Page 38 of Down Knot Out
“Really.” I tap my fingers on my knee. “We started studying together, then grabbing meals. By the end of that first semester, we were hanging out most weekends.”
“And Blake?” Curiosity brings her closer, and I enjoy the way she wants to learn more about our pack. “He and Nathaniel were close, right?”
“Connected at the hip.” I purse my lips. “Blake was wary of me at first. Protective of Nathaniel.”
“Jealous,” she translates.
“Yes.” I turn toward her and draw up a knee, draping my arm across the back of the couch. “Blake and Nathaniel had been a duo since birth. When I came along, I think Blake worried I was replacing him.”
“And the pack bond?”
I laugh. “Yeah, he wasn’t a fan of that, either. There was an adjustment period.”
On the screen, explosions paint the room in flashes of orange and red, but neither of us pays attention.
“What happened?” Chloe asks.
“Blake confronted me, actually. Cornered me after class one day and demanded to know my ‘intentions’ toward Nathaniel.” I laugh at the memory. “It didn’t help that Blake and I had already had an altercation over how I treated Holden in the beginning. He had a right to be wary of me.”
Chloe leans forward, invested in the story. “What did you say?”
“I told him the truth. That I valued Nathaniel’s friendship, that I wasn’t trying to come between them, and that they might have room in their dynamic for a third person.” I shrug. “It was rough for a while, but Blake eventually relaxed. Then, when Holden joined our study group the next semester, things just clicked. The four of us fit together in a way that made sense.”
“A pack,” Chloe says softly.
“Yes. Though we didn’t call it that right away.”
Her fingers twist in her lap. “And then your mother kicked you out because of it?”
I take a deep breath. “Not exactly. That came after we registered our pack. In the beginning, my mother grudgingly allowed it, but with conditions.”
“What kind of conditions?”
“The main one being that she got to choose our Omega.” The memory still holds bitterness. “She had ideas about suitable matches that would help us maintain certain standards.”
Chloe’s expression darkens. “I can imagine.”
I reach for her hand, relieved when she doesn’t pull away. “She sent a parade of candidates our way. All from ‘good families,’ all groomed to be the perfect corporate wife and mother.”
“And none of them clicked with your pack?”
“One almost did.” I grimace at the memory. “Senior year, after we’d moved into an apartment together. My mother’s final candidate showed up on our doorstep. Impeccable pedigree, designer wardrobe, perfect manners.”
Chloe’s nose wrinkles. “She sounds awful.”
“She wasn’t, not really. Just raised with certain expectations. At first, we thought it might work. The bond didn’t hum, but she was intelligent, driven.” I purse my lips. “And she was already trained in the kind of world Nathaniel, Blake, and I grew up in. It seemed an okay fit.”
“But?”
“But she couldn’t stand Holden.” The memory still brings a surge of protective anger. “Called him ‘the help’ behind his back because he was always cooking and taking care of the apartment. Suggested we leave him behind when we graduated and upgraded to a proper pack structure.”
Chloe’s hand tightens around mine. “What happened?”
“Blake overheard her talking to her friend on the phone about it. He went ballistic. Confronted her in front of all of us.”
“And you chose Holden.”
“Of course we did. Without hesitation.” I run my thumb over Chloe’s knuckles, marveling at the softness of her skin. “Holden is the heart of our pack. Always has been.”
