Page 80 of Knot All is Forgiven

I stealthily scoot my chair closer to Slime. "Have they always been like this?" I whisper.

He chuckles, pulling a knee to his chest and awkwardly resting his foot on the seat of his chair. "Yeah, always. It was hell on me and Rafe to keep them from chewing each others' heads off sometimes."

Jordan and Cyrus are arguing back and forth now, but I don't think it's about the name anymore. My mate's red hair flies everywhere, and her arms are gesturing wildly. The massive Alpha has his arms crossed over his bulky chest as he wrinkles his nose at her.

"Tiger is a shitty name too, Cyrus! No one would've taken you seriously with that, either. Why couldn't you just have gone with one of your guys' names?"

Cyrus throws his hands up like Jordan is the most frustrating person he'd ever met. "Are you kidding me right now, Jay? Like, be fucking serious. Are you really asking why we didn't take one of our names as a pack name?"

She wrinkles her brow, confusion painting her pretty features. Rafe and Slime have moved closer to me, their shoulders touching, giving the quarreling pair a wide berth. "Yes? I mean, Iasked you guys constantly why you picked Stargazer, and all you ever said was -"

"We'll tell you when it's time!" he roars. "We were going to tell you it was a placeholder name until you became our Omega."

She stumbles backward as if slapped. "Excuse me?"

He sinks into his hair, pulling his long, curly hair from the elastic he had it knotted with. "We thought we'd take your name as a pack when it was time, so we put that name as a silly placeholder. And then we had to let you go and -"

"And you never changed it."

"We never changed it. Didn't feel right to." Slime and Rafe shuffle uncomfortably beside me, the only confirmation I need to know that this is all the truth. Cyrus reaches for Jordan, but she pulls her hand back. Hurt flashes across his features momentarily, but he steels himself. "I need to tell you how sor-"

"Don't apologize."

"For fuck's sake, woman. Let me talk for once in your life!"

A growl rumbles in my chest, and I shoot to my feet. "You do not talk to her that way!" I shout at the Alpha, rounding the table to put myself between him and Jordan. "She has done nothing to deserve your ire."

"Vick," Jordan says softly behind me, touching my hip. "We've always spoken to each other like this. It's not new."

"I don't like it," I respond, glaring at the other Alpha.

"I'm not asking you to. I'm asking you to trust that I will speak up when I cannot handle something."

Reluctantly, I kiss her forehead and move away, giving them space even though it goes against all my instincts. Once I've moved, Jordan presses a finger into Cyrus' chest.

"You do not talk to me that way! You have not earned the right back. You forfeited it when you lied to me and left me."

"I know I have, okay?" he says quietly, his massive body collapsing into itself. "But please, I want you to know it was allmy idea—the lying about the scent match thing. Don't take your anger out on the others. We don't want you to get sick."

"The others went along with it." Her voice is strong, but I feel the pain radiating through the bond. I think our time here is coming to an end for the evening. I can tell my girl needs an emotional break from all of this.

"We did," Rafe interjects. "And I'll regret it every day for the rest of my life. It destroyed us as a pack. Sim—er, Slime left us, and Cyrus and I lived separately."

"I don't know if there will ever be words to express just how much I regret what I did." Cyrus clenches his fists, clearly trying to stop himself from grabbing her. "And I know you may not believe me, but I have always lov-"

"Nope. No." She jumps to her feet, wagging her finger at Cyrus. "We're not doing that. Not saying that. Not now."

"Jordan." He moves fast for a big guy, quickly grabbing her hands. She refuses to meet his gaze but sinks into his touch. "Give us a chance, please."

Tears well in her eyes and the despair she feels punches me in the chest. I place my hand on Cyrus's, and he immediately releases her.

I pull my Omega to my chest, purring until the tension drains from her. After a few quiet moments, she stands up, a look of resigned determination on her face. Like she doesn't want to be strong, but she knows she has to be.

Turning her attention back to Pack Stargazer, she continues as if Cyrus didn't almost confess his love to her. "Rafe, I haven't scented you yet, and please don't try to get close enough to me so that I do. The longer I go without scenting you, the lower my chance of scent sickness."

His shoulders slump, the rejection a physical weight, but he doesn't protest.

"But Cyrus and Simon," she pauses, looking at the biker. "Do you want me to call you Slime?"

---