Page 41 of Knot Broken

I sucked in a breath to answer, but Ethan got in first.

“Found his fated mate,” he replied with an easy smile. “Not sure if you could pull him away from Nadia for anything. Not even you, Jess.”

He leaned in and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“Mate?” Not for the first time did my head fill with curses for Ethan. Jess looked up at me with eyes wide with anticipation. “You’ve found her? Well, what’re you doing here, you big lunk! Go and impress your girl.”

“Nadia’s not my mate.”

It felt like those words were forced past my teeth.

“Bullshit…” Ethan said with a fake sneeze.

“We’re not a pack,” I continued.

“Look like one from where I’m standing.” Haze Taylor came to stand with his brother, and he had me wondering what he saw that I didn’t. He and his brothers were born in a pack, ready to take over the role of ruling alphas in their small town. A glance over at Ethan meant I saw the moment when his smile faded. “So did you guys do a job in a small town and met your omega there or something?”

For a beat, both Ethan and I were silent as we shot each other sidelong looks. The actual story wasn’t one we could share with the woman who was my mother in every way but blood and the men who’d stepped up to become father figures for all of us.

“Ah, no,” I said.

“Seems like there’s a story there,” Haze said with a grin.

“Nadia’s a city girl,” I replied. “We met her at one of the offices we’re working on and Tex and her just clicked.”

“That’s one way of putting it…” Ethan muttered.

“A city omega?” Riley, Fen and Haze’s mate, had obviously overheard the conversation. Her look of concern lit an answering fire in my heart. “That doesn’t happen that often. Was she born in one of the alpha towns?”

“I don’t⁠—”

“Because if she’s a latent, then we need to get involved.” Her eyes bled to silver as she stared at me. “That can be incredibly dangerous, even possibly kill your mate.”

“Riley…” Fen said.

“No, I’m serious. I know we’ve gotten a lot better at dealing with latents.” A glance Ethan’s way had him flushing. “But it’s still a serious medical event that needs managing.”

“Excuse my mate,” Haze said, slinging an arm around Riley’s shoulders. “She’s kinda passionate about this area of genetic research, even when out of the office. So we can book Tex’s mate in for a consult and…”

That’s how I ended up hammering on Nadia’s door. Riley was the smartest person I knew and if she thought there was a problem, then as far as I could see, there was one. Nadia’s door swung open and for just a heartbeat, I took in her flushed face, her dishevelled appearance, then started peppering her with questions.

“You think I’m an omega?” she asked, taking a step backwards and away from us, then another. “Like an actual, factual omega.”

“Of course,” Tex said, holding his hands up. “What did you think happened that day? A beta can’t take an alpha’s knot. Nadia, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about this.”

“Now might not be the right time,” Ethan hissed, but when did Tex ever listen to anyone?

“When you walked into that office,” Tex continued, seeming oblivious to Nadia’s wide-eyed stare. “When I first laid eyes on you, I knew.”

“No.” She shook her head. “No, no, no, no.”

“No woman has ever touched me,” he explained. “None will, other than my mate.”

“You think…” Her finger shook as she pointed it at Tex. “And I’m…” Her thumb jerked towards her chest. “And you…?” Her eyes met mine, turning from brown to silver in a way that filled me with fear.

Yes, the wolf said. Yes.

“No.” I hadn’t lost control once since I turned eighteen. My wolf wasn’t in charge, I was. “Tex is your fated mate.” A glance over at Ethan had him shifting uncomfortably.