Page 96 of Knot So Social

Ginger’s Girl Code fallout ebbs vividly in front of my eyes, tolling a ghostly warning for my own doom if my followers discover how much I’m lying.

Charring smoke curls into my nose.

Shit, I need to get that egg off the burner. I grab the egg lift and scrub it over the hotplate, the red rings inside the cooktop glowing in warning.

A big brown hand reaches past me and presses the off button. I jerk back on instinct, but the alpha gently tugs me away from the hot stove. Before I can tell him to go away, he kneels on the floor right there in my kitchen.

I freeze, blinking in shock.

“Cara mia,” Alessandro croons, almost at a whisper. He gently grasps my pantleg near the knee. “What did I do wrong? What fear eats at you, and how can I help?”

Am I seeing things right? An alpha, down on his knees for me. Begging to help me? Not any alpha—the alpha who saw my panic response to a dropped container. I draw in a shaky breath. I kneel for alphas, not the other way around.

My lungs clamp.

A sob lodges in my throat. Why can’t I hold myself together anymore? I’m a strong woman, and I’ve done just fine on my own all these years, so why not now? Was it the heat? Or something far more sinister, like an accumulation of fatigue? Of loneliness?

My hands shake and I stare at them, trying to process. Between my fingers, Alessandro waits patiently, not moving a muscle.

Mr Shares trots in, bushy tail slapping the cabinetry. Seeing his friend down at eye level, he proceeds to wash Alessandro’s neck with his tongue, and then rears up to rest his front paws on his back. The alpha holds still, gaze locked on me.

A strangled laugh catches in my throat, the bubble overpowering my fear.

“Shoo,” I say, fluffing my hand at my dog. “Get back.”

Mr Shares yips and sidles away, sitting his rump down on the floor.

“Me too?” the alpha asks. He meets my gaze, black eyes glinting with worry. “I’ll stay nine feet away from you if that’s what you need, but please don’t send me away.”

“No, I didn’t mean you.”

I slide down the cupboard until I’m sitting next to Alessandro. He asked to be my friend, but I snapped at him the very next day. “I’m sorry. I think I’m a bit sensitive at the moment.”

I reach for his hand.

Alessandro takes it eagerly, massaging the back with his thumb. “Ah, thank you, cara mia. Do you want to talk about it?”

I do. That’s the problem. With a sigh, I lean my head back against the wood and close my eyes. I haven’t had a real friend to confide in for years. Not since well before the pack that threw me out. All our friends believed the lies they said and cut me off, leaving me homeless and sleeping in my car.

Plus, my online friendships are carefully curated, more partnerships than anything, always guarded and edited. I have my personal assistant, and tech team, but they’re my employees. When’s the last time I had someone truly in my corner?

I clear my throat. “I can’t trust anyone.” The words sneak out as a miserable whisper. “Anyone I ever trusted betrayed me. The only exceptions so far are those bound by contract.” I scoff lightly. “Threaten someone with enough legal repercussions, and it keeps their mouth shut. Wish I’d known that ten years ago.”

Mr Shares sneaks forward to rest his head on my lap.

“You’d never betray me, would you?” I murmur, stroking his soft fur. Dogs understand, but what about people?

I turn to look at Alessandro, waiting for the condemnation in his expression. But none comes. Instead, he rocks back from his knees, settling against the cupboard next to me, still holding my hand.

“I wish we had magic,” he muses.

I snort. “That’s random.”

He lifts my hand and kisses the back of it. “That way I could swear an oath to never betray you.” He blinks at me over our linked fingers, lashes absurdly long. “I’d bind my lifeforce into it, so you know you owned me, heart and soul, down to my last breath.”

His warm exhale coasts over my skin and my heart flips right over.

“We only just met,” I protest, tightening my fingers around his.