen.
“This is not good,” Lily says.
“That’s an understatement,” I mutter, taking her hand lightly. “How are you holding up?”
“Me? I’m fine,” she blusters, but we both know she’s lying. Her hands are trembling. Being decisive for once in my fucking life, I draw her closer to me and wrap my arms around her, breathing in the glorious scent of hers. These are the only times I can really smell it on her properly without interference, and it makes my heart ache and my cock hard. Without meaning to, I tighten my hold and gently trace my fingers down her right arm, drawing it up between us. I run my thumb over the inside of her wrist and hear her breath catch.
“Lily,” I whisper against her hair, “you don’t have to pretend with me.”
Her head rests against my chest just for a moment. Just long enough for me to feel her relax before she pulls away slightly, looking up with those beautiful green eyes.
“I’m not pretending,” she says stubbornly. God, she’s stubborn. But it’s one of the things I love about her.
We go back into the living room to find that Emily has already fallen asleep on the sofa, looking so small and vulnerable.
Lily gently places another blanket over her and gestures for me to join her in the bedroom. Turning to the door, I lock it and then join her, where she is already lying on one side, still fully clothed and staring at the ceiling. It’s too early for bed, but with Emily out for the count on the sofa, there isn’t anywhere else we can go. After closing the door quietly, I kick my boots off and crawl onto the bed next to her. To my surprise, she curls up next to me, her head on my chest.
“Thank you, Jack. For everything,” she murmurs.
“You don’t need to thank me,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. “I’d do anything for you, Lily. You know that.”
She lets out a small, exhausted sigh and snuggles closer. I can feel the tension slowly leaving her body as she relaxes against me. Her scent is intoxicating, and I have to fight the urge to bury my nose in her hair and breathe deeply.
We lie there in comfortable silence for a while, the soft rhythm of her breathing mingling with the distant sounds of the countryside. The Lake District is usually so peaceful, but it feels like we’re on high alert, waiting for something terrible to happen.
“Do you think we’ll be able to keep Emily safe?” Lily asks quietly, startling me because I thought she was asleep.
“We have to,” I reply firmly. “There’s no other option.”
She shifts slightly, her fingers tracing idle patterns on my chest. “I hate that her family are doing this.” The bitterness in her tone is definitely caused by her own situation.
“Some alphas are just pricks,” I mutter darkly. “They see omegas as property, something they can own and control.”
Lily’s hand stills on my chest, and she looks up at me. “But you’re not like that.”
I shake my head vehemently. “No fucking way. Omegas deserve respect and freedom, just like anyone else.”
