Page 16 of Knot As It Seems

I finally pry my eyes from Fable. “You’re pack now. We’llmake it official soon, don’t worry. I’ll make sure we get the papers started to officially add your name to our pack.”

“You’re serious?” he asks, clear disbelief evident in his tone.

“Of course.” I linger, knowing it’s time to leave, but unwilling to.

He seems eager to prolong this moment that feels important, same as me when he asks me, “You feel the pull, don’t you? I don’t believe for a second you’re all as unaffected by her as you’re trying so hard to make it seem like.”

His voice is so low I’m not worried about waking her, but I check her breathing again, just in case. Then self-deprecating laughter escapes me. “Scent matching is no joke. After years of being exposed to it, I thought I knew every nuance there was to wisteria and wild berries mixed together, but I’m finding I know very little. I hate everything about what she’s had to go through to get here. It’s cruel the way the world spins sometimes.”

“Well, what are you going to do about it?” he challenges me.

I tiptoe to the window and pry the blinds apart to make sure our driveway is quiet. Of course it is, but I’m so fidgety and I know I need to go do what I’m already mentally planning. “For starters, I’m going to the all-night nesting store so I can stock her up. I don’t want her to be uncomfortable or cold ever again.”

“That’s… isn’t that like two hours away? Winslow used to make fun of how far people would drive to shop there. There are closer stores with decent enough selections.”

I shrug. “Doesn’t matter how far it is, it’s what shedeserves. I’ll grab an energy drink and I’m sure we have a vehicle that’s got a full tank. I just want Fable to wake up to cozy things that no one else has ever touched before.”

“What are we doing about a nest for her, then? Can we make this room work somehow? I’m pretty new to this alpha thing. I don’t know what my instincts really want me to do other than give her anything she wants.”

“That’s pretty much all there is to it,” I agree with a small smile, even if he can’t see it properly in the dark. “She was rightfully upset earlier when we talked about the nest, but Winslow never actually used it. We never even showed it to her, because we were waiting for a real commitment before we did that. We know that nests are incredibly personal to omegas and that once you bring one into your home and let them make it theirs, it’s pretty permanent.

“I guess we must have known somehow that Winslow wasn’t really for us because we never got to that point. We talked about it amongst ourselves a few times, but that’s about it. Moon brought the nest up earlier with Fable knowing all that, and he was a dick for not saying so immediately, but I think he’s going to have to learn his own lessons with her. I love that she’s not letting him, or any of us really, get away with anything.”

“That’s good then. So, you’re going to get her supplies?”

I nod, my feet unmoving. I look up to him anxiously, and somehow, he reads my mind.

“I won’t leave her side. I won’t sleep a bit.”

“I couldn’t ask you to stay up all night just so I’m not paranoid.”

“I couldn’t sleep all night without knowing no one is trying to get to her. I know that door was locked, by the way.”

I shrug, not admitting to shit when it comes to breaking into the room. “Okay. You’ll stay here?”

“I’ll stay here.”

“Will you take my phone number so you can text me if she wakes or needs something?”

He lets out a soft laugh. “I don’t have a phone at the moment. I left it at my friend’s that was housing me while I turned and I haven’t gone back to get it.”

“Where’s he live?”

“Not too far. You ever heard of Sal Domingo? Do most vampires know each other for some reason? Or is that offensive to assume?”

“You’re friends with Sal? No shit?”

“Yeah, met at a party a few years ago and stayed in contact enough that he offered to help me through the transition so my family would be safe.”

“That’s my cousin.”

“That— what? Really?”

“Yeah. We can swing by when it’s daylight and get whatever you need. Is there anything you need me to get you while I’m out? I know they have a small alpha section at the nesting store.”

“I can’t impose on you any more than I already am, but thanks.”

“Pack,” I reply.