Page 9 of Knotted By the Triad

Kai’s expression hardened when I didn’t respond.

“Whatever expectations Lord Bane gave you about this marriage, understand this now. Mei Lin is our secondary consort only because the marriage pact requires a Bane woman to hold the position of our primary wife. But Mei Lin is still our priority. She’s still the lady who will manage this household. That will not change simply because Daveah ran away and you were forced into our lives.”

Mei Lin.

My heart gave another uncomfortable thump. Of course she was here too. Mei Lin was the heroine of the first book. She’d grown up with Kai, Daemin, and Zian. The four of them had been close since childhood, and the men had spent most of their lives protecting her because she was a delicate omega.

She was their Lin’er.

The woman they loved.

I remembered exactly what happened between Mei Lin and Zuri, and for the first time since Kai said my name, something other than panic pushed through my confusion. At this point in the story, Mei Lin was healthy and unharmed.

Zuri hadn’t poisoned her yet. I stared at Kai as that realization settled over me. Zuri hadn’t begun tormenting the Blasian female lead. She hadn’t spent months competing with her for the alphas’ attention.

She hadn’t drugged the men to get them into her bed. She hadn’t done any of the horrible things that eventually turned everyone against her. None of it had happened yet. I was at the beginning of their story, which meant I could change Zuri’s fate.

“You will treat our Lin’er with the respect her position deserves,” Kai, Mr. Green Hair, ordered.

Fuck their Lin’er. I wanted nothing to do with any of them. I opened my mouth to tell him that, but no words emerged. I swallowed and tried again.

“Fu...”

My tongue felt too thick for my mouth. Kai frowned. Damn it. I really wished I could tell them I didn’t give a damn about Mei Lin being their secondary consort. If this really was CiCi’s book, the last thing I planned to do was repeat Zuri’s mistakes.

They could love Mei Lin all they wanted. I had no intention of getting in their way. What I needed was to figure out what had happened to me and whether Kena, Bri, and CiCi were still alive somewhere in the real world.

The thought of my friends made my chest ache. Were they in a hospital? Were they looking for me? Or had none of us survived that crash? Was I... Could I be... dead? I pushed that thought away before the panic could take over.

I couldn’t think about that right now. Not while my head was spinning and three men who shouldn’t exist stood beside my bed.

“I think something is wrong with her,” Zian stated.

His voice was deep too, though much calmer than Kai’s. Like his expression, even his words dripped with disdain.

“I’m fine,” I tried to say.

It sounded nothing like I’m fine. Daemin’s gaze moved over my face again before he stepped toward the bed, his long hair brushing against his shoulders as he walked. As he drew closer, I caught the scent of leather mixed with something warm and spicy.

It took me a moment to recognize the spice as cloves. My body reacted before my brain could make sense of anything. The heat burning beneath my skin intensified. A flutter started low in my belly before drifting lower to places that shouldn’t be fluttering right now.

I pressed my legs together, confused by the sudden reaction. Then my nipples hardened beneath the heavy layers of silk, and a throbbing ache settled between my thighs. My breath caught as a tremble wracked my body.

The feeling got worse when Daemin took another step toward me. That’s when I realized that the scent of leather and spice was coming from him. He smelled... he smelled... intoxicating.

My mouth watered. But that wasn’t the only thing growing wet. My eyes widened when a rush of warmth spread between my legs. For one horrible second, it felt like my world had stopped spinning.

Oh, no. I knew what this was. I’d read enough omegaverse romances to know exactly what happened when an omega became aroused. CiCi had certainly written enough about it in Realm of Fantasies.

Slick.

This alpha’s presence was making me slick for him. No way. I wasn’t an omega. I was human. At least, that’s what I’d been before I ended up in this book. Damn it. It seemed I was now a real omega with real omega needs.

And my body was telling me I needed these alphas. Daemin stopped, his nostrils flaring slightly. Could he... could he smell what was happening to me? That happened in these types of books.

Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.

He could smell that I was wet for him! How embarrassing! Daemin didn't come any closer, but he didn't back away either. Behind him, Kai's hands curled into fists. Even Zian no longer looked bored.