Page 74 of Knot what I want for Christmas
“I knew it,” Annie says, stamping her foot. “Did you unwrap your present? Did you knock over the Christmas tree? Did you eat all the Christmas chocolates? Did you–”
“I slept with your brother,” I blurt out, because the secret is killing me inside. And actually, I find I can’t lie to my best friend.
I scrunch up my eyes, waiting for her to slap me or push me, or strangle me with tinsel. Instead, I’m met with stony silence, and I wonder if that’s worse. I peel open my eyes and gaze over at her. She looks – she looks remarkably calm. In fact, there’s a smile hovering at the edges of her lips.
“Justmy brother?” she asks.
“No,” I confess very quickly. “NashandTuckertoo.”
“Parden me, I didn’t quite catch that.” She cups her hand to her ear.
“Nash and Tucker too.”
“Oh, you little Christmas ho ho ho.” Annie slaps her hands together. “I knew this would happen.”
I gape at my best friend. “You what?”
“I knew this would happen. I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist each other.”
I shake my head. Did I hear that right? “What nonsense is this?”
“You’re just perfect for one another. You always have been. I just can’t believe it’s taken you so long to work it out.”
“Annie, don’t get excited. We’re just dating. It’s not like they’re claiming me and we’re having babies.”
“Obviously,” she says, winking at me. “That totally isn’t going to happen.”
“Annie,” I say, as the pieces all start to fall into place in my mind. “Did you plan this whole entire thing? Did you invite me here under false pretenses?” I examine her shrewdly. “Have you set me up?”
Annie jumps right at me, flings her arms around my neck, and gives me one of her biggest squeeziest hugs.
“Of course I did, silly!” she mutters into my ear. “Happy Christmas, Hollie Bright!”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Hollie
Six weeks later
All my years of studying and veterinary clinical experience tell me that the reason my heat has shown up two months early could be down to any number of biological reasons. Stress, grief, mixed up contraception. However, my heart tells me something very different indeed.
I’m dating the Silver Creek pack.
Unfortunately, the practicalities of long-distance dating, running a ranch, and working at a veterinary clinic mean that although we speak, video call and message every day, we haven’t actually seen each other since that Christmas break.
I think my body has simply had enough. It’s decided to do something about the situation. It wants my alphas and it wants them here. Now. And my body knows the best way to get those alphas here as soon as possible, is to do the one thing every alpha can’t resist: go into heat.
At first, I’m not convinced by the little niggly symptoms I experience. Fluctuations in my temperature. Unusual aches andpains. Constant irritability. I put it down to working long hours and the countless number of grouchy owners. But when I’m still feeling irritable after a visit with a whole litter of fluffy golden retriever puppies, I realize something’s up. I take my temperature and I’m several degrees above the normal base. My heat is coming.
I phoned the pack immediately. Of course, there was no question who I wanted to spend this heat with. But the destination of this heat was.
I wanted to spend it in Silver Creek tucked up in the nest my alphas built in their cabin. But Clay and the others were having none of that. They didn’t want me getting on a flight out to Colorado and ending up in a full-blown heat – “heats on a plane” are all very well for romance novels, but the reality – yikes.
Luckily, I have the bestest best friend in the world. One who has wrangled a week off work and has offered to look after the ranch along with Travis, the hot barman, for the next week. I think she’s secretly looking forward to playing house with him. And I am secretly, for the first time in my life, looking forward to this heat.
Because this time I’m going to believe what the other omegas, the online forums, and those biological textbooks have told me: that heats with a pack of alphas aren’t like solo heats. They’re not miserable, painful, wish-your-life-was-ending, ordeals to be endured – they’re blissful, euphoric, ecstasy-inducing snatches of heaven.
I check my watch. The alphas’ plane landed 45 minutes ago. I’ve been banned from traveling to the airport to meet them, which is just as well, because even I can smell how sweet my scent has become, plus I’m already sticky with slick and so hot I feel like my blood must be boiling in my veins.
