Page 45 of Shaken Knot Stirred

“Effectively, that’s what she did. She was a drug addict, had wagered money on a fight, and lost,” Lana explained.

“She put you up as collateral? For a fight?” I wasn’t new to shitty parenting, but sometimes I thought I was special and was the only one who’d had dirtbags for a mommy and a daddy.

“Basically. Beg was super chummy with this alpha named Grayhouse, who was in the market for a young, impressionable omega,” Lana continued.

“But you’re not an omega,” I pointed out.

“You can see the problem. I hadn’t turned 18 yet, so my mother still thought there was time for me to perfume. She told Grayhouse that she had me evaluated by an auracle and I was absolutely an omega. Beg brokered the deal and they packed me off to Grayhouse with his favorite perfume, so I’d smell like an omega.”

“A perfume? What a dumb ass to fall for that.”

“Grayhouse was actually pretty sweet, so long as you did exactly what he wanted, when he wanted. He started to get confused when I didn’t go into heat and he was creeping closer to rut. He figured it all out after he knotted me for the first time,” Lana revealed.

“Lana,” I interrupted, pulling her to a stop. Some betas could take a knot, and some even enjoyed it, but not without a lot of prep work and lube. Her aura shrank even more, if that was possible. She shrugged her shoulders like it was no big deal. My heart broke on the spot.

“I’m going to have to find this Grayhouse and throwhimdown the stairs. Several flights of stairs,” I said evenly, but I was shaking with simmering rage inside.

“So, he gave me back to Beg, and well, happily ever after.” Lana smoothed her dress out and finger combed her hair. Her aura and her cheeks blushed, like she hadn’t meant to rip out a skeleton from her closet.

An idea bubbled to the top of my head, boiling up from this newfound outrage. “Grayhouse. Is he still in the market for an omega?”

All the color drained from Lana’s face, and her thin aura went white and cold.

“We’ll set him up and take him for everything he has,” I hurried to explain, not wanting her to wallow in terrible memories. She chewed her lip, her calculating survival instincts warring with her past trauma.

“He’ll be at Paramour, not here,” she said, barely above a whisper.

The Paramour was like the Pax’s prettier, more refined twin. The Pax had illegal fight rings, and the Paramour had paragons, similar competitive vibes with much different outcomes.

“I don’t think I can get into the Paramour.” My wheels were already spinning on how to pull this off. The Paramour wasn’t aprivate club, but it was exclusive. You couldn’t just roll up, you needed reservations and introductions.

“Beg can get us in,” Lana said.

There was a commotion at the other end of the hall. All heads, including ours, turned that way. Two fights had already broken out earlier. That was what happened when you put too many alphas in a room together.

“Why would he do that, though?” I said, slightly disappointed I couldn’t see the spectacle. I knew no favor from Beg came without a price.

“He’s a chaos monster. He’d do it just to piss off his brothers,”

“Okay. This place is a bust.” I threaded my fingers through hers and tugged her toward the exit. “You said the RSVP lists for all Dinghy Race events were public, right? Let’s go hunting Grayhouse.”

The press of people trying to get out of the convention hall mixed with the people trying to get in was stopping up the traffic pipes. Lana hooked an arm around my waist and maneuvered us to a stairwell.

I gave myself a second to soak up the calm of the cold concrete before following down a few flights. Taking the stairs in heels was a much better option than waiting for an elevator in a crush of scents and auras. A dull headache was kicking in, a symptom of sensory overload.

I stopped dead on the stairs. Dread squeezed my head, making it hurt more.

“Where’s my orange juice?”

Lana halted too and looked up at me.

Nico had said he was going to find me orange juice. It had been hours.

Like we shared a pack bond, Lana matched my apprehension. She reached out for my hand. Her aura might be tight, but it was warm and strong and exactly what I needed.

Chapter 24

Star

---