Page 50 of Knot Their Girl
“What? Why?”
I can’t forget that she doesn’t know the full truth of Gideon’s offer; she thinks I’m here for Gideon, so I have to be careful with how I frame this. “Something may have almost happened with Gideon…”
“That’s good, isn’t it?”
“Maybe, but… something almost happened with Pax, too.”
Mercedes is quiet for a few seconds, and then she says, “When you say something almost happened, what exactly do you mean? That could mean a lot of things.” She sounds like she’s about to start rattling off examples, so I decide to tell her about the incident downtown.
“I whined for him. He got all purry and growly. He…” My cheeks flush. “…made me slick in public. It was right after weleft N.O.A. We got into an argument, and then… I don’t know. Things somehow escalated. The only reason things didn’t go further is because a female alpha cut in and reminded us where we were.”
“Holy shit.” She actually sounds impressed, for whatever reason. “I know you’re probably annoyed and upset about it, but I didn’t think Pax had it in him. From the way his brothers talk, he’s as closed-off to a relationship as you can get—does Gideon know what happened between you two?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“And…” I stop pacing and set my free hand on my hip as I gaze at the house. “And nothing. He wasn’t upset. He actually let me decide whether or not Pax stays.”
“Huh. That’s definitely weird. Alphas don’t like it when other alphas sniff around what’s theirs. Even if you aren’t bonded to him yet, you’re still technically his omega. It’s totally within his rights to fire Pax. The only time alphas are okay with sharing with other alphas is when—”
“When they’re in a pack,” I say. “I know, but Gideon and Pax aren’t in a pack together.”
She takes her time in answering, “No, they’re not, unless…”
“Unless what?”
“Unless a pack is forming.”
Her reply nearly knocks me off my feet. Seriously, it takes a whole lot of strength on my part to remain standing; my legs suddenly get very, very weak. My heart beats a little faster in my chest, too.Unless a pack is forming.That can’t be. Packs form in childhood, early adulthood at the latest.
My breathing comes out short. “Do you really think that could be happening?”
“I don’t know. I imagine it would take one hell of an omega to bring together alphas who didn’t grow up in an already-formedpack. You got that part checked off. It’s probably not common at all, but it has to happen every once in a while, right?”
I laugh, but that laugh is more of a nervous chuckle than anything else. “I, um, I have to go.”
“Yep, you gotta go bring those two alphas together. Got it.”
I roll my eyes when I end the call, and once I push my phone into the back pocket of my jeans, I gaze at the house. Could this be a pack-forming situation? The outlandish idea sounds less ridiculous the more I repeat it in my head.
The only problem is I don’t want a pack of alphas. That’s literally why I accepted Gideon’s offer. It got me away from my overbearing mom, out of the Whittenhall house, with no pressure where alphas are concerned. Just a beta. That’s it.
Why does my life have to be so freaking complicated?
Slumping my shoulders, I head into the house and putz around. I make myself some lunch—it’s a bit early, but it’s too late for breakfast. I take my time in eating, thankful neither Gideon nor Pax are hovering around me right now. Gives me some time to think. Being near them makes me all flustered.
After I eat, I clean up the mess I made in the kitchen and do the dishes, and then I head up to my bedroom to watch some ASL lessons. I’m in the midst of trying not to think about either alpha in the house when I stroll into my room and come across Colter near my bed, his nose upturned, like he’s sniffing me out.
Or my hidden panties.
Crap.
“Colter,” I say his name loudly, causing him to jerk away from my bed and give me a sheepish look. He holds onto his tablet, wearing a dark blue hoodie. His light brown hair is a little damp, like he just recently took a shower. All in all, the beta looks like he belongs in college or something. A cute college beta. “What are you doing here?”
He steps away from the bed, and I try to hide the sigh of relief that threatens to escape me when he comes near. Betas don’t have as good of a sniffer as alphas; he could probably smell my scent through my hidden panties, but it’s nowhere near as overpowering to him as it is to alphas.
He turns on his tablet screen and types something out, then shows me.I thought we could paint together today.He hurriedly types in,If you want.
