Page 19 of Knot My Luck

“You scrub up nicely! Wedding vibes agree with you, eh?” she says, her voice that same irritatingly high-pitched tone.

I force a grin, only half-listening, but when she starts talking about Devlin, it hits me like a dagger to the heart.

“Sorry, what did you just say?”

“I asked, have you seen Devlin yet?” she asks, her eyes sharp.

I feel my insides clench at the sound of her name. I didn’t know she was here. I didn’twanther to be here.

“No,” I reply, my voice a little rougher than I want it to be. “Haven’t seen her yet.”

Lucy narrows her eyes, clearly trying to figure me out. She always was too perceptive for her own good, and now she’s the kind of woman who can’t help but pry. I don’t have the patience for it, not today. Not with everything going on in my head.

“I’m sure you will,” she says with a smirk, tossing her hair back. “She’s here somewhere. She’s been on my mind too, you know. We’ve all missed her.”

That last bit is almost too much to handle, and I suppress a snarl.Missed her?Lucy’s missed Devlin? How? Why? Where has Devlin been?

Or is Lucy just hoping to get a rise out of me? Because I can’t think of any other reason she’d say that. But it doesn’t matter.

I don’t want to talk about her with Lucy. I don’t want to talk to Lucy at all.

I nod stiffly, my jaw clenching. “I should grab a drink, mingle,” I mutter, backing away from her, needing distance. She’s too much. Always has been. The desperate little knot-whore wannabe. She’ll do anything to bag an alpha, even if she’s just a beta with no real understanding of what that means.

Her voice follows me, but I don’t turn back. I don’t need to hear her whiny giggle or her pointless chatter.

As I move through the crowd, my mind drifts back toher. Devlin. She’s here, somewhere, and I didn’t expect it. Didn’t want it. But the knot in my chest keeps tightening, and I know – fuck, Iknow– I’m not going to leave until I see her. Until I at leasttryto fix what I broke.

If she’ll let me.

I move through the crowd, every laugh, every conversation a distant buzz in my ears. I’m searching for her like a goddamn idiot. I don’t even know where to start, but I can’t stop myself. I need to see her. Toknowif she’s here, if she’s somehow managed to slip into the background and keep out of sight – just like I’ve been doing for the past few years.

I shouldn’t want to see her.

I shouldn’t want to feel this stupid, desperate need to apologize. But I do. Fuck, I do. And the longer I stand here, the more restless I get, my hands curling into fists at my sides, my jaw tight with frustration.

I spot a few familiar faces, people I used to know, but none of them are her. None of them are Devlin. The room feels too large, the space too open, like everything is closing in around me. I feel like I’m suffocating, like I’ve stepped into a room full of mirrors that all reflect the same failure – the same mistake I made when I walked away from her all those years ago.

“Cathal.”

I freeze, my shoulders stiffening.

Tadhg. My fucking twin and packmate.

Of course, he’d find me. We share more than just genetics – we share everything, it feels like sometimes, and he can read me better than anyone. I didn’t want to talk to anyone, least of all him. I’m too wound up, too fucking tense. But I can’t avoid him.

I turn to face him, trying to force a smile. It’s a half-assed attempt, the edges of my lips twitching upward just enough to mask the irritation clawing at me.

“What’s up?” I mutter, my voice clipped, though I know damn well he can tell there’s something off. He always knows.

Tadhg’s gaze sharpens, his eyes narrowing just slightly as he takes in the way I’m practically vibrating with tension. He doesn’t move, doesn’t push, but I can feel the question hanging in the air.

“Something’s bothering you,” he observes, his tone soft, but there’s no mistaking the underlying concern.

I force a shrug, trying to brush it off. “It’s nothing, just wedding stuff.”

He raises an eyebrow, unconvinced. “Wedding stuff, huh?” His lips curl into a small grin, but there’s no humour in it, just a quiet understanding that tells me he knows there’s more to it.

“Yeah, nothing big,” I say, a little too quickly. I can feel my own nerves getting the best of me. I need to get away from this conversation, but somehow I don’t want to lie to him, not when he can see right through me.

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