Page 74 of Knot Your Business

I eye the air purifier she tucked into the far corner of the large room when she first moved in, trying to decide if it’ll actually help when she’s less than three feet away from me. Probably not.

“The final paperwork is due to the Council in a few days,” she says. Her voice is quiet but not timid, no inflection at all in the simple statement. “Jasper asked me to wait until he was here to talk about it with you.”

I grab an egg and crack it into the pan. My voice is too low and angry, but I don’t apologize. “So why didn’t you?”

There’s a long pause, and I grab a second egg.

I’m reaching for the third when she says, even quieter, “Because I’m not a fucking coward.”

Tipping my head back, I let my eyes close, the carton of eggs forgotten on the counter. Jasper probably asked to be present because he’s worried over my reaction, not hers. Omegas are sensitive like that.

“So are you going to sign it?” she asks, a thread of steel in her voice now. “Rylan and Jasper already have. And I’ve been applying for graduate programs assuming I’ll be here.”

Graduate programs?

Curiosity gets the better of me.

“Why are you applying for graduate school? Aren’t Omegas more concerned with babies?”

She scoffs. I go back to breaking eggs into the pan and then stirring before they can burn.

“At the risk of sounding like a ‘pick me’ girl, absolutely not. I’m not built like that.” Her voice is louder now, more fire in it. I’ve seen her use that tone with Rylan before, seen the way her eyes flash and her lips curve into a smirk. And then seen how Rylan pushes her into whatever piece of furniture is closest and fucks her. If I’m being honest, there’s been a couple times I’ve wanted to join.

Another flash of heat shoots down my spine.

Porca puttana, I cannot do this right now.

“Why should I?” I ask, letting my voice drop into a growl. “I don’t want you here. I’ve only tolerated you for the sake of my lover.”

There’s a long stretch of silence. “You’re not the first person to only have me around for ulterior motives. If you think that’ll be enough to send me crying to my room, adjust your expectations.”

Those instincts in me perk up, the hurt in her voice pulling on that intrinsic need to protect. I set down the spoon and grab the counter so I don’t reach for her.

“Who?” This time my voice is threaded with lethal intent.

“I’m not asking for you to like me or fuck me,” she says, ignoring my question. “I’m well aware that most matches are without love. I’m asking that you sign the paperwork that lets me stay here permanently instead of throwing me to the wolves at the Council a second time.”

The growl rumbles through my chest, that need too great to ignore now. Who in the fuck taught an Omega that her pack would hate her? Certainly not the Council, though I can’t help but agree with her terming them wolves. The Council fawns all over Omegas, stuffing the information down their throats so they’ll consent to matching younger and younger.

“Tell me who, Sirena,” I say, turning.

Her eyes are steady, her palms flat on the counter.

“Why do you care?” she asks.

I close the distance between us. She doesn’t shrink away. She doesn’t even focus on me as I move, dropping her gaze to the paperwork and reorganizing it all into a single stack. When she continues to ignore me, I grab her chin, forcing her to look up at me. Her throat ripples with her swallow, but her eyes are wary rather than scared.

I give the command again in a whisper.

She shakes her head as much as my grip will allow.

“No,” she says.

My grip tightens, the rage starting to overtake my common sense. Someone hurt her. Hurt her enough she won’t easily divulge the information to someone she’s naturally wired to want to make happy. Even if I were still on the highest dose suppressor, the information would be enough to override it. The fact I was forced to step down the dosage a couple weeks ago just makes the reaction worse.

I swear her honeysuckle scent grows stronger.

The last bit of common sense, of resenting my body’s reaction to her bleeds out from me.

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