Page 5 of Knotting else Matters

No. Not a wall. A wall had a personality. This was more like a mountain that had somehow learned to walk and wasn’t thrilled about it.

The mountain glared down at me. Six feet tall—no, six feet two inches of solid muscle. A black t-shirt stretched over his ridiculously broad shoulders, dark, tattooed biceps on full display, one of which featured a wolf’s head staring at me with judgmental, inky eyes. Short, dark hair, a chiseled jaw that looked like it could cut glass, and eyes that were so intensely dark they might as well have been two black holes of irritation.

His eyebrow twitched. “I’m here to pick you up. Sophie sent me.”

A mountain and a brick wall all in one. Fantastic.

My brain was screaming for coffee, my tongue felt like I’d been licking sandpaper, and I was stuck with this walking protein shake giving me the stink eye.

“Wow,” I muttered, leaning against the doorframe to steady myself, “my sister has so little trust in me that she sent security to guard me. What, does the high-class family she’s marrying into want to keep me on a leash?”

The man’s jaw tightened, a flicker of annoyance in his dark eyes. “I’m here to ensure you arrive on time.”

“Calm down,Wolfzilla. I’m just joking.” I flashed a too-bright smile and reached out, grabbing his thick, muscled arm—mostly because the hallway was doing this fun littlespinnything, and I didn’t trust my legs to keep me upright.

His expression somehow became even more displeased.I loved it. Chaos was my comfort zone, and I had just found the perfect button to push.

As we walked down the corridor toward the elevator, I leaned in a little closer, just to see if I could feel the waves of disapproval radiating off him.

Spoiler alert: I could.

“Hey, do you have any coffee stashed on you?” I whispered, as if I were making a grand conspiracy. “Because I’m going to need some to survive a room full ofAustralianswho are going to say ‘mate’ every two seconds.”

“I’m not your personal barista.”

“No? Damn. My dreams are crushed. But seriously, I’m about to pass out. Or worse—be sober.”

He stared straight ahead, but his frown deepened, a little vein on his forehead looking like it was considering a dramatic escape.

The elevator doors slid open, and we stepped inside. Silence pressed in around us, but I wasn’t one for silence. Silence was for people who didn’t enjoy annoying others.

“You know, you’re really good at the whole silent, brooding thing. But have you considered that look is, like, so last century? I mean, these days, even Alphas are expected to have a sense of humor.”

“Respect for the pack is what’s expected,” he growled, a low rumble that might have intimidated someone who didn’t have a hangover death wish. “Sophie mentioned you have no respect for wolves or our traditions.”

“It’s a two-way street, pal. Respect is earned, not given just because you can growl louder than the next guy.”

The look he shot me could have curdled milk. “You may find this amusing, but the mating ceremony is a sacred tradition. A bond that—”

“Oh no.” I gasped dramatically, clutching his arm and leaning my head against it. “Not the‘sacred bond’speech. Please, spare me. I’ll fall asleep right here.”

His muscles tensed under my cheek, hard as granite, and I let out an exaggerated snore.

“Stop that.”

“Stop what? Being charming?” I muttered against his sleeve. “Impossible. It’s a curse.”

“You are—”

“A delight? I know. It’s the burden I bear.”

His jaw clenched again, the elevator doors slid open, and he marched out, practically dragging me with him.

“Careful,Wolfzilla, you’re gonna pull my arm off. Then you’ll have to explain to Sophie how her chaotic sister lost a limb on the way to the sacred mating festivities.”

“If you could learn to take anything seriously—”

“I do. I take coffee very seriously. And I take great pride in being a constant source of disappointment to the establishment.”

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