Page 78 of Knot Giving Up 2

“I’ll tell everyone!” Daniel whines like a tattling child.

“No, you won’t.” Harrison crouches down to Daniel’s level. “If you breathe a word about Meggie’s designation, I’ll bury you so deep no one will ever find your body.”

I know Harrison’s not a violent man. I don’t really think he’d kill Daniel. But even I question it as I watch the cold glare he gives the cowering man on the ground.

Daniel swallows and dips his chin, dropping his eyes.

“Don’t. Say. Anything to fucking anyone.” Harrison barks with an authority that’s thundering even for him.

Daniel will shake the compulsion off eventually, but I don’t think he’ll be talking any time soon.

Harrison stands up, brushes his pants off, and strolls to the locker room door as if nothing happened. We all stare at him slack jawed for a minute before following.

“That was…” I shake my head. Hot.

“Gold,” Ellis whispers.

“Yeah, that.”

Suited up, we gather by the side of the pool. Jittery. Exhausted. Sore. But ready to give it our all and do our damndest to bring home the gold for our girl.

The vibe between us is different after experiencing Meggie’s first heat together. I’ve never felt closer to my pack mates than I do right now, about to play the game we love with the woman we love.

“Let’s go, Meggie!” Clap! Clap! Clap-clap-clap!

My girl turns her head toward the chant, looking around the stadium.

“Let’s go, Meggie!” Clap! Clap! Clap-clap-clap!

“Let’s go, Meggie!” Clap! Clap! Clap-clap-clap!

“Oh my god…” her words trail away as she sees them.

“Let’s go, Meggie!” Clap! Clap! Clap-clap-clap!

Her mom and her two sisters, Lily and Vickie, with poster board signs and pom-poms, cheer with everything they have and scream at the top of their lungs.

“How? Who?” She jerks her head around at all of us, happy tears welling in her eyes as she laughs and waves back at them with her whole arm.

I can’t stop my big ass smile. We’re all grinning like lunatics.

“It was Ellis’s idea,” Dante offers.

“Harrison paid for them to get here,” Nils says.

“And Nils arranged the flights and hotels for them,” Ellis explains.

“Let’s go Meggie!” McQuinn cheers and claps along. Meggie laughs while brushing tears from her eyes. Seeing her joy makes me feel like I’m flying, and I want to make her feel this way all the time. I silently vow to do everything I can to surprise her with all the grand gestures for the rest of our lives.

“Alright, this is it.” Harrison focuses us all in, and the goosebumps are already spreading down my arms. “Last game. Best game. We’re leaving here with a gold.” He holds each of our gazes in turn. “We’re leaving here with the fucking gold! This is our sport! Our team! Our pack! Team USA!”

“Last game, best game!” Ellis cheers.

“USA! USA!” McQuinn chants.

“Pack Hart on three!” Harrison puts his hand in the middle of our group, and we all follow. “One! Two! Three!”

“PACK HART!” We all scream.

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