Page 133 of Knot All is Forgiven

Rafe clutches the teddy bear he gave me, and I can practically taste the despair dripping off him. Wordlessly, I hold my hand out, and he places the teddy in my arms.

Here, in my nest, surrounded by these incredible Alphas, I am completely mortified at my freak out.

Embarrassment colors my cheeks as I avoid all eye contact. "I'm sorry. The law firm called and-"

"No need to explain." Rafe's words are gentle when he cuts me off. "Stand up, Jordan." He hooks his arms under mine, lifting me to my feet. Before I can protest, Icarus pushes my skirt down my hips and legs before grasping me behind the knee and stepping me out of it one foot at a time.

Simon steps forward with a pair of cozy flannel pants, and Icarus repeats the process of lifting my legs so the other Alpha can pull the pants up my body and settle them on my waist. Rafe lets go of my arms, and I waver for a moment on my feet, but Isettle quickly when Cyrus reaches around my body to unbutton the blouse I'm wearing and peel it off my body.

To my surprise, he unhooks my bra, baring me to the other three, but it's not sexual. They're not looking at me like they want to eat me. They're looking at me like they want to protect me. To take care of me.

To love me.

A massive, soft black T-shirt gets pulled over my head. It smells of fresh laundry with a hint of that ozone, staticky scent. I know it's Rafe's.

Once I'm dressed, Rafe lowers me to the nest floor, and all the Alphas follow, spreading out around me. Each of them touches me in some way, seeking contact with my bare skin and even pushing up my shirt to get it.

We lay there in silence for a long time. Eventually, the tempest in my mind settles enough to get words out.

"Lanie sold me out." A sharp inhale of breath, and several grumbles sound off in response. "She filed a complaint about me, and that, combined with not turning in my designation documentation, gives me no hope of rehire, no legal protections, nothing. And she somehow got my ex to report that I was blacklisting him because we broke up."

"Wait, the asshole who broke into the condo?" Icarus sits up quickly. "I'll kill him."

"I'm sorry, someone broke in, and you didn't think to tell us?" Cyrus snarls.

"He had a key. Icarus got it back." I rub my hand down Cyrus's arm, purring softly to calm the massive Alpha down. "He's not dangerous, just persistent."

"So you have no standing for a lawsuit," Simon says quietly. "That's why you were so upset?"

I crawl up to rest my head on his chest. "Being an Omega isn't what I thought it would be." He stiffens beneath me, so I restmy hand gently on his chest, my fingers tapping a rhythm in the bare spot of skin on his collarbone.

"I had all these big plans for what life would be like. And even though I always knew I was an Omega, I built a life with a contingency. It was one I would be happy to live if I never presented. If I never found a pack."

"And that life got ruined." Icarus reaches into my hair, undoes the pins holding the bun in place, and pulls out the elastic. "It wasn't your first choice of a life, but you loved it anyways, and now it's gone."

I lean into his touch, practically purring at the sensation of his fingers dragging through my hair. "Exactly. It feels like today I lost my career and my best friend. I lost my reputation."

The last words get stuck in my throat, and a realization punches me in the gut.

"Jordan Knight died today."

"Hey," Rafe says firmly. "None of that. Jordan Knight wasn't just an ad executive at HUG. What about your company, Knightmare?"

I wave him off, burrowing deeper into Simon's touch. "That's just something I put together when I first moved here. It was never supposed to be anything real. I didn't want to be Jordan Cross but didn't want to go through the hassle of changing my name."

"I feel like it would've been easier just to change your name, not create an entire company," Cyrus says with a chuckle. "Unless you did it to hide from us."

My face heats as I face plant into Simon's armpit. The chocolate malt of his pheromones and the sweet musk of his sweat are soothing, and I don't care how gross that may be. "It wasn'tnotto hide from you. Or, more specifically, a persistent Alpha who was still calling me nonstop."

Simon chuckles underneath me, his hand wrapping around my waist just above Rafe's. "You don't have to explain yourself to us, peaches. But maybe Knightmare could be something. You already have clients, right?"

"Yeah, a few. Not enough for it to be a full-time job, though."

"Well, that's okay. I'll hire you to do my PR and tell everyone who works for me to use you for advertising and marketing if they want me to be a part of it." Cyrus' words leave no room for argument. "And don't tell me not to because I'm going to do it anyway, and you're going to say thank you."

"Yes, Dad," I grumble.

A smack lands on my ass. "Daddy is fine. Dad is creepy." I look over my shoulder at Cyrus, who looks like the cat that ate the canary. "I don't make the rules. I enforce them."

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