Page 11 of Knot Your Kismet

“Take a seat here. I’m sure the chef will bring out the breakfast spread soon. I’m going to go find my brothers.” I quickly yank out the chair at the head of the table, not really thinking. It’s too late to change my mind about it, so I just follow through and help Calista slide forward. “If you don’t like what Chef Stefan has prepared, you can request anything you like. Be right back, Lis.”

She nods, her eyes lining with silent questions. I call her Lis in an attempt to remind her that we’re in this together. Jess always called her Lis instead of Calista, and I hope her hearing it helps her realize we’re on her side.

“Okay,” she says quietly, running her fingers through her beautiful brunette hair, glossy in the overhead lights.

I exhale in relief that she doesn’t argue.

I can’t escape the room fast enough, wishing that Calista never walked into our parents’ suite. She should’ve had time to prepare, and I can tell she’s still shaken.

Striding through the archway and out of the dining hall, I head to the long corridor that ends at my dad’s study. It shouldn’t bother me so much that Nolan has taken it upon himself to claim all business aspects of Pack Kismet. He’s claimed the library, the study, and even the office building on Main Street. If he could, he’d waltz into City Hall and claim our father’s seat as mayor.

It’s like he’s been preparing for this day all his life, and it pisses me off.

Without knocking, I push open the heavy door and catch sight of Nolan sleeping at the desk, his head resting on his arms. There are plenty of rooms in the Kismet Estate, but he hasn’t left this one much. Just like I haven’t left our father’s side. There’s just something about this house now that we have to return. Calista wasn’t the only one who was shocked out of the normalcy of her life. Because Dad was head of our pack, he stayed in our town. He ruled and created a place betas wanted to stay after experiencing the alphas who fight for power in the big cities. Poppy Cove is a sleepy town, right next to the expansive Pacific Ocean. While small, our pack has just as much wealth as those from the city, except we don’t have to worry about butting heads with those in power.

If only I didn’t hate small towns. They are boring as fuck. Everybody gets into each other’s business. The most excitement that happens around here is a holiday fair, someone new moving in, or shit like marriage and babies. Oh, and the death of the beloved mayor. It’s not excitement, but it’s something that rarely happens and gets everyone out of their daily routines. It’s never happened in my lifetime. Dad has been in control for as long as anyone can remember since his own father passed away thirty years ago.

“You want to wake him up, or should I?” Jensen’s voice draws my attention to the sitting area in front of the bay window with a view of the ocean. He sits with his arms crossed over his plain black T-shirt.

“How about we leave him here? Maybe he won’t be such an asshole if he gets enough beauty sleep.” I say the words loudly, waiting to see if Nolan springs up.

He doesn’t.

“Already tried that, brother. He’s out-out.” Rising to his feet, Jensen closes the space to Nolan and motions at the pill bottle on the desk. It’s nothing serious, just some sleeping pills, but I think because Nolan has basically been awake since news broke that Dad passed away, it finally caught up with him.

I ball my hands into fists and turn my back. “He knew better. We have Calista here. Now is not the time to sleep away his problems. That just pushes them on us. We can’t avoid speaking with her for much longer.”

Jensen throws up his hands, his brown eyes narrowing at me. “Nolan made it clear that he is in charge. I’m just here to make sure he does it right.”

“Is that the only reason? How very on-brand of you. Dad would be so proud.” I turn away but don’t get far before Jensen’s muscular arm cuts across my throat, and he yanks me to him. I can’t break out of his chokehold, and I regret egging him on. I’m just so damn tired of everything already. There’s a reason I moved across the country. I’m not first in line. Not even second. And while these guys were trying to establish their own pack together to jumpstart the transition of power, I was just trying to live my life. I don’t have the same need that they do. I’m an alpha, but that’s just my order. I’m more than that. Calista wasn’t wrong asking for our parents to sponsor her independence. I kind of wish they had that kind of program for alphas too.

“Who else is going to do it? You’re too busy fooling around, acting like a damn beta.” Jensen tightens his arm across my throat. “You’re never here, Lucas.”

If I could speak, I would tell him to go to hell. We both know why I’m never here. For one, Nolan doesn’t consider me on his level. I’m the youngest of us three, even a year younger than Calista. I wasn’t raised to be a leader. I was never given any sort of responsibility. When I was a teen, that was fine by me. But now? I wish Dad had done something a bit different. He was too concerned about protecting our pack and power. He was afraid that he might lose everything, which is why he married Calista’s mom, Jessica. They both needed each other. At least, even after the formal arrangement, they managed to find love. It helped that Dad was the only alpha in his immediate pack. Brothers like mine are expected to either live a life without an omega or to share. And I don’t really think Nolan or Jensen would ever want to share with me. They still consider me a kid in their eyes, even though I’m twenty-two.

I might be younger, but I’m obviously holding it together better. Those two are too busy correcting one another. And me? I’m just accepting my life now. I want to mourn the loss of our dad and keep going forward. I don’t care about wealth or power. It’s not like I would be in control of it anyway. I have enough with my paid-off house, my mechanic business, and my quiet suburban lifestyle.

“What the hell are you doing? Let him go. He can’t breathe!” Calista’s voice snaps through the air, her spicy attitude back. I should’ve known that she wouldn’t have just stayed in the dining hall, waiting on us. That’s not her style. She’s always been free-spirited. That was something I admired about her when we first met. It’s also why our parents were so quick to agree to get her out of here.

She is quite attractive, bold, and was off-limits. It would have been against the law if we ever got the chance to get to know each other before this, because I would’ve probably fallen in love with her. My teen self and alpha order didn’t care that our parents were married. Except things are different now they’re gone…

“I mean it, Jensen. Let him go!”

I hear the sound of a palm smacking skin before Jensen lets me go altogether. Did she just slap him?

I turn my attention to Jensen as he cups his face. Oh fuck. Yeah, she did.

Calista stands between us, raising her hands up as if she could stop us if we really wanted to brawl. I could easily throw her over my shoulder and out of the way. Jensen would deserve it for being an asshole.

“While you guys are acting like barbaric twits, breakfast is getting cold. The chef put a lot of work into it, and it’s rude for you guys to request breakfast and not even show up. So get your asses together and go to the dining room.” Calista shifts her attention to Nolan, who is still dead to the world in his sleep.

She straightens her back, tightens her pouty lips, and struts over to the desk. Grabbing a fistful of his dark hair, she jerks his head back. He doesn’t respond, and a strange expression crosses her face. She thinks something is wrong, her worry clearly lining her forehead.

“Sleep meds,” I mutter, crossing my arms over my chest.

Her worry vanishes, and she tightens her grip on his hair, shaking his head. “Nolan, wake up. If I have to be awake to deal with your dumbass brothers, so do you.”

Again, Nolan doesn’t react. I wonder how many pills he took. Or how long ago. Knowing him, he probably waited until the sun peeked from the horizon.