Page 37 of Knot Your Business

I offer up my hand, prepped for the greeting this time, but she ignores it. Instead, she wraps her arms around my waist in a quick hug that feels both too intimate and too informal for someone I’ve just met. “Hi, I’m Liz. My shadow is Zach.” The man behind her scowls and doesn’t offer his hand. “He’s in a bad mood tonight because he’d rather keep me at home. Just ignore him.”

Liz leans toward me and puts a hand to her mouth, like what she’s saying is a secret. The effect is lost, though, since I’m pretty sure everyone in the bar can hear her. It’s not like with Eric on campus, where he was intentionally trying to draw attention so I couldn’t just slip away. Liz just seems to be a loud person who doesn’t quite realize it.

“He’s feeling extra possessive since we just bonded,” she says, still in that too-loud voice.

Rylan’s growl chokes off. “That’s not really something we need to know, Liz.”

She shrugs before giggling. “It’s not like the scars aren’t obvious.”

“Scars?” Huntley asks. Liz turns her neck, the scar I’d noticed becoming more obvious as she pulls her hair away. Mason gasps, and Huntley’s eyes widen.

“Not the point,” Rylan sighs. Liz rolls her eyes.

“Wait, you noticed it?” Mason turns back toward us. Zach’s growl gets louder.

“It’s something that we’re wired to notice,” I offer even as Rylan steps between me and the other Alpha, adjusting so that he holds my other hand, and I’m pressed against his opposite side. “I saw it as soon as she approached us.”

Mason makes a surprised sound in his throat. “I wonder how many I’ve not noticed, then.” He turns back toward the other Omega. “Can I touch it?”

Zach steps between him and Liz, his growl now practically a snarl. Mason and Huntley back off, their arms raised. After a moment, everyone heads back toward the tables.

“Let’s go get drinks,” Rylan murmurs.

Neither of us bring up the bond scar as I order my comfort Old Fashioned and he gets a soda. He pays with cash, declining change, and then guides me toward the tables where everyone else has been sitting. Liz is wedged between two men, their large frames dwarfing her, while Huntley and Mason sit on either side of Jasper. They’re chatting, smiles on their faces, as Rylan pulls two chairs up to the edge of the table and signals for me to sit at one.

Huntley chugs the rest of her drink before turning toward me.

“So where are you from?” she asks, talking over the two conversations actively happening within the group. “How was your move?”

“I actually live here,” I say after a minute, forcing myself to ignore where Jasper leans back against the booth, his arm sprawled out behind Huntley. “I’m graduating from UCLA this weekend.”

Rylan grunts. “Don’t sell yourself short, Violet.”

“Hard to avoid when I already am,” I say, trying humor again to see what he’ll do.

His lips tip up, and he drapes his arm over my shoulders. I’ll count that as a good reaction, then.

“She’s graduating Summa Cum Laude,” he says. “And top of her major.”

A round of congratulations ensues.

“What’s your major?” Mason asks, sipping on a drink that’s bright pink and frozen.

When I tell him, Huntley’s eyes widen, and I swear surprise flashes across Jasper’s face. I steer the conversation away from me, trying to just settle into the background and figure out if I can fit into this group.

After a while, I murmur, “I’ll be back.”

Rylan nods, moving so I can more easily get up from my chair. I pull my skirt down, adjusting it as I turn around.

Jasper jumps up as I stand, “I’m going to grab a drink. Anyone want something?”

Huntley and Liz both take him up on the offer. Anxiety tightens my throat, but I breathe through it, keeping my face blank. Rylan grabs my hand, pulling me back toward him, his eyebrows lowered. It’s clear what he’s asking me, though I’m not sure why he knows that any kind of interaction with Jasper has my stomach in knots. I haven’t told him about the break up. Did Jasper? Is that why Rylan has been so careful in his interactions since the video call?

Oh, fuck, Jasper probably did tell him.

No wonder he asked me all those questions about my family and history. He was probably trying to decide if petitioning for reassignment—or, worse, annulling the match—was worth the hassle. His demeanor completely changed when I confirmed that my dad is Johnathan Fallon.

Fuck. The last thing I ever wanted was a convenience match, something like what my parents have. I wasn’t so naive to think that I’d end up being in a pack that completely loved me. But I had hoped that we could at least figure out some sort of middle ground or mutual respect.

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