Page 18 of Knot My Fault
Hollis: saw a dog wearing sunglasses outside the gym. felt important to report.
The photo loads underneath. It is, unfortunately, an excellent dog, wearing blue sunglasses with the kind of gravitas most administrators can only dream of. I have no idea why Hollis would send me something like this and I’m even more curious why he would do it when I’ve been avoiding him.
My mouth twitches before I can stop it. Parker notices first as her eyes flick from the phone to my face. “Oh, that’s agorgeousblush,” she teases.
“It was an allergic reaction,” I say, locking the screen and turning the phone facedown.
Milo leans forward like I’ve handed him a gift. “To the lighting or to the text?”
“To this entire table.”
Blair’s gaze drops to the phone I’m trying too hard not to touch. “See, I have a feeling it has to do with the two who got you on auction night. I’m sure you don’t want to talk about it but I’ve never seen an auction fizzle out like that. Most of us end up mated or at least dating or something. After that night...”
My face gets hotter. “I’m going to transfer.”
“Before or after you answer?” Parker asks, still smiling, but there’s nothing mean in it. That might be why I don’t immediately get up and leave.
The phone buzzes again but I don’t touch it. I glance up at the three of them, studying their expressions. Without the ability to read their scent, I have to hope they aren’t playing with me, that they really care.
Milo’s the first to break the tension. “You like them, don’t you? Oo, that’s so adorable! When me and my brother fell for the coach’s daughter—”
Parker slaps a hand over his mouth as Blair just shakes his head. “What Milo is trying to say without giving you his whole pack history is that we all kind of fell together with our mates because it was something we wanted. Something we looked forward to. Something we felt safe in and by the look on your face, I feel like you found some part of that.”
I manage a shrug. Being wrapped up in Hollis’ arms that night was my favorite part. I’ve never cuddled in my life but hearinghis purr beneath my ear coupled with his heartbeat... I’ve dreamt of it every night since. The problem is that I can’t trust it.
Parker’s teasing softens when I don’t answer. “Bishop and Hollis, right?”
I nod, dragging a hand through my hair. “Yeah, they’re a mated Alpha, Beta pair. I wasn’t even supposed to be on the stage but... it happened and they won the bid. Our swim team also has enough money for everything else after adding up all the monies that the other swim Alphas brought in.”
Blair lets out a soft purr, his tongue playing with his lip ring. I still have no idea how he ended up with two women, Alphas who always look one step away from throwing his ass on the mat. I’ve only been to one match but the way he mouths off around them...
Nope, I get it now.
Blair leans forward, tapping against the desk. “Look, Bishop was the one I caught trying to scrounge up the donations and I overheard so I just pitched in.” I glare at him and he sighs. “Sorry, not really the point. I’m just saying that I could see then that you meant something to him, hell Hollis too. He’s adorable, you know? In like a six foot, bear type of way. They obviously don’t care about last year.”
Parker shoots him a look, but he only rests his chin on his hand and watches me like he’s waiting to see whether I’ll run. No pity. No soft tragedy face. No leaning in like my pain is a secret he’s excited to borrow.
“I don’t want to talk about last year,” I say, because it’s better to put the warning down before someone steps on it.
Blair’s expression barely changes. “Good. I don’t want the hallway gossip version, and you don’t owe me the real one. I know there was an incident, and I know enough to know Knotlocke likes simple stories when complicated ones require work.”
Parker’s hand rests near mine on the table. “We’re not asking for details.”
Milo has gone quieter, which is somehow the most startling part of the whole thing. He turns the charcoal pencil between his fingers, before looking right at me. “But if you’re scared because you like them, that part is allowed to be talked about without making you explain everything else. They raised money to save you from ending up with another Alpha, Jude. That has to count for something, right?”
I look at the painting again. The woman in the doorway has one foot angled toward the hall and one still inside the room. I hate her too.
“They asked for more,” I say.
Parker’s eyebrows lift, but she doesn’t interrupt.
“I left before breakfast because that’s what you do when something is supposed to be one night, and Bishop was awake.” My fingers find the edge of the coffee cup, denting the cardboard slightly. “He said they wanted me.Me.”
I don’t know what to do when people want me beyond the story or the swimmer or just an Omega in general. No one has ever wanted that. Hell, no one has ever even stayed for a heat, not that I’d ever had a full one. The one I had when I first presented, I used a Rent-an-Alpha service and there wasn’t any emotion during those few days.
Parker clicks her tongue to drag my attention back to her. “So, I’m assuming you want them but what’s stopping you?” I don’t answer so she fills in the silence. “If it helps, my best friends and I had a night together before the auction. It became more but I couldn’t tell if they were playing with me or we were trying to make it official. It took a lot of pouting and confusion but we figured it out and became mates. You just have to talk to them, tell them what your boundaries are...”
Boundaries.
