Page 80 of Knot Your Business

The door closes behind me before a lock clicks into place.

I force a swallow and glance up into the mirror, dread curling in my stomach as my mother’s hazel eyes—identical to mine—stare back at me. A cruel smirk graces her lips, and she crosses her arms, one eyebrow raised in silent, condescending question.

“You feeling all right, love?” She twists the nickname into an insult. “You look like you’re a bit uncomfortable. Flushed, even.”

My mind spins, that telltale haze starting to settle over me. I force the faucet even colder and press my wrists to my chest, not worrying about the water ruining the silk neckline. I lick my lips, trying to calm my breathing, but it’s no use. My body is on fucking fire even with the ice cold water.

“It was a pain in the ass getting enough of that damn medication into the wine without Johnathan noticing. He’s been breathing down my neck since your graduation.” Her lips twist into a frown. “What lies did you tell them when they went to your little event? They’ve been absolutely abysmal to live with the last couple weeks. You always did make everything about you.”

It’s not the first tirade she’s had about how my dads dote on us—Scarlett, Cole, and me. She’s always hated that they love us and only tolerate her. My mind catches on her first comment, though.

“You drugged me?” My voice is breathy. There’s none of the outrage I feel. The force of the heat is overriding it. The pulses through my body worsen, a sharp stab in my belly with each one, and I grab the edge of the counter to keep from doubling over.

“I wouldn’t have had to do this at all if you hadn’t behaved like such a whore, going to the Haven,” she says with a scoff. She glances down my body, pursing her lips. “Be grateful I’m willing to clean up your mess, young woman.”

I’m too far gone to even keep track of what she’s going on about.

My mess? What mess? The Council matched me. It’s not like I had a hand in it. I spent an entire week agonizing over the pack that was selected before Jasper and I realized what she’d done to us.

Another wave of desire races through my body, and I whimper, tightening my grip.

“Oh, one more thing,” she says, completely calm and collected, like she does this every day of the week. Before I can even track what she’s doing, she grabs my hips, ripping the scent blockers at the seams without ripping the delicate silk of my dress. I gasp as my scent floods the small space. She smirks. “Handy trick to know when you want attention and they just won’t entertain you. Now be a good Omega and stay here while I fix your mistake.”

She unlocks the latch and walks out, leaving the door propped open.

It’s less than a minute before someone grunts in the hallway and footsteps pound toward me. Part of me hopes it’s Jasper, even though I realize it’s not likely. My heart drops as someone fills the doorway.

Oh no.

Thirty-Eight

DOMINIC

Rylan’s quiet in the passenger seat, his typical antsy movement gone. In its place is a somber mourning I can’t quite figure out. I pull out from the music studio, heading into the Saturday evening traffic.

“Thanks for picking me up,” he murmurs as he pulls out his phone and sets it on the dash of the Alfa Romeo, bypassing the built-in map for the one on his phone.

A message pops onto the screen, and Rylan curses, swiping the notification away after reading it.

“Cosa c'è che non va?” I ask.

He glances up at me, his scowl deep enough that a line appears between his brows. “You know I’m shit at Italian, man.”

“Sorry,” I grunt. “Habit when I’ve been with my brothers all day.”

He doesn’t ask why I spent the last twelve hours incognito with Victor and Lorenzo, and I don’t offer any specifics. The fact that my father already had to call in the bargain between us and use me to clean up Lorenzo’s mess is infuriating in the extreme. Add to it that the mess only happened because his mind is fuck all gone due to that Omega he’s fucking around with?

Fury doesn’t begin to cover my feelings over the whole situation.

The memory of Violet bent over the counter, her perfume surrounding me, dampens the thought. Fuck me, I can’t manage to get the feel of her out of my head. I thought maybe fucking her once would be enough. It always has been before. But the longer I’m away from her, the more I crave her the way I do Jasper.

If my brother feels anything near what I feel about my lover, maybe he’s justified in his idiocy.

And Violet? Maybe I’ve been wrong about her, too.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

Rylan blows out a breath. “Jasper says Violet’s feeling sick. He thinks it’s maybe because they didn’t have time to grab food before getting to the event.”

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