Page 32 of Knot Enough
Rath stormed away. A door slammed somewhere deep in the house. The corners of my mouth tipped down. He left so easily. Why couldn’t he believe me?
I swallowed past the tightness in my throat.
“Ignore him, honey,” Axel murmured. I chugged the rest of the searing tea down, enjoying the burn. Axel pet my head. “Let’s get you bathed.”
SEVENTEEN
After bathing, I crept into the bedroom. Axel braced his shoulders against the wall, rubbing his chin. He stared at the ground, unfocused.
Low, deep murmurs reached my ears. Wood creaked under my weight, and the voices cut off.
Axel turned, and his gaze clashed with mine; whatever had been clouding them disappeared with his focus on me. He waved a hand at the folded clothing at the edge of the bed.
“You’ll have to wear this for now.” A small grimace rippled over his expression. At least there was no wondering if it’d fit me. Dropping the towel, I pinched the edge of the huge shirt.
There was no need for embarrassment. After all, it was Axel.
Licking my lips, I slipped it on, and the ends tickled my thighs. Cotton draped over the swell of my belly. Eucalyptus sifted into the room, accompanied by footsteps—Oak, the Beta. Oak was the leanest of the four, yet still massive. His staying here surprised me; usually, he lingered around Rath.
I rolled my shoulders. After the bath, I felt human. I shuddered, raking my hands through my long, damp hair.
“Ready?” Axel asked.
“For what?—”
He swept me up, bracing his arm under my back and the other below my knees.
I gasped. My feet kicked in the air.
“What are you doing?” Panic tightened my throat, and I clawed my fingers into his shoulders.
Axel stopped his drive forward and frowned at me.
“I won’t hurt you, honey.”
The words were a balm, and I went limp. Instinctively, I wanted to fight, so I had to force my muscles to relax.
Axel held my gaze a few seconds more. Sincerity blared in his gaze. My hard breathing calmed with his calmness.
He still hadn’t moved, so I slowly nodded.
A satisfied smile spread on his lips. With only that look, he managed to comfort me in a way I never had been before.
His heavy steps thudded down the hall. I stared wide-eyed at the wood panels making up the wall and the dark brown shades of the staircase.
He was taking me outside. No fucking way. Letting me go?
DidI want to go home?
I clutched the front of his shirt tighter.
I didn’t want to leave him. He approached a tall SUV, heading for the wide-open back seat.
Before I could spiral, he thumped me on the tan leather. Kane gripped the steering wheel with one hand. The weight of his gaze settled on my face. I met his intense eyes for a second and then dropped them.
Everything moved quickly from there.
Axel hopped into the passenger side and settled back. Both their seats dropped so far back that I had to huddle in the middle section.
