Page 23 of Shaken Knot Stirred

I had to take an extra step or two to control the force of Beg’s push into the room. It looked like a rather plain living room, not one of the more popular lounges the Pax was known for.

There was a kitchenette and a coffeemaker. The hallway on the right even had a paisley runner down the center, someone’s attempt at making it feel like home.

A blonde sat on the couch and stood as soon as Beg entered. For a beta, her aura was expressive. That was not a good sign. Fear and hatred rattled through her, making her pack bond with Beg sickly and weak. My heart pounded as I picked up her scent. Most betas barely had a scent to detect. It was easily masked by commercial body wash and shampoo. Her grapefruit scent cleared my head. Maybe it was so strong because she lived here or…

My pounding heart skipped a beat. She was my scent match, too.

She watched me warily, unsure if I would bite.

She was pretty, beautiful really, a little shorter than me. Her honey blond hair framed her face, bangs pushed to cover one eye. It was the hair that I’d always wanted. She looked tired, like she hadn’t had a good sleep in years.

A door opened down the hall, but I couldn’t take my eyes off her. A woodsy scent crept into the room, like a Julep made in a whiskey barrel. Oak and mint, with that twist of pine around it.

I went cold all over. He stood in the hallway, the overhead light catching in his curls that were raked back, longer than they had ever been. His aura was blinding. The glowing orange shot through with the jagged whiteness of terror.

Nico.

I wanted to make my lips move and say his name. Say all the things to fix what I broke. Words bigger than apologies or explanations. But they wouldn’t move.

He took a step closer, and his scent became my universe. Fresh and comforting, smelling like the cottage core home of my dreams. Nico had always been home for me, and I had trashed that.

And now he was my scent match, too. He was bound to Beg and this woman. So the alchemy of pack bonds had altered his scent and aura to make him my perfect match. Or so the fairy tales and pack romance books would tell you.

Fuck.

All because of Beg Knightbridge.

He came closer into my personal space. All I wanted was to throw my arms around him, say “fuck you” to the rest of the world, and grovel.

“Do you remember the last thing I said to you?” His voice didn’t match the emotion swirling in his aura, sounding like he was leaning into Beg’s harshness.

I nodded. I remembered everything about that day. His panic and confusion when he realized I had poisoned him and what was about to happen. I closed my eyes and didn’t flinch when his fist connected with the side of my face.

Chapter 13

Lana Wright

Nico rolled his eyesand carried on as if there wasn’t an unconscious girl on the floor.

“Junie quit this afternoon. Threw a fit in Vig. Trashed the place,” Nico said, all business like.

“Who?” Beg’s mental gears were slow to shift.

“Security has her in a holding room waiting on you. This is not a great time to be short on staff.”

A little pout appeared on Beg’s lips, as if he were genuinely disappointed that Nico didn’t seem to care about the girl. I took an inconspicuous step back.

“Third one this month. This is what happens when you’re fucking the bottle girls,” Nico remarked.

Beg regrouped. Sex, money, and misery were Beg’s favorite things.

“The omega stays,” Beg nodded at the girl on the ground. “She spent my money. She’ll work it off.”

Omega?

My stomach dropped to the floor. Little flutters of panic beat inside my chest. Work it off could mean a lot of different things to Beg.

“Whatever, dude,” Nico said casually, putting his back against the wall, hands in his pockets.

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