Page 22 of Knot a Chance in Hell

But she wasn’t, was she? She was Kodiak’s and Ezekiel’s. I would never betray either of my friends for an Omega.

And I wouldn’t break the promise I made to myself to never let a woman into my heart again.

No matter how much my Alpha instincts roared, Nicolette was trouble. Tonight proved how much. The best thing to do for all of us was to drive her away from Alaska.

She may not have been dead, but a part of me already felt that way knowing she needed to go.

CHAPTER TWELVE – Nicolette

My rescue and the day following was a blur. There was only the frigid cold and then warm comfort. From one extreme to the other. Especially since that extreme had been Silas.

I’d walked around in circles until my legs felt like they might shatter. I tried warming up with the dogs, but their fur was as snowy as the dark woods around me. The storm zapped every bit of strength I had. When I curled up in front of that tree, I couldn’t walk anymore. Every part of me hurt. I’d been ready to die.

There was a roar and light and Silas’ body against mine. He was the thing that pulled me back from the freezing edge of existence and saved me. Silas the rude asshole was my hero.

I didn’t know how to deal with that.

More so, I didn’t know why I wanted to scream with pain when I was picked up and taken away from him.

I’d clung to Ezekiel, breathing in his soothing scent, and let him care for me. A steaming bath, a hot spicy soup, and a milky tea, and then I passed out in Ezekiel’s arms. I didn’t even think about how he had slunk into my bed unbidden the night before. At some point I woke to snoring, and smiled as I cracked my eyes open to find Kodiak had taken Ezekiel’s spot as my bed warmer.

Contrasting to my feelings yesterday, I could get used to this. My friend Callista had it right. Three handsome Alphas… No. Not three. Silas wasn’t mine. He didn’t like me and had made that very clear. He’d probably only been out searching because it was the right thing to do.

I drifted in and out of sleep and woke the next evening with exhaustion still weighing heavily on me. My stomach growled, and I crawled out of bed to dress and use the bathroom.I tested all my fingers and toes and breathed a sigh of relief that I didn’t have any permanent frostbite damage.

The dogs were there when I opened the bedroom door. I greeted them with pets and scratches. “Hello, my darlings. You saved me from going totally insane out there. Yes you did.” From down the hall, I could hear men talking in quiet voices. I kissed each husky on the head before straightening. “Such a good boy and girl.”

With my slippers swishing on the hardwood floor, I entered the living room. Every head turned my way. Kodiak’s flannel shirt strained at the seams with his muscles and Ezekiel’s gray hoodie hugged his toned chest. Silas had on a black quarter zip pullover that made him look dangerously edgy. The final man wasn’t someone I’d met, but I knew immediately he was Kodiak’s father. He was shorter, not as broad, and weather worn, but I could see Kodiak’s face in his wrinkled one.

Before I could say anything, Ezekiel and Kodiak were up and rushing toward me. I saw out of the corner of my eye, Silas jerk like he was about to get out of his chair too, but he kept himself in place.

“Nicolette, how are you feeling?” Ezekiel’s voice was soft like a purr.

Over top of his question, Kodiak’s louder tone rumbled. “Hey baby. You’re looking so much better. We’ve been worried.”

Each of them took up a different side of me, escorting me along to the kitchen. I couldn’t stop smiling at how good it felt between them. Warm and safe and so much more of everything I couldn’t think of to name. I could imagine nights cuddled between them on the couch as the snow fell outside. Never alone.

“I’m tired, but otherwise fine.” My stomach growled again and my cheeks flushed. It wasn’t lady-like to admit to such things, but my body was yelling for it. “I’m really hungry, though.”

“That’s because you were nearly a human ice pop,” the old man huffed. He stood from the couch and limped over to the dining area. He pulled out two chairs and smacked the seat of one as he sat. “Come and sit, girl. The boys will get you some food.”

“Yes, of course. We saved you a bowl of Savva’s stew.” Ezekiel gave my hand a squeeze before heading into the kitchen to fetch a bowl from the fridge and put it in the microwave.

“My dad makes the best stew.” Kodiak smiled, and while I didn’t need him physically supporting me, I let him take me to the table and help me sit just to feel his hands on me. “I’d make it for you, but he won’t share his recipe with anyone.”

Savva snorted. “You’re a shit cook. All three of you are. And you have shit manners.” His face softened as he looked at me and held out his hand. Maybe he wasn’t all hardness and grump. “It’s good to finally meet you, Nicolette.”

“You too, sir. My dad talks a lot about your fishing adventures.” I shook his hand which was rough from a lifetime of hard labor. So much different than my own father’s hands.

“None of that sir crap. Call me Savva.” He waved off the title as Kodiak took a seat on the other side of me. “Just so you know, I was giving the boys shit that none of them gave you any basic lessons about going outside in Alaska. If you’re going to live here, you’re going to need to know how to survive. You could have died just because you weren’t properly dressed, and it isn’t even winter yet.”

Properly dressed? I had on a winter coat, hat, gloves, and boots. I thought I was prepared for the cold. “You shouldn’t do that. It wasn’t their fault. I left the road thinking to take a short cut and lost my way when it started snowing.”

Ezekiel placed a delicious smelling bowl of stew in front of me with a glass of milk on the side. This was a good step in the direction of making up for the other morning. “It wasn’t yourfault at all. The storm was unexpected. We should have taken better care of you and prepped you properly.”

“You should have.” Savva scowled at Ezekiel and then Kodiak over my shoulder. “Eat up, girl, and we’re going to give you a lesson on life here.”

“Yeah, I don’t think you should leave the house anymore by yourself. It’s not safe.” Kodiak shook his head. Was he serious? I wasn’t going to be some princess stuck inside a tower on a mountain. He was lucky I was too tired and hungry to glower at him.

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