Page 23 of Knot for Me
Jefferson chokes. “Whoa.”
“You sure you’re not their omega?” Amelie asks, tipping her head. “You sure smell like it.” Her nose wrinkles and twitches.
“I’m sure,” I say, trying to get ahold of myself but not really knowing how. I can’t control the way I smell for fuck’s sake.
Moving back to her mate, she wraps herself around him, and he drops his nose to her neck, inhaling her scent. To a mated male, omegas smell bad. It’s nature’s way of protecting them from us. All unmated males—not only alphas—are drawn to omegas.
Lucas comes in first, growling at Amelie and Jefferson. They cringe away, and Jefferson pushes her behind him, the protective instinct in him coming out.
“What are you doing here?” Lucas demands.
Marco’s dark gaze finds mine.Are you okay?he mouths.
I nod, and his shoulders unbunch. Cory comes in next, eyes sweeping over the room like he’s looking for threats.
“We came to return your tent, remember?” Jefferson says, puffing his chest out and bravely looking the alpha in the eye.
“I sent a text.” Cory holds up his phone.
Amelie grimaces. “I hate group messages. I literally delete them without reading.”
“My phone broke last week,” Jefferson says. “I haven’t replaced it yet.”
Marco snickers. “You guys are the worst pack members.”
“Put the tent in the garage and get a new phone. No one is allowed at the house for a while.” The couple looks at me, guilt scrawled across their features. Lucas pinches the bridge of his nose. “What did you do?”
“I may have said some things.” Jefferson doesn’t want to admit the full truth, and based on the way the three guys stiffen, I don’t blame him.
“What did you say?” Marco asks, voice laced with an undercurrent of violence.
The change in him surprises me. He’s been carefree so far. I expected the rage from Lucas, but he ignores the couple and looks at me, face pained. He knows I know. Cory’s fingers curl into fists at his side. All three of their scents wash over me, their fierce protectiveness cloying in the air. My stomach flips.
Not your alphas,I scream inside my head.
“It wasn’t intentional. Jefferson mentioned the other omega and then he tried to make her feel better. We thought she was your new omega, so he told her about Emily.” Amelie’s voice rises, pleading for forgiveness.
“Get out,” Cory says.
“I’m sorry,” Jefferson says. “It was a mistake.”
“Get out,” Cory shouts, startling them and me with the force of his words.
My feet begin to move as soon as Amelie and Jefferson’s do, my body hastily trying to please the alpha.
“You can stay, Reagan.” Lucas’ words stop me in my tracks, and the needling urge to do what Cory said flees with Amelie and Jefferson’s retreat. They leave so quickly I wonder if they remembered to put their shoes on. Once the front door shuts, silence permeates the space.
“I finished cleaning.” I go to the table and grab my duster. “Tomorrow I thought I’d work on the living room,” I say, trying to smooth things over.
“Reagan, about Emily—” Lucas begins, but I cut him off.
“It’s fine. You don’t have to explain. I’m not your omega.”
His face goes from pained to indifferent in a matter of seconds. “Right, of course.” His eyes slide away from mine and his jaw clenches.
“Do you need anything?” Cory asks.
“Nope. I’m going to go make a snack.” I skipped lunch to read the alien books and now I’m starving. The guys never came back for their standard meal time, so I assume they ate out.
