Page 9 of Knot Their Valentine

“There’s no fucking way I’m living with Caelum.”

“So to be clear then, Quin and I are safe?” Lachlan smirks as he passes by and heads for the couch.

“Just…be reasonable, Harlow!” Cae snaps before stomping out of the apartment, probably so he can go grab my fucking bags. I pull my phone out of my pocket and text my father.

Harlow: If you knew and didn’t warn me, I’m putting raisins in your favorite dishes every holiday until you die.

Dad Max: I was as surprised as you, I promise.

I scoff, plopping my phone down on the counter. The counter I’m still sitting on.

“I think we can make it work. I know you must hate living with your parents,” Quin murmurs, stepping closer to me.

We’ve always kept this…distance between us. There was a time, not all that long ago, when I would have done anything to bridge that divide.

“This isn’t a good idea. Cae and I hate each other–”

“I’m sorry, Low. I-I could have done more to get him to lay off… I just let him be himself, I guess.” Quin looks genuinely distraught, and I can feel the anxiety wafting off of him. I reach out, gripping his bicep, doing my best not to notice how toned he is.

“What could you have done? Cae was on the warpath, and I was his only target. Whatever his reasons, nothing you could have done or said, would have made him back down. We’ve had this conversation before.” I shake my head, looking into his eyes for the first time today, and my heart rate kicks up a notch. “I guess I can stay until I find my own place. Living with my mother has been difficult. Hopefully, Cae is less insufferable,” I chuckle, trying to put him at ease. I don’t like it when he’s upset. Fucking instincts.

“Thank fuck.” Quin lets out a breath so heavy that I can’t help but snort. He doesn’t elaborate on why he seems so relieved that I’ve agreed to stay with them, but I don’t push for an explanation either.

Caelum and my mother return, the Alpha’s arms filled with bags as my mother chatters on and on about something none of us gives a shit about.

I jump off the counter and narrow my eyes on the woman. My arms are crossed over my chest, and even though she stands two inches shorter than me with her heels on, she doesn’t even notice my glare.

“Alright, Firefly. Have a good night getting settled in, and don’t forget that you have to go on dates with the Alphas and the pack before Valentine's Day! It’s for charity, after all.”

“And Quin,” I add, frowning at her. He’s in the pack, too. Each member gets a date and one pack date. Dating Cae is certainly fucking charity, though…

“Right, right…”

“Did you say that you and your pack had dinner plans? You look amazing, of course, but I know how much you like to get dolled up for them…” Caelum says, cutting her off. She blushes and nods as this dreamy look passes over her face.

My mother might be a damn menace, but she loves my dads like the moon loves the stars. All my life, she’s talked about how important getting dolled up for her husbands is, no matter how many times they’ve seen her.

She pecks my cheek before fluttering out of the apartment like the butterfly she is.

“That was much more entertaining than I was expecting,” Lachlan says from the couch, and I glance over to see him tipping his beer back to finish it off.

“I don’t needyou to help me unpack, Quin, really,” I say, but he waves my comment off and starts unzipping a bag. The one with all my underwear. I watch as he pulls thongs and g-strings out, unfazed.

After my mother left, I snatched up all my bags, demanded they show me to my room, and then hid in here for half an hour before Quin came knocking.

The guest room they put me in is made up of neutral tones and tan accents. It’s obvious from the clean lemon scent that it had been freshly cleaned before I came. The stack of my bags infront of the walk in closet with built-in drawers won’t fill even half of the space. I hadn’t packed much beyond the necessities, like my scrubs for work and my bag of nesting supplies. Casual clothes, pajamas, things like that. I didn’t have enough notice, or time, to pack much more than that.

Watching the other Omega, I’m a little bit confused about how he’s touching my thongs with zero reaction, until reality sinks in and embarrassment floods my system. My cheeks burn hot, as I stifle a groan.

He’s unfazed, because the attraction is one-sided. Quin doesn’t give a fuck about what garments spend the day pressed against my pussy, any more than he’d care about my skin care routine.

Wincing at that reality, I turn my back to him and try to hide the horror I’m currently feeling. Fantastic Harlow. You have immaculate taste in men. All the ones that don’t want you.

What’s next? Should I throw myself at Lachlan’s feet and beg for a crumb of attention? The instinct to rush out there and curl up in his lap is strong. He helped me earlier. He’s an Alpha, and it made my Omega instincts go wild.

I might think Caelum is the worst, and want nothing to do with him, but I’m still an Omega.

How long will I last? Before I break, that is. Before I’m crawling on all fours to the golden eyed Alpha? Or begging Quin to give me just a little taste?

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