Page 18 of Believe it or Knot

Liam nuzzles into her neck, inhaling deeply. “Missed you, lovely.”

“I missed you too,” she says, eyes drifting closed. “Which is ridiculous ‘cause it’s only been a couple of days.”

“Not ridiculous, conejita,” Rafe chides, pressing into her side. I feel a jab of jealousy, one that has my best friend’s eyes rising to meet mine, a smug fucking smirk on his lips, because I know he feels it through the bond. Holding my gaze, he tilts his head and presses a kiss to the corner of her jaw, sliding up to caress her lips with his. It’s not a proper kiss, but it’s close enough. And Sorrel seems pretty damn hazy when he pulls away.

Fuck. I want my mouth on her, my tongue tasting her skin, my cum splashed on her pretty high cheekbones and dripping off those thick lashes.

I blink at the decidedly smutty turn of my thoughts and shift back on my heels to keep from pulling this virtual stranger into my body and devouring her.

None of us know her. We don’t know her intentions or her history. We’re waiting on a background check, though Rafe only asked for the most basic one. Until we get the results, at least one of us has to keep our heads, stay cautious.

As the prime, it’s gonna be me. Liam is already halfway in love with her, and Rafe is ready to give our omega whatever he wants.

Because if I’ve learned one thing in my life, it’s that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Liam and Rafe are the only exceptions to the rule.

It’s a harsh but true sentiment when you’re one of the most famous packs in the world. People always want something from us. Without fail.

I’m sure Sorrel does too, but whether she wants us for us, or us for our fame and fortune, is yet to be determined.

But we will determine it.

Because I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a woman like I want this one.

Please let her be genuine. Please let her be… good.

She shifts until she can see all three of us and tilts her head, making strands of her wavy dark hair slip over her shoulder, just a few of the tendrils that have fallen out of her bun while she worked, when Stephen fucking Stillwell attacked her.

“What are you doing here?” She asks Rafe and Liam more than me.

But I answer anyway, because I want her attention on me. Greedy alpha that I am. “Liam hasn’t stopped talking about you since he came home. I’m a little surprised he didn’t answer every interview question with OM with only answers about you.”

I watch her closely for signs that she would have liked that. If she wants him to be spreading her name out there. But she just ducks her head and shakes it. “Oh god, please don’t. The last thing I want is to have thousands, if not millions, of strangers knowing my name.”

It’s the exact right answer, but I don’t know if it’s genuine or not.

“I think you might have to get used to the idea,” Liam says cheekily. “It’s only a matter of time before it gets out.”

Sorrel frowns and tilts her head. “Why’s that?”

He grins, that disarming smile that puts everyone at ease and charms them beyond compare. “We plan on spending a lot of time with you, lovely. Eventually, someone is bound to notice.”

Our pretty little beta’s mouth drops open. She looks like she’s doing some kind of complicated math in her head and then shakes it before asking slowly. “But why would you do that?”

Liam laughs, and Rafe lets out a low dirty chuckle. “Have you seen yourself, conejita?”

The furrow between her brows disappears and her pained expression melts, a flicker of hurt crossing her features before it’s gone too, and she gives us a smile. A fake one if I’ve ever seen it. “So it’s a sex thing?”

“Oh, fuck yes. It’s a sex thing,” Liam says. And I know my omega well enough to know that he wants to say more, that it’s not only a sex thing, but Sorrel nods once decisively, that smile still in place on her pink lips.

“Okay, so you want to fuck and get it out of your system. Got it.”

“What!” Liam says at the same time as a much lower, much grumblier voice growls the same word from behind me. There’s no missing the aggression in the tone, the rage. The tinge in the air, making the wood smoke and vanilla whiskey scent that belongs to the stranger bitter, until it’s burning the back of my tongue.

My alpha immediately goes on alert, rearing up to protect my pack, protect what’s mine.

But then Sorrel lets out a choked sound, half surprised gasp, half choked cry. Her trembling hand flies up to press against her lips and tears fill her wide eyes as she regards the stranger. I do too, sliding part way in front of her at the same time that Rafe does.

Big. Blond. Buff.

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