Page 150 of Knot So Lucky
This is bigger than me.
"I'll be in your office in a moment," I tell Richard, keeping my voice steady despite the emotions churning in my chest. "But I need to steal my brother for a second first."
Richard nods, already typing on his tablet.
"Ten minutes. Then we need to start making calls."
I grab Roran's arm and tug him away from the crowd, navigating through the garage toward my private office. It's small—barely more than a glorified closet with a desk and some filing cabinets—but it's mine and it has a door that closes.
The moment we're inside with the door shut, I let out a long breath.
Roran leans against my desk, watching me with those storm-green eyes that mirror mine exactly.
Waiting patiently for me to process whatever I need to say.
"Are you okay?" The question bursts out before I can formulate something more eloquent.
His expression softens. "I should be asking you that. You're the one who got kidnapped and went through your first heat in crisis conditions."
"I'm fine," I insist, waving off his concern. "Seriously. I had help, I'm safe now, and we're dealing with the assholes responsible. But you?—"
I cut myself off, struggling to articulate the concern that's been gnawing at me since I learned about everything that happened while I was unconscious and then in heat.
Roran must read something in my expression because he pushes off the desk and pulls me into a hug.
The gesture surprises me enough that I freeze for a moment before melting into it, wrapping my arms around my twin and holding on tighter than is probably necessary.
"Fuck," he murmurs into my hair. "I almost lost my shit when I heard you were kidnapped. Cale had to physically restrain me and reassure me not to interfere until you were safe and stable."
His scent—ozone and fresh linen, so familiar it makes my chest ache—wraps around me like comfort.
"I'm fine," I repeat, pulling back just enough to meet his eyes. "Things got a little crazy, and I didn't mean to ghost you or the family. But the heat was... intense. And I'm sure you don't need to know the whole details of that."
Roran's face scrunches up in exaggerated disgust.
"Yeah, no thanks. You're my sister, and that's way more information than I need about your sex life."
I laugh—genuine and surprised—and it feels good to laugh about something that was so overwhelming just days ago.
"But are you actually okay?" I press, studying his face for signs of strain or injury.
"Being drugged sucks balls," Roran admits with a grimace. "But I'm fine and Dad found out about everything, so..." He trails off meaningfully.
I smirk despite myself.
"Yeah. We already know what's gonna happen."
Our father's overprotective tendencies are legendary. The moment Gregory Lane discovered his daughter was kidnapped, drugged, and forced into heat away from family protection, he probably mobilized every resource at his disposal to exact revenge.
At this rate, if Cale and Elias handle the situation faster than my parents, it would be a blessing.
If they don’t…well, I almost feel sorry for the kidnappers.
Almost.
"I'll give them a quick call," I promise. "Let them know I'm alive and functional and ready to get back to work. But let's catch up properly later? Maybe dinner?"
"One hundred percent." Roran nods enthusiastically. "I want to hear about these pack bonds everyone's talking about. And whether you're actually considering racing instead of just pit work."
