Page 12 of Knot His Reality

“Are there to-go cups somewhere? I think I’m going to need a lot of caffeine for today,” he asks, and I feel myself deflating.

Daniel doesn’t sound too excited about going to the arcade, after all.

Maybe this was a bad idea.

I should’ve picked something that more people enjoy. I know my tastes aren’t for everyone.

“Remy? What’s wrong?” Victoria asks as she and Milo move toward me, wrapping me in their arms. Peach and cloves fill my nose, and I sigh. I’d love to burrow into their arms and get drunk on their scents—especially if Eric were to join us—but that’s not the adult way to handle this.

And I am an adult.

“Your scent went sour,” Milo adds as if I didn’t know how they knew I was upset.

I shake my head before pulling myself out of their hold. “I’m fine,” I assure them.

“Your scent says otherwise,” Eric adds, gesturing for his pack mates to rejoin him.

“I think this is probably my fault.” Daniel pushes to his feet, making his way over to me. “I wasn’t saying I needed coffee to get through the day because of what we were doing. I need it because I slept like shit last night—I always do in new places. I have no idea if I’m going to like arcades or not, but I wouldn’t tell you it was something I wanted to do if I didn’t. I won’t lie to you.”

I shuffle in place for a moment before nodding. “Sometimes I can’t control how my body or my mind reacts to things. My anxiety makes me think I might be the cause for everyone’s issues—even when I had nothing to do with the situation. Those initial reactions aren’t something I can control, so this is likely to happen again. I can usually work myself through it without needing someone to explain themselves. This is a problem for me, not a problem for you.”

“But if it’s a problem for you, then it is a problem for me—and for them.” Daniel continues to speak softly, standing in front of me but not touching me, leaving the choice up to me—something I appreciate. “Because we’re here to see if we could be a part of your pack. We’re all going to notice when that caramel latte scent changes, and we’re going to want to know what’s wrong. I’m not saying you have to tell us, but you can’t tell us it isn’t our problem—not if we want to be a part of your pack.”

Hmmm…I never really thought about it that way before. Probably another reason I’m still packless.

“Okay,” I say slowly, glancing between the four of them. “I’d really like to move past this if that’s okay with you.”

“Absolutely,” Milo agrees, reaching out to take my hand and dragging me from the dining room. “Tell me more about the video games you like to play.”

I hear heavy sighs behind us, and when I glance over my shoulder, I find Eric and Victoria shaking their heads.

“Milo, you can’t hog all of Remington’s attention.” Victoria sounds partly amused and partly dismayed. “You’re not the only suitor he has today—we’renot the only suitors he has.”

Milo blinks at me. “Am I stealing too much of your time?”

I shake my head quickly. “No. You got me out of an uncomfortable situation, and I appreciate that.”

“Good. I promise I’ll let the others spend time with you, too. I just don’t like seeing you uncomfortable. I think it’s a beta thing? Or maybe it’s just a Milo thing?” He shrugs, stopping us in front of Bree, and I wonder where Tessa went. “Now, what?”

Bree ducks her head to disguise her smile, but we all see it. “Tessa went to grab a to-go mug of coffee for Daniel, but the two of you can head outside if you’d like. As I discussed with you previously, Remy, a security detail will join you on all excursions off-site. Today, Lucas and Mike will join you. They’re already waiting by the car, ready whenever you are.”

“Thank you, Bree.” I offer her a quick smile before heading for the door. My fingers are still intertwined with Milo’s, and I don’t want to let him go, so I don’t.

We step outside, and I smile. I don’t spend much time outside. I’ve never been an outside kind of person, but it’s nice from time to time. The morning weather is warm but not sweltering. It might only be April, but it’ll reach the high 80s at its peak. The sun is shining brightly, and for once, I don’t feel like cursing because it’s too bright.

“So…video games?” Milo nudges me, and my smile only grows.

We make our way to the waiting SUV, waving to Lucas and Mike before climbing inside and into the back row. The bench seat will allow one of the alphas to join us, while the remaining two will have to sit in the seats in the middle row.

By the time the three of them join us, we’ve discovered a mutual love of more than a few games.

“Sit with us?” I ask Daniel when he goes to take a seat in the middle row. He glances over his shoulder, assumedly at the other two alphas, before moving to take the seat beside me. “I don’t want you to feel bad about what happened earlier, and Milo has promised he won’t monopolize my time talking about video games.”

Milo leans forward to grin at the alpha. “It’s true, I did.”

Victoria’s eyes narrow as she twists to face her beta, suspicion clear on her face. “And what did he have to bribe you with for that?”

“Why, I never.” Milo holds a hand to his chest in mock surprise. “Believe it or not, I do listen to you from time to time.”

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