Page 20 of Knot My Boss

Stiffening my spine, I narrow my gaze at him, pushing my anger forward.

“Why are you here?” I bark, crossing my arms over my chest.

Arek’s mouth opens and closes, with nothing coming out, as if he is searching for the right words. The door opening again has all heads swinging toward the newcomers. Fiora’s sharp intake of breath diverts my attention. Her eyes are wide, focused on the three men standing in the doorway. All three men share similar features, hinting that they might be related. One thing I have discovered in the brief time I have been in town is that multiple births within families are pretty common.

The guy on the right slowly moves in our direction, his attention focused solely on my friend. Dropping to one knee, he takes one of Fiora’s hands in his, placing a gentle kiss on the back as his eyes flash amber.

“My mate,” he whispers reverently as Fiora waves a hand, fanning herself as her face turns crimson. “My name is Brady Galloway.” He lowers her hand back to her lap, but refuses to let go.

“Fi—” she starts, clearing her throat before trying to speak again. “Fiora Valenhart.”

“Fiora,” Brady repeats reverently.

“Will you please talk to me?” Arek barks, drawing everyone’s attention.

Knowing he is talking to me, I give him a side-eyed glare, refusing to engage.

“What did ouralphado this time?” One of the triplets—don’t ask me which one—asks sarcastically, emphasizing the word alpha. The other two giggle, and all three earn a glare from Arek.

“Where do you want me to start?” I ask them, earning a glare from Arek.

Getting encouragement from Rhodee, Roree, and Raelee, I launch into the story of their cousin’s stalking. Their rolling commentary and theatrics have me laughing as we all enjoy Arek’s misery. Declan adds his comments to the conversation, as he was with Arek during many of the events leading up to the gifts.

“Enough!” Arek yells. His frustration at the situation growing more evident.

“No!” I yell back, jumping to my feet and standing toe-to-toe with him. “I will not tolerate having a man control me. My mother controlled not only my father, but my sister and me as well. Growing up with that shit, I swore I wouldn’t put up with it,” I shriek. My chest is heaving due to anger andembarrassment since I just aired my family’s dirty laundry in front of a room full of strangers.

“What the hell is going on out here?” Kyle yells from the mouth of the hall.

Seeing Kyle, everyone jumps to their feet, peppering him with questions about the babies and Dayton.

“We have one girl and three boys,” he says. “I would know a little more about their health, size, and weight if it wasn’t for all of the screaming going on.” Kyle’s anger is palpable, and I feel guilty for taking away some of the attention that should be focused on his small family.

“That, that, Hellion…” Arek argues, pointing at me.

Half of the room is entertained by the show we have been putting on. The other half appears mildly uncomfortable from the display.

“Is my sister-in-law,” Kyle bites out, bringing my attention back to him.

“She’s my mate!” Arek yells back.

He moves faster than I expect, planting a shoulder into my midsection and tossing me over his shoulder. Moving to the door, one of the guys whose name I can’t remember pulls it open, giving Arek a clear path out of the building.

“Put me down!” I yell, uselessly.

Arek marches us down the street, moving fast despite the amount of snow on the ground. We arrive at a small parking lot next to his family’s restaurant, Simmer Down. Pausing to unlock the car, he sets me on the ground before pushing me inside.

“Put your seat belt on,” Arek bites out before slamming the car door closed.

He presses the button on the key fob, locking the car as he moves around to the driver’s side. I unlock it just as he climbs in, and before I can escape, he grips my wrist, holding me in place.Arek’s grip doesn’t hurt, but it is strong enough that if I try to pry myself away from him, I will hurt myself instead.

Resigning myself to being his hostage, for now, I cross my arms and sit petulantly as he backs out of the parking space and drives away from town.

Chapter 14 - Arek

What the fuck was fate thinking, sticking me with a shrewish female like Darby Matthews?

Driving us to my house, I hope that some privacy will help me talk my way out of the hole I am in. Since Darby stormed away from me two nights ago, my bear has been miserable, threatening to take control so he can claim her.

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