Page 60 of Knot Your Business

I breathe through my nose, trying to keep from saying something to either of them I’ll end up regretting. Rylan sits beside her, blocking her view of Dominic. I lean over the island, dropping my head into my hands. Before I can manage to attempt eating my own breakfast, Dominic has his plate in the sink, and he’s disappearing out the back door, dropping into one of the outdoor lounges that overlook the ocean.

Violet clutches her phone to her chest, blinking back tears.

“I knew she would do this. Why am I fucking upset when I knew she would do this?”

I spin her into me, keeping myself between her and the growing crowd heading toward the event center on UCLA’s campus. She shudders in a breath. I don’t offer any words, not entirely sure what to say that isn’t just encouraging her to cut all ties to Sienna. It’s not like I’m unbiased in the whole situation, after all.

“Are your dads still here?” I ask instead, running my hand down her spine.

She nods once, dropping her arms around my waist, tucking her phone into the back pocket of my slacks. “They said they’re working on parking, and that they’ll meet us for lunch afterwards. We need to find Faedra.”

My own phone buzzes with a notification, and I dig it out, keeping one arm around her shoulders. A text from Rylan brightens the screen.

Finally found parking. Be there soon.

“Oh, well, here’s Violet at least. Maybe she’ll be able to help us figure out where Faedra is.”

A woman materializes from the crowd about twenty feet in front of me, her blonde hair falling stick-straight to her shoulders. Her charcoal pantsuit is well-tailored, and her jewelry simple. She has the same eyes as Faedra, though the men with her are nearly carbon copies of Violet’s best friend. The woman’s voice is bright with an edge of frustration. Violet takes a deep breath and pushes off of me, none of her worry or hurt anywhere to be seen.

“Hey, Jay, Elizabeth,” she says, waving. I wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her into me, keeping her from crossing through the crowd. The others navigate the people well enough without her getting separated from me. “This is Jasper.”

Both of them smile as they close the distance between us, the man holding out his hand. I take it easily enough. The third man looks out over the crowd before waving, trying to get someone’s attention. Elizabeth follows his gaze and mutters a relieved gratitude.

“There you are, Faedra Rose,” she says, exasperated. She starts across the crowd, and the rest of us follow. I drop my arm and lace my fingers with Violet’s. Elizabeth raises her voice. “Faedra Rose! There you are!”

This time, a redheaded woman looks around three older men clad in expertly tailored suits they wear like second skins. They don’t immediately follow the woman, taking a moment to chat between themselves. The one to the right, whose hair and beard lean more gray than brown, frowns before breathing deep and nodding. Faedra hugs her mom and dad, her movements growing more awkward as the minutes pass. Violet squeezes my hand, and I glance down at her, an eyebrow raised in silent question.

She shakes her head once.

Point taken.

I keep us half a step back from the others, letting Faedra navigate her family on her own.

“All right, all right, enough with the greeting,” her mom says. “Introduce us.”

Oh shit. This must be the pack Faedra matched with while at the gala. She swallows and then introduces each of them, each man smiling.

“This is Logan.” She points to the man in the middle with short blonde hair similarly styled to my own before indicating the tallest man, his black hair minimally styled and his brown eyes sharp. He looks like fucking John Mayer if John Mayer spent significant time in the gym. “This is Carter.” She points to the older man with the scowl. “And this is Jude.”

He nods once, closing the gap between him and Faedra as she introduces her family. They all do the customary exchanges, her father relaxing as conversation slowly eases into the first bits of small talk. After a minute, Violet clears her throat, pulling away from me just enough to step up beside Aiden.

“Shit, sorry, Vi,” Faedra says, grabbing her open hand. She turns back toward the men. “Everyone, this is Violet. She’s my best friend and has been my roommate for the last four years. And this is Jasper.” She holds out a hand toward me, and I offer a small nod. “He’s part of Pack Montegue.” Fuck, that felt weird to hear. “Which Violet matched with at the same gala we did.”

Logan offers his hand, and I take it.

“Betas aren’t that common among packs. I’d love to hear your story if it’s something you’re comfortable sharing.”

I can’t help but laugh, reliving how Rylan, Dominic, and I even managed to become a thing in the first place.

“It starts with me being bi,” I say with a grin.

Carter laughs, and Faedra’s lips curl into a smirk.

“Where do you need to be? Last thing we want is you girls to be late,” Jay says, clearing his throat.

I glance over my shoulder, trying to figure out where Rylan might be. Some of my tension bleeds away as he steps up beside Violet, just behind Faedra, his suit unblemished from what must have been a pretty significant walk.

“Hey, Vi,” he murmurs, holding up the robes he has tossed over his shoulder. “Here they are. Sorry it took me a bit to find parking.”

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