Page 39 of Knot Her Reality

The remaining couch has two men sitting on it, but they’re not sitting close to one another. One of them looks kind of boring, if I’m being honest. He’s definitely a beta and not at all my type. The other one is attractive enough, but there’s just something off about him. I don’t like the way he’s looking at me. I lean back into Malachi’s hold as I fight back a shiver.

Yeah, I don’t think I want to get to know him any better. I sneer in his direction, biting back a grin when he frowns. That’s right, buddy. You’re not shit to me, and you can stay far, far away from me. I see a flash of anger in his eyes before he climbs to his feet, storming from the room without a word.

“What’s his deal?” I find myself asking because surely I’m not the only one who noticed something off about him.

“That,” Koda says as he wrinkles his nose, “is Viktor. He’s the one that caused the kayaking incident.”

“Accident,” the boring guy cuts him off. “It was an accident.”

Koda rolls his eyes, nodding. “Right, of course. He doesn’t seem to play well with others.”

“Maybe if you all weren’t so obvious with your dislike, he’d play better,” the other guy says, and I turn to him with a huff.

“Who are you?”

His eyes widen. “Oh, um. I’m Dustin.”

“I’m Lillian,” the blonde next to Koda adds with a smile. “Over there are Skylar and Cora—they’re mates.”

“Cool…” I glance around the room as the tension levels ratchet up. “Koda, you said there’s a theater?”

Koda smiles, nodding. “There sure is. You interested in watching a movie? It’s what we’ve been doing every night and having our dinner delivered there. They have so many movies for us to choose from.”

I hum, glancing back at Ana and Malachi to make sure they’re okay with it before facing the other omega once more. “Yeah, I think I’d really like that. Lead the way?”

As we all head out, I lean into Ana’s side. She slows down so we’re bringing up the rear.

“What’s going on, Paisley?”

“Don’t leave me alone with Viktor at any time, please. There’s just something… He’s just off, and I don’t trust him.”

Ana nods slowly. “We won’t. Don’t worry, omega. We’ll always keep you safe. I’ll see what’s what with him, but we’ll make sure you’re never alone with him.”

“Thank you,” I murmur, letting her pull me closer to her as she purrs. That’s all it takes for me to feel better, knowing that she’s there for me when I need her.

Chapter Twelve

Evangeline

Running my hands over tonight’s dress, I eye myself critically in the mirror. Neither of the omegas from the first two seasons spent nearly as much time getting ready for anything as I do. It’s not even a guess on my part to say that, since Bree likes to remind me of it every single day. She likes to call me a high maintenance omega, and that’s one hundred percent true when it comes to my appearance.

I’d like to blame it on the fact that I’m a designer, but I’ve always been like this. In fact, I can’t help wondering if it’s part of the reason I became a designer in the first place. When I’m the one designing the clothes, I can always make sure they look amazing on me.

Tonight’s dress is what I like to call a princess dress as it calls back to the dresses that princesses wore in the ancient fairy tales I read as a child. The bodice is fitted and off-shoulder in a shimmery pastel pink. At my hips, it flares out into layers and layers of material, so I look like a cupcake.

“Oh, for the love of everything I hold dear, please tell me you’re almost ready.”

I turn around to find Bree standing in the doorway to my room, hands on her hips. Her eyes run over me for a moment before she bites her lip, obviously trying to hide a smile.

“I know. I look like a cupcake. Believe it or not, this was on purpose,” I tell her with a laugh. One last glance in the mirror shows that my makeup is still perfect, and the messy updo is still in place. “Some people like looking like cupcakes.”

Bree snorts, shaking her head. “If you say so.”

“I do, and since I’m the one in fashion design, I think I would know,” I tell her haughtily as I breeze past her, shooting her a wink and grin over my shoulder. “Every day, you come in here, worried that I won’t be ready in time, but I always am. Are you ever not going to worry?”

“Absolutely not,” Bree says with a laugh as we step outside. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a bit of a control freak, and without Tessa here, I don’t have anyone to calm my obsessive tendencies.”

I throw my head back as I laugh. “A bit of a control freak? Try a lot of a control freak. And isn’t your pack here? Shouldn’t they be the ones who calm you, not your alpha bestie?”

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