Page 11 of Knot Giving Up 2

But our show of strength doesn’t go unnoticed by Ava, her gaze swinging between Daniel and me. For all her faults, Ava’s always been perceptive.

“He’s right,” I say, jumping in before she can start piecing anything together. “You know I’m not like most men. I can’t help that my reactions aren’t normal. You’re a lovely woman, but…” I shrug, leaving her to think that my breaking up with her had something to do with my struggles with physical intimacy.

Her lips form a silent 'oh.' It’s not the reason I broke up with her, but I also didn’t break up with her because of Meggie. She and I were over long before Meggie. But I’ll let Ava believe whatever she wants if it protects my omega.

Ava’s expression shifts to a sickening, pitying grimace. “I knew you were broken, I just thought I—”

“Harrison isn’t broken.” Meggie presses against my back, leaning around my shoulder to look at Ava. Her defensive tone sparks a little flame in my chest. I’m not used to having others protective of me. I’m usually the protector.

Daniel licks his lips as he looks at her, and I tighten my fists. I can’t lose control. Not now. Not here. This is why I need to keep my distance from Meggie. When I get too close, every protective, possessive instinct goes on hyper alert.

Meggie rubs my back, a gentle reassurance to calm down.

Ava’s pitying look turns to Meggie and she chuckles. “He’s not exactly normal.”

“Who gets to say what’s normal?” This from Oz, who’s joined the conversation, tattooed arms crossed over his massive chest, and eyes menacing.

The flight attendant comes down the aisle at just the right moment to keep things from escalating. “Y’all need to take your seats now. We’re gonna take off in just a few minutes.”

At her prompting, Ava and Daniel scoot past us towards the back of the plane, and I switch seats with Oz.

As soon as he and Meggie are sitting down, he puts his arm around her and pulls her close. Through the gap between the seats, I can see him whisper something to her, his lips close to her delicate ear. Goosebumps decorate her arm and she giggles, a musical sound I want to swallow down into me. But it’s not for me. It’s for Oz.

My alpha instincts scratch at my chest, begging me to rip her away from him, drag her to the nearest lavatory and join the Mile High Club. The possessiveness isn’t as extreme with my pack mates, but knowing that they have her, and I don’t, makes me feel like a caged animal.

Oz kisses Meggie’s neck, and I purposefully knee his seat.

“Hey!” He swings around to look between the seats. He catches my expression and has the nerves to smile. “You had your chance, man. Go sit up with Ellis and Emily so you don’t have to see it, because I plan to make our girl feel good on this flight.”

“No, you don’t.” We all know what’s at risk if she perfumes on this plane. Her blockers seem to be working again, but we can’t risk getting her worked up in public.

"He's right." Meggie touches his arm, and I clench.

Oz grumbles, but wisely takes his hands off Meggie.

7

Meggie

The flight across the Atlantic is like a game of musical chairs. We’re all constantly making adjustments to the seating arrangement. Oz and I sit together and play cards for the first hour. Then Emily trades seats with him, and she and I watch a romcom about a woman having a quarter-life crisis who runs to the vet asking them to pump the stomach of her goldfish.

When I come back from using the restroom, Oz is in my seat by Em, and the two of them are debating the merits of gummy vitamins.

“It’s a vitamin!” Oz stresses.

“It’s not,” Em laughs. “I don’t care what the label says. You can’t convince me anything raspberry-flavored and gummy-bear-shaped is medically approved.”

“It has to be better than nothing though,” I offer in support of Oz, but shoot him an arched eyebrow. “But probably only if you eat the whole gummy bear. Not just their heads.”

Oz gasps as Emily chokes on her laugh.

“Don’t tell her my secrets!”

“You only eat their heads?”

Oz gives a shrug. “Then I can pretend I’m their king.”

“Excuse me, hun,” the stewardess says, her hip nearly bumping into mine as she drags a cart behind her. Another flight attendant is on the other side of it, collecting the trays from dinner.

---