Page 6 of Cruel Knots

I’m sure they’re all wondering how a dork like me can have the full attention of these handsome young alphas. They have no idea about the deep friendship I share with Damien and his brothers. Pure happiness bubbles inside me, making me feel more beautiful than all the omegas here tonight.

The crowd thins as we move further away from the auditorium. Even the sound of music dulls here. A chilly breeze blows down the hill, making me shiver.

Damien notices my discomfort at once. Shirking off his jacket, he lays it over my shoulders.

“Thanks,” I say, smiling up at him. “What about you, though? Aren’t you going to be cold?”

“I’m okay,” he replies, glancing down at me with a reassuring grin.

I dip my head, hiding the blush spreading across my cheeks.

My mind goes back to the moment three years ago when I first came across Damien and his brothers. I’d been in a car with Dad when we spotted them by the side of the road.

Mikhail had been injured by a man on the freeway. He lay bleeding by the road while Damien and Leon desperately tried to help him.

Dad got them all into the car and drove them to a hospital, making sure Mikhail was looked after.

It was only later that Dad realized they were homeless.

Damien begged Dad not to call on social services but to let him and his brothers stay in our home. They were all older than seventeen and willing to work for us.

Dad was always a big softie. He couldn’t bring himself to risk separating the three brothers, so he let them stay in our home and help out in the kitchen and the gardens.

“Why do you look so lost?” Leon asks. His big hand engulfs mine and squeezes gently.

“I was thinking about the day I met you guys. Can you believe it’s been three years already?”

“Are you sick of us yet?”

“What?! Of course, not!”

Leon laughs, making me realize he was teasing me. I punch him in the arm and suddenly, he’s grabbing me, spinning me around until I crash against his chest.

“Careful, Princess.” Leon’s amber eyes glow in the dark as he fixes me with an intense gaze.

My heart pounds with a mix of fear and anticipation. Leon’s face draws closer to mine, his warm breath fanning my face.

I tip my face to him, begging him to close the distance between us.

Leon’s gaze slowly slides down to my lips. He swallows, still intent on not breaching the distance between us.

Frustration rises within me. They always keep up this invisible wall between us. Are they hesitating because of our social positions?

I want to tell them it means nothing to me. There were plenty of kids in my school whose parents came from nothing but were richer than the families with old money.

Their present situation doesn’t dictate their futures.

I don’t have the words to explain all this to them, so I do the only thing I can.

Closing the distance between us, I press my lips to his.

Leon’s eyes widen at the contact and for a second, he freezes completely.

My heart pounds in my chest as pure heat courses through me, warming me to the tips of my toes. A remote part of my brain is aware of the wolf whistles and shouts erupting all around me as Mikhail cheers me on.

Before I can truly lean into the kiss, Leon pulls away, staring at me with wild, gleaming eyes. “Lucia,” he whispers.

I grin and step away to look at Damien and Mikhail. My cheeks burn as I feel their gazes on me.

---