Page 70 of Knot for Me
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I take a shower after I finish, washing off invisible dust and the creepiness from the phone calls. I haven’t been brave enough to check my phone again, but at some point I need to grow some balls and see what Megan texted me earlier. Blow-drying my hair has never been an enjoyable experience since it’s so long, but with Lucas’ tantalizing scent teasing me from the closet, I end up smiling the entire time.
Is it wrong to be so proud of myself? I definitely still feel like an idiot, but Lucas was wild for me. There’s a certain amount of pride to be gained from that conquest. He’s smoking hot and can probably have his pick of women.
For no particular reason, I put on eyeliner, mascara, and a cute light-pink lip-gloss. Simple and low-key enough I don’t look desperate for their attention. Sometimes it’s nice to turn heads, even if those heads are strictly forbidden. I skip socks and put on the comfy house slippers, sighing at how soft and warm they are.
The front door slams shut, and I quickly go to check my phone before joining the guys downstairs. Aside from Amelie, they’re my only in-person interactions, and I do enjoy their company, even if it begrudges me to admit it. I tap in the passcode to the lock screen, eyebrows rising when I see the notification was for a voicemail and not a text. I open the voicemails, throat dry when I see the unknown number.
Putting it on speaker, I sit on the bed and play the message. A deep, annoyed breath before a distorted voice comes on the line.
How many royal omegas have to die before the Royal Council learns their lesson? Block the number again and you’ll be next.
The message ends, and I recoil from the device, lips pressing into a thin line. Cory bursts into my room without invitation, heading straight for me. His brow is furrowed and there’s something lethal flaring in his eyes.
“Hey! It’s rude to come in without knocking,” I say, standing and stumbling away from the bed. He’s so angry I have one second of panic that this is it. This is when the too-good-to-be-true life ends and he takes advantage of me.
That doesn’t happen, and I gasp when he snatches my phone off the bed. I forget all of my irrational fear and lunge for it.
“Don’t.”
Too late. He’s clicked the play button on the message and the distorted voice repeats the same warning. Cory’s face darkens, and his fingers clench around the phone. Forms move in my peripheral vision, and I look over at Marco and Lucas standing in the doorway, eyes blazing with the same ferocity as Cory’s.
“How long has this been going on?” Lucas pins me with a hard look, one that warns me not to lie to him.
Still, I debate not telling him the whole truth until I realize these alphas are the only ones who can protect me. They have a ridiculous amount of money, and they can hire extra protection. They can contact the authorities and request an official inquiry. It would be dumb to reject the help.
“I’ve received a few emails. This is the first voicemail.”
“The ragged ass breathing?” Marco asks.
“There were a few calls from an unknown number but I blocked them.”
“It doesn’t matter how many times you block them, people like this always have more burner phones.” Cory holds up the device. “Can I look?”
“As long as you promise not to read the messages with my sister.”
His eyes light with interest, but the creepy voicemail is more important than whatever he might find in my personal conversations. “Of course,” he says, tapping through my phone. He reads the emails out loud, and Lucas’ expression grows more and more thunderous with every threatening word spoken.
“What the fuck, Reagan?”
I throw my hands into the air. “What the fuck me? What the fuck you? This is happening because of you.” He flinches, and I bite my bottom lip, shaking my head. “I’m sorry. This isn’t your fault.”
Concealing his emotions from me, Lucas’ face shuts down until a coldness I don’t enjoy takes over, masking the rage. “We’ll take care of it.” He leaves me in my room with Marco and Cory.
Marco watches him walk away. “Fuck. I’ll go talk to him.”
“I didn’t mean it,” I mumble. I shouldn’t have said that. Emily was murdered, and it’s easy to see the alphas blame themselves, Lucas most of all.
“I know. He’s hard on himself. We all are.” Marco glances over me. “I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe.” Then he leaves too.
Cory is still snooping through my phone. I drop onto the bed, sighing heavily.
“I’m starting to regret messing up my chances at the Compatibility Ceremony.”
Stopping what he’s doing, Cory gives me a serious look. “Really?”
“Maybe? I don’t know. I never wanted to be an omega. I refuse to have kids and that’s basically what I’m supposed to do. I don’t regret it entirely, but I can acknowledge that a pack placement might have been easier.”
