Page 20 of My Knotty Mountain Men

“You can’t help it,” he states simply. “It’s the risk we take dating people who aren't our scent matches. But it’s life. We can’t be expected to just sit around and wait until it happens. Life is short, live it and deal with things as they come.”

“That's what I was doing,” I seethe, shooting him a glare. “I was living my life just fine. Came here for a girls' getaway, only for the snow to come down so hard that my friends had to cancel. So, I ended up being alone in my cabin. Fine enough, right?Spend a few days reading, enjoying time off work, then go home and back to work, right?”

“Right?” he asks, confused and unsure what to say.

My feet slip from the seat, landing on the ground with a thud before I swing my body in his direction. “Wrong!” I hiss, and his eyes widen in surprise.Okay, maybe I look a little crazy right now, but he can’t judge me. I’m going through some shit.“Because some stupid men came over to check on me, and boom!” I clap my hands together. “Scent matches. So the big fucker snatches me up and brings me back to their cabin. Where they trigger my stupid heat. So I spend a week fucking them only to have their pregnant girlfriend show up at the door.”

I’m not sure why I’m spilling all my personal issues to a complete stranger, but I’m not myself right now, and god, it feels good to bitch about everything.

“Want me to kill them?” A pretty blonde appears out of nowhere. I blink up, watching her take a seat in the guy’s lap. He chuckles, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face into her neck.

“Now, now, Kota. Be good. You're going to scare the Omega.”

She gives me a wink. “I could do it, you know. Make it look like an accident.”

“Kota,” the guy growls.

She’s an Alpha as well. They’re together. Huh. Not uncommon, but not something you see every day.

Teaching at Calling Wood, it’s normal to see different pairings. Life isn’t only meant for Alphas and Omegas to be together, but it’s how our biology is built.

I sit here, blinking at the scary Alpha lady. She’s hot but also terrifying. She’s gotta be joking, right? She doesn’t actually kill people.

The gate agent makes an announcement that the plane is now boarding.

“Good luck,” the female Alpha says as I stand, grabbing my bags. “Remember your worth. Scent matches or not, you deserve the world. Find a pack that will give it to you.”

“Thanks,” I murmur as I walk by, and she hits me with another wink.

Well, that was weird. But, hey, it took my mind off things for a whole few seconds.

Grabbing my boarding pass, I show it to the gate agent before passing through. Once I’m seated, I get comfortable and send off a text to my friends in the group chat, letting them know I’m on the plane and will see them when I get back.

They text back, excited to hear all about the Alphas I met. Switching my phone to airplane mode, I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths to try and calm myself down.

I didn’t have the heart to tell them what happened. Who knew mere moments after I told them everything was amazing, it would all come crashing down around me.

When I got to the airport, I sent them a quick text letting them know I was coming home but didn’t tell them anything else.

I’d rather wait until I’m surrounded by their support before I say anything. It’s not something to get into over text messages.

As soon as we’re up in the air, I fall asleep. It’s only noon, and I’m already exhausted and ready for this day to be over.

“Violet!” I hear Jenny call my name and my stomach drops. I’m excited to see my best friend, but I’m also dreading having to explain everything.

Moving around the people in front of me, I break free from the crowd and spot her bright red hair. She stands there with a big grin on her face.

She takes one look at me, and it falters. Rushing over to her, I drop my bags to the ground and throw myself into her arms for a much-needed hug.

“Oh, babe, what's wrong?” she asks concern laced in her voice as she wraps her arms around me, squeezing me tightly, just how I like it.

I instantly relax in her hold, feeling like I’m safe for the first time in hours.

“Everything is fucked up,” I sniff, refusing to shed any more tears over them.

“What happened?” she asks. “What did they do?” Her growl sends a shiver down my spine.

I’m not into women, but she’s been pretty much my adopted Alpha since we became friends. Always the one to take care of me, to make sure I was okay.

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