Page 117 of Down Knot Out
But I still worry.
The one thing I hadn’t considered was what to do with Quinn. If Quinn wakes up and senses the shift in Chloe’s scent, she’ll be confused. We need to separate her from Chloe soon, but the last thing I want is for my niece to think she’s being rejected, and none of us can leave with her. Not during Chloe’s first Heat. It’s the most important one for all of our pack to be here for.
The uncertainty keeps me staring into the dark instead of resting as I should, because sleep will be scarce once her Heat takes full control.
I press my fingers into Chloe’s throat to check the rapid flutter of her pulse and her rising temperature. We still have time for me to take Quinn to Kyle’s in the morning.
But what if Quinn refuses? What if she panics?
Careful not to disturb my niece or Chloe, I shift onto my back and nudge Nathaniel.
His eyes open right away, proving that he, too, can’t sleep. He arches one brow at me in question.
I lean in close to his ear. “What’s the plan if it starts before morning?”
He shifts on the cushions and angles his head closer. “Kyle and Grady are on standby. Emily will handle the job site.”
I relax. Of course, he already has everything figured out. I shouldn’t have wasted so much time worrying on my own.
My phone vibrates under the pillow. I slide it out, shielding the screen with my palm, and my heart lurches at the message preview.
Sadie Burton – Visitation Confirmed. Thursday, 11:00 AM. Accompanied by: Martha Reynolds (Housekeeper/Sober Companion).
Nathaniel catches the shift in my scent, and his hand covers mine, angling the phone so he can read the message.
His expression doesn’t change, and his grip on me remains loose, waiting for me to speak first.
I turn off the screen. “This is the worst time for her to come.”
“Better to get it over with, so we know what the next steps will be. And Chloe’s Heat will be over by then.” Nathaniel’s hand settles over my heart, and my breathing steadies. “We’ll get through it.”
My hand tightens around my phone. The urge to throw it across the room is strong, but that would wake Chloe, and our Omega needs calm right now, not frustrated anger.
With a calming inhale, I tuck the phone back under the pillow, then turn my head toward Chloe, who sleeps so deeply that her lashes stick together in damp little spikes. I let myself imagine every night being this safe and every morning as sweet.
Nathaniel settles next to me, draping his arm over my shoulders. The room feels crowded and perfect, and for a second, I let myself believe we can hold the world at bay with nothing more than the strength of our bonds.
Near dawn, Quinn’s whimpers pull me from a restless sleep.
She twitches between Chloe and me, hands balled into tight fists. Her mouth moves, lips palein the blue light leaking through the window. “No, please don’t let her take me.”
Chloe’s arm finds Quinn by reflex, clutching the girl tighter to her chest, as if she can keep the world out by force of will alone. But Quinn keeps whimpering, legs kicking at the blankets, caught in a loop of fear she can’t shake loose.
I try to soothe her by running a hand down her back, but my palm comes away damp with sweat. I scoop her up slowly so as not to jar her awake. Her body folds into my lap, small and shivering, and she latches onto my T-shirt, face buried under my chin.
Chloe stirs and opens her eyes, sleep-glazed and feverish. “Is she okay?”
I stroke the tangle of Quinn’s hair, and my niece tucks in closer, as if she can burrow straight through me and out the other side. “Nightmare. I’ve got her.”
Holden mumbles and rolls over, his arm draping across both of them. His hand finds Quinn’s back, and he pats her in his sleep. Quinn relaxes a little, the whimpers fading to breathless hiccups.
Ever the caretaker, our gentlest Alpha.
I wait until Quinn’s breathing settles, then lay her back down between me and Chloe, keeping ahand on her so she’ll know I’m there. But sleep won’t come again, not for me.
I let my mind drift back to the day before and the way Quinn reacted to the news about her mother wanting to visit. She’d taken the news about as well as expected, asking if it meant she’d have to leave here, and I hadn’t been able to offer her reassurance.
She’d sat on the stairs for half an hour, silent, chewing her thumbnail until it bled while Sprinkles whined at her feet. After, she’d retreated to her tree house in her bedroom and refused to come out until Chloe bribed her with coloring.
