Page 33 of In Knots

I shrug as if to say that isn’t a problem. Some of the girls at the finishing school used to play similar games. I was never interested. Their games always revolved around their experiences with alphas and I had very few. Generally, I’d find an excuse not to join in – an assignment that needed to be finished, a letter that required writing.

Tonight, I feel like throwing caution to the wind. I’m curious. I don’t want to watch from the side lines.

“OK then,” the beta girl asks, “first question: have you ever been in love?” Her eyes lock across at Bear as she asks her question.

I turn to Ryan. “She seems–”

“They used to date. Ended several months back, but she still has a thing for him.” He rolls his eyes. “Most girls do. Come to think of it, most boys do too.”

I blink, then peer across at Bear. It’s hardly surprising, the man is a mountain and yet his face isn’t hard, it’s beautiful. Dark skin, chiselled cheekbones, soft lips and even darker eyes.

Ryan nudges me. “You drinking or not, princess?”

I blink again. “I drink if I have, is that correct?”

“Yes,” he answers with a little smile.

My can remains balanced on my knee. He examines it and nods, and likewise I note they haven’t lifted their own drinks.

“That was lame, Sam,” someone calls out from the shadows at the other side of the fire. “If you’re going to play this game, it needs to be spicy. Who’s had a multiple orgasm here?”

Several girls lift their drinks, giggling as they do. Once again, my drink remains untouched.

“That is a crime,” Buzz growls right by my ear, and a shiver races down my spine.

The can is cold in my hands and wet, condensation streaming down the sides, and I lift it to my blazing cheeks.

“Have you ever had sex on a bike?” someone shouts out. Only Bear raises his drink to that one and someone high fives him as peals of laughter ring out around the fire.

“How is that even possible?” one of the girls mutters.

“Want me to show you?” Bear asks. More laughter.

“Have you ever slept with more than one person at once? Like a threesome?” the first girl calls out, clearly changing the subject.

Either side of me, both alphas raise their cans and drink. I watch, my stomach spinning at the realisation of such a possibility, and I meet Ryan’s eyes, darker than they were, more heated. He squeezes my thigh.

Around us, the party has dissolved into tales of sexual encounters, the game clearly over.

Ryan rises to his feet, peering over to Buzz who does the same.

“Come on, little Omega,” he says, holding out his hand.

They lead me away from the fire, further into the thickness of the forest, where the moon struggles to penetrate the treetops.

In the darkness, they halt and I can hear their ragged breaths.

Ryan kisses me first, his hands planted on my hips, holding me firm to the spot. His kiss is warm and hungry, his tongue sliding into my mouth. Then Buzz is there too, right behind me. He slides my hair to one side and nuzzles my neck, his hands tracing up and down the curves of my body.

“This OK, baby?” he whispers in my ear, as Ryan pulls back to peer into my eyes.

“Yes,” I say a little breathlessly. “Yes.”

“If you want us to stop–”

“Don’t stop!”

“If you want us to stop,” Ryan continues, “just say. Just tell us, Omega.”

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