Page 115 of Big Knot Energy (Shadowverse)

The ride to the club was as uneventful as I’d assumed it would be. And a crowd was beginning to form a line to the front door. If I’dbeen working tonight, I would have made a killing in tips. I always did on the weekends, and Saturday nights tended to be the best.

“Omega Rivera. Beta Rivera,” the bouncer greeted us as our entourage escorted us in like we were royalty being surrounded by freaking secret service or something.

Did royalty have secret service? And why the hell was that the question that was now stuck in my head?

Oh shit. I was anxious. Scared. I was worried my mere presence would cause my pack drama. Again.

It felt like from the moment I’d met my alphas, I’d brought them nothing but chaos. They’d never complained about it or me, had never begrudged the way we’d met or the fact there had been two incidents because I was working there. But I felt guilty, nonetheless.

“There they are,” Aryn called from the bar as we approached. “Missed you, girl. I was wondering if you were ever going to show your face again.”

I stepped up onto the foot bar along the front and leaned forward, turning my cheek for a kiss and nuzzle from the female alpha and the first friend I’d made since escaping Antonio. Well, the first friend outside my pack.

“Missed you. I want to come back to work but…”

Aryn waved her hand in the air. “Girl, I get it. I wouldn’t want you two out in public without a few bad asses watching over you, either.” She glanced up at Abdel who was within touching distance, his back to me while he faced the crowd. “How the hell did they find so many hot alphas to guard you two?”

“I think a few of them are packless if you want some intros,” Amir offered.

She scoffed. “My pack is more than a handful.”

That answered the question I’d had when I’d first met her. I’d wondered whether or not she had a pack at home waiting for her. She was so sweet and protective, she absolutely deserved as much love and happiness as possible.

“What can I get you two?”

“Hey! We’ve been waiting,” a male beta said to my right.

Aryn turned a scowl on him. “And you’re going to wait some more. Keep it up and you’ll wait all fucking night.”

When she turned back to me, her smile was back, and humor danced in her eyes.

“Dirty martini,” I said.

“Shots,” Amir said.

“We can’t just drink shots all night. Order a big boy drink so our alphas don’t get all pissy when we act like drunken fools,” I teased him, curling into his side when he wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

“Fine. Draft beer. Dealer’s choice.”

Aryn shook her head. “You know it’s dangerous to let a bartender choose your drinks, right?”

“Eh. I trust you.”

“You’re lucky you’re mated to my bosses,” she teased before getting to work filling our orders.

The place was filling quickly, the music thumping through my chest like a second heartbeat. I could feel my alphas’ concern through the bond, but I could also feel their love. Amir was there, a bright ray of excitement and sunshine as he moved around to my back, wrapping one arm across my chest as he swayed his hips against my ass and encouraged me to move with him before we even hit the dancefloor.

Aryn slid our drinks over, then slapped my hand when I tried to hand her some cash from my clutch. “Put that away!” she admonished before winking and walking down to the row to the waiting patrons.

I’d make sure Enzo forced my tip on her later.

But now? I wanted to have some fun and pretend I didn’t have a past, pretend Antonio didn’t exist, pretend I’d grown up as a normal beta and was out with my omega for a night on the town like a regular pack.

“Hey,” Cyrus said, hurrying over to us and pressing a kiss to my lips then moving to do the same to Amir. “Stay close to the guards. Let them know if there are any problems. Alert them immediately if you so much as catch a whiff of Antonio’s scent.”

“I know. We’ll be fine.”

He raised one brow at me, then glanced over my shoulder before winking down at me and moving into the crowd.

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