Page 46 of Knot Happening

“Eat.” She tilts her head toward the food, and I watch as she takes a bite of a bread stick. I move, trying to keep the shock I feel off my face. Once I’m sitting in front of my food, she sits behind me, and starts running her fingers through my hair. I can barely focus on the movie, or my food, because Mom hasn’t touched me like this in years. I can’t remember the last time she played with my hair. Even before things got bad.

“Mom?” I murmur, feeling uneasy about such a big change in her behavior. What the heck is happening?

“I know Tatum Bella. Shh. Eat. Everything will be okay.” Her words are spoken so low it’s hard to hear her over the TV, but there’s a sadness in her tone. I don’t speak again for a long while as I eat. I finish my food, but Mom just keeps playing with my hair.

Her gentle touch makes me sleepy, and when I start nodding off, she sits back, patting the couch for me to sit next to her.

When I rest my head in her lap, she continues caressing my blonde strands, never taking her hands off me. I sleep through the second movie and wake up halfway into the third. I startle, sitting up suddenly, and look at Mom. She blinks at me.

“You alright?”

“Are you?” I ask, frowning.

“Yes. Just tired.” She lies down, now that I’m not taking up so much of the couch, lying her head on a pillow instead of my lap. She falls asleep quickly, and rather than prolonging the inevitable, I head into her room to start packing up her clothes. Since I can visit daily, I’ve decided I’ll take a few backpacks full of stuff every time I visit, rather than trying to take too much all at once.

Once I’m done, I help Mom into bed.

“Goodnight, Mom,” I mumble, kissing her forehead. I hope I’m doing the right thing.

“As you can see, she’s got a great view,” Mrs. June says as she smiles brightly at Mom and me. Once Mom went to sleep last night, she was back to her usual self this morning before we left. Barely responsive, and not caring what I do, or where I’m taking her. The ride to the facility in the taxi I ordered had a somber silence. When we arrived at ABO Care, they brought us right up to her room on the second floor.

Mrs. June is going to be one of several nurses on her care team. They’re going to focus on getting her settled today, and tomorrow, they start the evaluations.

“It’s beautiful. Mom?” I ask, looking at her hopefully. Especially after yesterday, but whatever had her in better spirits for those few hours, it’s gone now.

“Don’t worry, Hun. I’ve seen Omegas in worse shape come out on the other side. I’ll take good care of your mama. We’re dedicated to providing all our residents with the best possible care.” The reassuring squeeze she gives my hand settles me more than I thought possible. Glancing up at the pretty older woman, I spot the silvery healed bond marks on her neck. Being a Beta, they tend to be very good at soothing both Alphas and Omegas. Especially if they end up in a pack bond. It’s not super common, but it’s also not unheard of.

More often, they form close bonds with other Betas.

Her aura is calming, and her scent is like sugar cookies fresh out of the oven. Now I’m hungry.

“I’ll be back tomorrow morning. I love you,” I say, as I hug Mom. She doesn’t hug me back, but I don’t care. “Please take care of her. She’s all I have left in the world. If anything happens to her…” I whisper, and Mrs. June gives me a sympathetic smile and a nod of her head. I hadn’t meant to reveal that, but I don’t sense anything off about Mrs. June.

“Of course.”

I leave Mom’s room, and head for the elevator, tears stinging my eyes. Once the doors shut me in, I let the sob I was holding in break free and swipe quickly at my cheeks. I can’t fall apart in this damn elevator.

When the doors open, I’m not paying attention as I hustle to flee this place. I run face-first into an Alpha chest.

“Woah there,” a deep, familiar voice says, and I blink up at the Alpha gripping my arms in firm but gentle hands. I blink, then blink again, inhaling deeply.

“Declan?” I ask, because when I saw him yesterday, his hair was shorter, and he didn’t have a scar over his left eye. I blink again. His scent isn’t the same either… That spicy hint…

“Not quite.” He winks, and the smaller Alpha behind him makes himself known. Mr. Hamlin. I wrinkle my nose as hisscent invades the small space. I move to try and escape, but he just backs up until we’re all standing outside the elevator doors.

“Mr. Hayes, do you know Ms. Cray?” I don’t like the way Mr. Hamlin is looking at me. Or how bothered he seems to be by Declan knowing me. I mean, Declan’s look alike…

“I do. You’ll have to excuse me. I’ll be back tomorrow to speak with you about that deal we were discussing,” and then I’m being ushered out the front door by someone who has to be my boss’s twin. My boss's twin! Oh my god, Declan has a twin?!

“What’s going on?” I ask, once we’re out on the street, spinning to face the Alpha. I blame my emotions and being caught by surprise for how long it took my brain to put two and two together. “It was you!” I gasp, “I knew Declan would never wear a hoodie to the club!” Mr. Hayes, Declan’s nameless twin, a man I didn’t even know existed, smirks.

Then he’s pulling me away from the building and around to the parking lot.

“Tell me why you were crying, Pretty Gift,” he whispers close to my ear, in that low, gravelly tone, and my steps falter. I nearly trip, but he catches me. We stop next to a sleek black Jaguar F-Type, and he opens the passenger door. I start to climb in, but thankfully my brain comes back online and I push back. Because of how close he was standing, when I spin to look at him, I’m pressed against his body.

It takes an embarrassingly long time for me to find my voice.

“Kodiak?” I hiss, as I look him up and down. “What the fuck… What the fuck?”

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