Page 74 of Tangled in Knots

Nodding, I give her a tentative smile, finding it’s still difficult to pull off. I tried though. The girl doesn’t look put off at all and goes back to eating her breakfast.

Turning back to Hazel, I follow her out to the main outreach center as I nibble on my muffin. It’s really fluffy and delicious, with the top being the perfect texture.

Swallowing hard, I find myself really nervous. My hair is wet and my back is getting damp from it. I feel as much a mess inside as outside, and have no idea what to expect from the co-founder.

Is she going to kick me out when she finds out I have mafia ties, or that Rock Dresmond has a hard-on for my emotional and physical destruction?

He’s probably getting off on fantasies of what the Kelly brothers are doing to me. Dirty bastard.

As Hazel walks across the outreach center, she smiles at the two women sitting in the living area. It’s surprisingly empty, and one woman has dark brown hair and large hazel eyes, while the other woman has blonde hair with brilliant green eyes. They both stand as I approach them, while I feel really awkward.

“Welcome toOmega’s Haven, Adira,” the woman with the blonde hair says. “I’m Aisling and this is Wren. Good, you have something to eat. Do you drink coffee or tea?”

“Um, coffee,” I say softly. “Are you going to kick me out?”

I’d rather know now than get comfortable. Blinking rapidly, I feel like I’m in trouble, but I don’t know why. There’s a spark inside of me, running under my ribs, that feels worried and I whimper. I wish I was better at blocking him out, but it feels a little less lonely knowing he’s there.

“What? No,” Wren says, shaking her head. “Breathe, we really just wanted to chat. Promise.”

Hazel quietly leaves and I nod, my lips trembling. My panic attack from earlier is leaving me with a lot of unresolved emotions and anxiety, which is what I blame this on.

“Sit down and explain why you think you’d be kicked out,” Aisling says gently as Wren moves over to start coffee. I only have an idea that’s what she’s doing, because I can see the cute little blue coffee machine from here as I slowly do as Aisling suggests.

Taking a deep breath, I gaze down at my partially eaten muffin. I wish I was still hungry, because it was really good, and that makes me upset too. I’m a damn mess.

“I’m really complicated,” I mutter. I don’t even mean ‘it’s’ complicated, because my entire life is embroiled in a ridiculous amount of nonsense.

“Welcome to the club,” Wren says with a snort. “We’re going to get along fine.”

CHAPTER 18

ADIRA

Gazing at my coffee, I take a small sip. It’s doctored with sugar and cream, but my stomach cramps painfully at the taste. Making a face, I sigh.

“What’s wrong with your coffee?” Wren asks.

“Nothing, it’s delicious, my stomach isn’t having it though,” I say, putting it back on the coffee table. My muffin is sitting on a plate next to it, and I decide to pull off a small piece, so there’s something in my stomach instead of acid.

“I… haven’t had a lot to eat recently, so I’m trying to figure out what doesn’t upset it.”

“That makes perfect sense,” Wren says without judgment. “You’ll need to reintroduce food slowly. Want to tell us why?”

“It’s a long story,” I mutter. “I’ve been sedated for the last three weeks to make me easier to deal with.”

“Easier for who?” Aisling asks.

“The pack before they sold me,” I whisper.

“Can you start from the beginning?” Wren asks. “I’m considering all the ways I can ask my pack to kill them right now and I need all of the information first.”

“Yeah,” I agree, wondering if she’s serious.

The entire story comes pouring out over the next hour, and Wren and Aisling tug me over to sit between them on the couch. I can barely breathe by the end, tears streaming down my face, as I gasp out how I ended up atOmega’s Haven’s door.

“We’re going to pause and let you catch your breath,” Aisling says slowly, both her and Wren’s cheeks wet with tears. “God, I can’t even imagine how awful all of this was.”

Wren makes a face as she grabs a tissue box and passes it around. “Can we throw the entire pack away?” she complains. “That’s not fair. Men do stupid shit all of the time when they ignore their instincts, and this isn’t any different.”

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