Page 45 of Knot Broken

He slapped a twenty-dollar bill into his brother’s hand.

“Someone needs to tell Ethan that,” I growled.

Watching him walk out the door, away from our omega, pissed me right off, but I kept that down in front of Nadia. He was happy enough to participate when it was fun, then bolted as soon as things got tough? The look on her face, the stink of disappointment meant that me and Pretty Boy were due for a frank conversation.

“It’ll all work out,” Fen said. “We’ve been doing this for years now and it always does. Riley went through this on her own when it was her turn. She’d never allow another latent to suffer the way she did.”

“What’s the security like here?” Grey frowned as he inspected the living area. “And what access do other alphas have to this suite…?”

He and the Taylors discussed the situation in depth, but my attention was drawn to Nadia’s door. The tinny sound of videos playing could be just made out, but she didn’t pause on any for long. Finally, the Taylors left and that’s when my hand rose, ready to knock on Nadia’s door.

“She asked for space.” Grey was there, standing before me in seconds. “Nadia’s tired, has to be feeling overwhelmed by everything that’s happened today. We need to respect that.”

“And I will, if that’s what she decides.” With a big yawn, I stretched my arms above my head. “Got fuck all sleep last night and wouldn’t mind a nap myself. Some people…” I looked him up and down meaningfully. “They feel better having someone around when they’re feeling down.”

“I…” He shook his head sharply. “You think I don’t want that? It’s taking everything I’ve got to keep my wolf in check. As far as he’s concerned, I should kick down the door and bite first, ask questions later, claiming my mate.”

“And when did that start?” I hadn’t had a chance to ask him about that before, but there was no time like the present. “How long have you known Nadia is your mate?”

He didn’t want to answer, his expression growing thunderous, but at my steady stare, he finally replied.

“Since the moment I walked into that work site.” Silver eyes met mine. “One breath of her scent and I knew. Didn’t say anything to you, because I had no intention of acting on it. Nadia…” His focus shifted to the door and I was half expecting the wood to go up in flames under his intent gaze. “She deserves a whole lot more than me as a mate.”

“So—”

“Fancy place like this, they’d have to have a gym.” He stared at his hands, watching the claws start to form. “I need to run, tire the wolf out so I can keep him under wraps. You stay here.” I snorted at his bossy tone, but when he looked at me, his eyes had returned to blue. “If Nadia needs someone to care for her, comfort her, well, you’re better suited to that than me.”

I could’ve argued with him. The man had a giant chip on his shoulder, but he forgot I’d seen him with the foster kids at Jess’ place. He could be gentle as a lamb when he wanted to be. Instead, I watched him head for the door.

“Just… look after her, OK?”

“Nothing else I can do,” I replied.

He nodded and then exited the suite, leaving just me, the wolf at Nadia’s door. I rapped the wood gently with my knuckles and then opened it when I heard a muffled voice telling me to come in. Nadia was propped up against a mound of pillows, the blinds drawn and only a lamp for light.

“Did something happen?” She went to get off the bed, but I stopped her. “Please tell me that there’s no more drama today.”

“None at all.” I grabbed what looked like a velvety soft throw off the bottom of the bed, then flicked it out and wrapped it around her. She settled back against the pillows. “Absolutely no drama, but I just wanted to make clear that not everything about this process has to be so painful.”

Her scent sweetening was what had me sitting down on the edge of the bed. Toeing off my shoes, I turned around and then pulled her into the safe haven of my arms.

“Doom scrolling and a nanna nap,” I reminded her before nodding at her phone. “Get those thumbs moving, little lady.”

“And what’re you going to do?”

She was smiling as she looked over her shoulder at me.

“Just this.” Closing my eyes, her scent grew sharper, swirling around me so it felt like I could pick out each individual floral note. “Need to hold you, Nadia. Nothing more.”

“So nothing to do with this?”

Her arse shifted, rubbing against the half hard cock trapped in my sweatpants, but I pulled back. There was a note of amusement in her voice but mostly exhaustion.

“That will always happen when I’m around you,” I replied, holding her tighter. “Doesn’t mean I need to do something about it.” My leg was thrown over hers, stopping her from teasing me further. “You don’t need my dick right now, but I think…” Pressing a kiss to the back of her neck had my fangs lengthening. Claim our mate now, the wolf urged, obviously worried she’d slip through our fingers again. “Rest, quiet, comfort. We both need that.”

My hunch was right because the sound of a long sigh, followed by her phone dropping on the bed had her going soft in my grip.

“This wasn’t what I had planned for today.” One eye opened as I spoke, and I stared at her shoulder, looking for signs of tension. “I might not be one of those cool hockey players with their big gestures, but… you don’t have to go through this alone. That’s what I came in here to tell you, so if you want me to leave⁠—”