Page 55 of Knot That Delicate

Dylan's face was stony as he spoke. “Sometimes I really hate it myself.”

We were in a weird holding pattern. Juniper’s heat had finished a few days ago, and ever since then, we had been drifting around the cabin in a state of bliss.

We had mainly spent our time watching movies together, snuggling, and even making out like a bunch of horny teenagers. We all wanted to keep the sex going, but Juniper needed time to rest and recover. Honestly, I couldn't imagine a better life. The Juniper that lived with us now was a million miles away from the Juniper I had met a little under twelve weeks ago.

This Juniper was outgoing, she laughed and was friendly. She was sassy, though that part wasn’t new. She was the type of creature that managed to sass me when she was completely exhausted, collapsed against a tree after running for severaldays. And now that she'd been eating well and taking care of herself and getting plenty of sleep, she was fucking stunning. I was possibly biased, but I couldn't imagine a more beautiful omega.

None of us had spoken about what this meant. Juniper had simply woken up and continued on with us, cuddling, talking to us as normal. No one brought up the “I love you” that was said during the heat. But we shared an intimacy that wasn’t there before.

We binge-watched several series that had season after season. We watched a medical drama and a supernatural drama. The medical drama had been difficult to watch because Asher pointed out all the inconsistencies the entire way through. So, when we’d switched over to a TV show about monsters and demons and magic, none of us could complain.

Or, at least, that's what I thought until Dylan started talking about the abysmal security involved in the show. Still, one cute, adorable pout from Juniper and both of them would shut up and watch the TV show with joy. Or they would go and get a snack for Juniper during the times when the show became a little too unbearable for them. Either way, it was clearly a win for her.

She didn't seem to realise it, but she had us wrapped around her finger. We didn't mind that one bit. Fuck, I happily would’ve spent the rest of my life getting that omega snacks if it made her smile. Because every time she graced me with one of those looks where her mouth spread wide and her eyes lit up, I felt like the tallest man in the world.

“Do you have to go?” Juniper whined, trying to drag me back into the little nest she had made on the sofa. She was in Dylan's arms, but she was still trying to get more of us to join her in her cuddle puddle.

“It's just a quick check of the perimeter,” I said as I pulled on my coat, dragging myself away from her. Even though themovement made me wince, since the last thing I wanted to do was be away from her.

But we had seriously been neglecting the property for the last few days, so it was for the best.

“I just need to check that all the cameras are working, all the fences are intact. I'll be an hour, two tops,” I said. “Even less, if I take the quad bikes.”

Juniper pouted, snuggling back into Dylan’s arms, crossing her own. “Fine,” she huffed. “I suppose I'll just have to wait for you here.”

I laughed, leaning down and placing a kiss on the top of her head. I would have probably kissed her, but then I wouldn't have left. I wouldn't have had the strength to leave, because, one kiss from Juniper, and I would have been on my knees for her.

For such an innocent, sweet omega, she was pure sex personified and could have me doing anything with just a crook of her finger. As soon as she went back into Dylan’s arms and looked up at him hopefully, I made a dash for the door. We needed to do this. I needed to see what was going on in the property, loathing that my job in the pack meant leaving her.

In the past, I had actually enjoyed my time wandering around the perimeter of the property. It was a time to relax. A time for quiet. Now I hated it because I didn't have her with me. If not for the sludgy weather, I probably would have asked her to come for a walk. But she was clearly very happy, snuggled up in Dylan’s arms, wrapped up in a blanket with every piece of clothing she had stolen from us spread around her.

Once I was outside, the cold air was piercing, and I grumbled to myself as I loaded up one of the quad bikes with a few bottles of water and one of my shotguns, since you never knew what you were going to encounter in the woods. Half an hour in, everything looked normal, and I was relishing the idea that I would soon be back with Juniper, snuggling into her arms,begging her to help me warm up. I just had the main entrance to our land to check, the area that was likely to be unable to access because of mudslides. So, revving the quad bike, I made my way down the dirt track, and several large vehicles came into sight. A cold terror gripped my chest; I knew what those vehicles were. They were in the distance, but they meant that the road was clear. They were clearing the paths up the mountain.

Which meant things were safe.

Which meant that we could get off the mountain.

Which meant that Juniper could go home.

Fuck.

Everything had been going so well. I was content and comfortable.

So, when Carter had come back into the cabin, I had scrambled off the couch and made a beeline for him, pausing when I saw his unhappy expression.

“Is everything okay?” I’d asked. His displeasure was obvious in his scent—something was upsetting him.

His news that the landslide had cleared had been…confusing. A few months ago, when I’d arrived at the cabin, I assumed that the second that it happened, I’d be running down the mountain to find my family. Only now, I felt rooted to the spot. Could I really leave? I was happier than I had been in a long time. I didn’t know what I was going to be walking into.

We piled into one of the vehicles to drive down the mountain a bit and get a cell signal. They had even brought laptops, so they could check emails. Before today, we’d all been so distracted that we hadn’t even thought to check the state of the roads. We’d all been so blissfully happy.

No one said a word on the drive down. We’d hardly spoken to each other since Carter returned with the news. I sat in the passenger seat, wringing my hands.I want this, I had to remind myself.

So, why did it feel like someone had died and there was an intense mourning happening?

“Your brother will be happy to hear from you,” Carter assured me, gently grasping at my upper thigh as he drove.

I nodded. I knew he would be. That wasn’t what I was anxious about.

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