Page 16 of Knotted By the Triad

Daemin frowned, but nodded. “She... was not what I'd expected.”

“What did you expect?” I cocked my head to the side, watching him.

He shrugged. “I don't know. When our informant learned Daveah had run off and Orion was going to replace her with his daughter from the countryside, none of us cared. No matter who arrived, our plan was to have an heir with her, then let her live the rest of her life in her own courtyard and not bother with her. We planned to let Lin’er raise the heir. But...”

“But what?” I asked. “Don't tell me you’ve suddenly fallen for this woman after only seeing her once.”

Daemin shook his head, his long dark hair brushing his shoulders.

“I'm not saying that,” he told me. “I'm saying she's nothing like the information we received about her.”

“What’s different?” I asked.

“The spy we placed in Orion Bane's manor said Zuri Bane seemed happy about the wedding. He overheard one of the servants say she'd had a crush on us since seeing us years ago. However, in the wedding chamber just now, she didn't stare at us like she had a crush on us. In fact, she looked like she despised us.”

“She was faking it. Have you ever heard of the retreat-to-advance tactic? That’s what she’s doing,” I told him. “Plus, she was drugged half out of her mind. Give her time. Soon, she'll start living up to the information we've received about her. Soon, she’ll start fawning over us and trying to get us to fall in love with her. Don’t let yourself be fooled by this woman and her schemes.”

I didn't know why we were wasting our time talking about this. We'd investigated the Bane family before agreeing to the marriage. Our informant had kept us aware of what happened inside Orion's household.

Orion was a schemer. And he was desperate to attach himself to the crown by any means necessary. We knew Daveah was the daughter he'd intended to send us. We also knew about Zuri.

Years ago, we'd gone to the region she’d grown up in after the floods destroyed homes and farmland. We’d brought supplies and helped with the rebuilding. I couldn't remember seeing her among all the people we'd helped.

Apparently, she'd seen enough of us to develop feelings for all three of us. By the time she was brought to the capital, she'd made it no secret in Orion's household that she was happy to marry us in Daveah's place.

That was why tonight made no sense. The woman in that bridal chamber hadn't looked pleased to see us. She'd looked at the three of us like she'd been handed a problem she wanted no part of.

“We were also told she was a cold omega,” Daemin continued. “Yet, when I got close to her, I could've sworn I smelled...”

“Strawberries and chocolate,” Zian whispered, staring off into the distance.

“Yeah, strawberries and chocolate,” Daemin agreed.

The memory of that scent filled my mind before I could stop it. Sweet strawberries coated in rich chocolate. I'd smelled it the moment we entered her bedchamber. And it had grown stronger when Daemin approached her.

“I smelled nothing,” I lied.

Both men glared at me. Shit. Had they sensed the truth through our bond?

Zian chuckled in that condescending way of his. “Liar.”

I gritted my teeth. “Our new bride is a cold omega who can’t even shift. Her scent was caused by whatever aphrodisiac Orion gave her. This is just another one of his schemes.”

Zian rubbed his chin. “I don't think so. If she was under the influence of an aphrodisiac, she would've been clawing at us and stripping her clothing off. Instead, she leaned away from us.”

“Perhaps the dosage was too low,” I hissed.

Neither of them looked convinced. Even to my own ears, that excuse sounded weak. Orion Bane was a poison master. He wouldn't mess up the dosage, especially not for something this important.

“It doesn't matter what he gave her or what she smells like,” I told them. “It can never compare to Lin'er's lavender scent.”

Both men gave me a weird look. Did they not like Lin’er’s scent? Since when?

“I know this is going to piss you off, but I'm going to say it anyway,” Daemin started.

“Don't you always say shit that pisses me off?” I mumbled.

Ignoring my words, Daemin continued. “Lin'er's scent has never made me react the way Zuri's scent did tonight. With Lin’er, I feel a sense of camaraderie. Yet, when I got close to Zuri, I felt...”