Page 37 of Knot That Delicate

I frowned, feigning insult. “I’ll have you know, I can also read considerably well.” I couldn’t even keep my own face straight.

Asher had just opened the fridge when the entire cabin was engulfed in darkness. It took a second for our eyes to adjust. There was still enough twilight outside to make out the faint shape of each other.

“Power outage?” I asked.

Asher tilted his head thoughtfully, a gesture I could only make out in the semi-darkness, but before he could answer, his words were cut off by an almighty scream from Juniper. I laughed. “Oh, it’sdefinitelya power outage,” I said, because I knew exactly what had just happened. The hot water heater couldn’t work when we had outages, which meant the water inthe shower Juniper was taking had just turned ice cold, giving her a nice shock.

Doors slammed in the cabin, and Juniper came stomping out, wearing nothing but a towel. “What the hell just happened?” she demanded, her voice dripping with irritation as suds clung to her hair. “The shower just turned to ice!”

I grinned. “Yep, it looks like we’re having a power outage.”

Carter, already dressed, followed her down the hallway. “You were still in the shower,” he said, his eyes widening as he took in her appearance.

Wearing only a towel, she had far too much skin on display, and I pointedly averted my eyes. I did not want to act like a creeper. But I was only human—there was a soggy wet, dripping-wet omega standing in front of me, something that would grab anyone’s attention.

“So, when is the shower coming back on?” Juniper asked.

I shrugged. “Whenever the main generators decide they want to kick back in. They’re very choosy. We really haven't been taking care of them. There was a storm in the summer while we were away and they got damaged.”

Asher added, “Usually, it's a few hours. We have mini generators we bought with us for the super essential things.”

“It can’t be a few hours! I’ve still got bubbles in my hair, and it’scold.I don’t like it,” Juniper whined, stomping her foot. “I can handle damp, I can handle mucky, I can handle most things, but I don’t like being cold.”

I shot a glance at Asher, grinning. “You know what this means?”

We all muttered at the same time, “Campfire.”

Juniper looked between us, questioningly. “What do you mean, campfire?”

I gestured outside at the window. Since it wasn’t actively raining, we could set up the firepit. “We have a firepit outside.When the power cuts out and the weather gets really cold, we all sit around it, wrap ourselves in blankets, and keep warm.”

Her eyes lit up. “That sounds amazing. Okay! I need to rinse the bubbles out of my hair, which is going to be miserable, but afterwards, campfire! That sounds good, yes, I like that.” She nodded more to herself than to us.

“Make sure you put on layers after you finish showering,” Asher reminded her, frowning. “Your hair’s going to be wet, and you’ll need to dry through entirely.”

I nodded my agreement with my pack mate. Juniper had a lot of hair, and it could easily get weighed down with the water and make her sick.

Juniper glanced down at her hair. “Oh, yeah. Drying this is going to be a problem,” she murmured. “Okay, I’m going to go get as dry as I can and rinse these bubbles out. I’ll see you guys in a minute,” she said, bounding down the corridor. She acted as though she didn’t even realise she’d been half-naked in front of a bunch of alphas. Was shereallythat comfortable with us?

Carter laughed. “She really is something else, isn’t she?”

I nodded. “She definitely is.”

I made my way outside, quickly grabbing a pile of logs, while my pack mates went around*** the cabin, doing their various jobs. Asher was gathering what food and blankets he could, and Carter was off trying to make sure the small extra generators we used in case of emergency to fuel the freezers were up and running. Asher could still make the chicken chilli; it would just have to be over the campfire instead. Inside cooking was a luxury when we were down to limited power. Security and food storage were the two priorities. Usually, we wouldn’t even give a toss about security, but with Juniper around, it was better to be safe.

I didn’t mind the nights when the main generator was out. It was actually kind of nice to sit around a fire together. While the guys were setting things up outside, I went up to my room, intending to grab the large quilt off my bed, then I heard Juniper muttering in the bathroom. At the sound of my footsteps, she stopped and poked her head out of the bathroom.

“Hey,” she said, “could you give me a hand?”

She was fully dressed now, so I was safe from any unwilling flashing from the tiny omega. “What do you need my help with?” I asked, taking a cautious step towards the bathroom.

She opened the door more fully, and I noticed the large pair of scissors in her hand.

“What are you doing with those?” I asked, eyeing the scissors.

“Oh,” she said, looking between me and the scissors. “Well, you see, I kind of had an idea. It’s something I want to do, but I need you to be sure it’s straight in the back.”

I cocked my head, trying to understand. “You’re going to have to explain.”

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