Page 15 of Knot My Boss

“Declan,” I start with a weary sigh. “I am in no mood for I told you so’s.”

“I don’t give a fuck. I warned you!” His voice gets louder, punctuating his point. “You asked me. Dragged me all over town. Hell, you bought a fucking engagement ring! What the hell were you thinking?”

Declan’s chest heaves, and he pauses briefly to catch his breath before continuing his tirade.

“Did you evensignany of those notes?”

“Well, no—” I interject before getting cut off.

“Darby was freaked out and in the process of all this, you managed to piss off one of the other alpha’s. One of your best friends. Kyle doesn’t need this shit. His focus needs to be on his very pregnant mate!”

My mouth opens and closes, trying to come up with something to say without sounding like an asshole.

Yeah, I got nothing.

“You need to make this right, Arek,” Declan continues.

“I know!” I roar, slamming my hands on the top of the desk, startling Declan in the process.

Slumping into my chair, I scrub my hands over my face, muttering, “I just don’t know how.” Somehow, Declan hears me.

“Start by apologizing to Kyle, Dayton, and Darby,” Declan says flatly, stating the obvious.

“Yeah, I will go to the garage tomorrow morning and talk to Kyle,” I concede. Raising my head to meet Declan’s gaze, his features soften at whatever he sees the defeat in my eyes. “You just don’t understand.”

“You’re right, Arek. I don’t understand. Finding one’s mate is supposed to be the single most stimulating experience in a paranormal’s life. There’s no handbook on how matings are supposed to be, especially when your mate is a human.”

Declan moves away from the door, sitting in one of the chairs on the other side of my desk, facing me. Leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his expression turns serious.

“Something you need to know about Darby, and Dayton, I guess. Their mother is quite a character. She had nothing polite to say about Dayton marrying Kyle. Lacene, their mom, is not a fan of paranormals either,” he heaves a heavy breath before delivering the final blow. “Their parents got married because they felt they had to.”

He lets that information hang in the air while I process it. We sit in silence as my mind whirls. My head falls backward, and my eyes drift shut. Words tumble from my mouth without permission.

“I am well and truly fucked!”

Declan, the asshole that he is starts laughing. He takes a few minutes to get over his mirth before heading back out to the front of house, leaving me to wallow in my misery alone.

How the hell am I going to convince Darby to not only forgive me, but also accept our mating?

Chapter 11 - Darby

Dragging my ass out of bed, I make my way to the kitchen for some much-needed caffeine.

“Morning,” Dayton calls out from her spot in the recliner.

“Morning,” I grumble in return.

After selecting the largest coffee mug Dayton and Kyle own and filling it to the brim, I move to join my sister in the living room.

“How are you feeling today?” I ask Dayton as I take my first sip of nectar.

“Like a beached whale,” Dayton answers tiredly as she rubs her distended belly. “How are you doing?” Tears pool in her eyes as pregnancy hormones get the better of her. “Sorry.” She wipes the moisture from her eyes.

“You look beautiful,” I say sternly, narrowing my eyes in her direction. “You are pregnant, not fat. As soon as you hold those babies, you will forget all about this.” I swirl my finger around, circling all of her.

My sister looks tired. These babies are sucking every ounce of life from her, but I won’t tell her that. Dayton is already self-conscious, thanks to Lacene. How I turned out so different from my sister, while growing up in the same house, is a miracle. My phone rings, bringing both of us out of our thoughts. Fiora’s name flashes across the screen and I slap my head in anoh, shit moment, having forgotten all about her traveling to Padston.

“Oh, my God!” I swipe to accept the call, earning a strange look from my sister. “I am sooo sorry, I totally forgot to text you the address,” I rush out, not letting her get a word in. “Where are you?”

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