Page 14 of Knot All Is Lost: Part 1

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Spencermadequickwork of my feet, dried them, treated them, and wrapped them before putting on clean socks, then a pair of soft slip-on flats. Rafael held out a hand for me and I reached out slowly, curling my fingers around his as he pulled me to my feet.

“Tell me if it’s too painful to walk and I can carry you,” he offered.

Blushing, I ducked my head. “Thank you, but I… I can manage. I don’t want to be any trouble to you guys.”

Rafael squatted in front of me forcing me to look him in the face. “Little One, you are not any trouble. How about you and I make a deal?”

Curious, I nodded wanting to hear his offer.

“If I offer something to you like I just did I will only do so if I truly want to do it. Not under obligation, or feeling forced, but simply because it makes me happy to offer. That way you know it’s no trouble or bother for me,” he said, giving me a look that told me he expected an answer.

“Deal, but you have to follow the same rules if I offer to do something for you too. Things need to be fair,” I announced. He might be an Alpha and I might be an Omega but in life I could pull my own weight. I always have and I always will.

“That sounds fair to me, Little One,” Rafael agreed, smiling as he stood. “Do we have everything we need?” he asked, directing his question at Spencer.

Spencer pulled a massive tote bag over his shoulder. “I can’t think of anything else we need, but if I missed something we can always run to the store.”

As they moved to leave the room I paused looking over at Nixon. “Don’t you need me to take a suppressant or something to hide what I am? If I walk around as I am now with my scent blooming everyone will know.”

Nixon slowly put his arm around my shoulder allowing me to pull away if I wanted to. Instead, I let him pull me to his chest in a light hug. “I can’t even imagine how afraid you must be of being an Omega. The world paints Omegas as such an ugly picture these days it’s no wonder all you want to do is hide.” Taking a deep breath he hugged me close for a moment. “No, you don’t need to take something to hide what you are, Sweetheart. We will keep you safe. You no longer have to handle this all on your own.”

I peered up at him, tears threatening to spill over at his words. Finally—I had someone on my side. For how long? I don’t know, but I was getting so tired of surviving through all this alone. “Okay.”

Keeping me tucked at his side Nixon guided me out of the office and through the halls back to the main lobby. There were tons more people now in the common space scattered in groups doing various activities. Fear of someone coming after me the second my scent hit the air had me gripping Nixon’s coat tightly. His purr started keeping the panic from winning but I didn’t start to feel better until we were outside away from all the strangers.

Rafael opened the door of the car Nixon brought me here in, the same classical music played. I slipped into the seat and before I could even move to do it myself Nixon buckled my seatbelt. “I would have done it,” I voiced.

“Sorry, the need to make sure you’re safe in my car won’t allow me to let you. I need to know the seatbelt is on and secure, the downside of being an Alpha, I guess,” he answered with a sheepish smile.

“Thank you for making sure I’m safe,” I said, meeting his gaze, and held it for a moment before letting my eyes drop to my hands.

Rafael slid next to me while Spencer took the front seat next to Nixon. This shocked me. How would an Alpha let a Beta take his spot in the front? Turning to Rafael I searched his face but I didn’t see anything that told me he was bothered about this occurrence.

“You don’t mind sitting back here?” I asked, unable to keep my thoughts to myself.

He cocked his head in confusion. “With you, you mean?”

“No.” I shook my head. “Spencer is in your spot, he should be back here with me.”

“Why is that Little One?” Rafael asked, his tone curious.

Licking my lips I looked forward and saw Nixon and Spencer had turned to hear my answer. “He’s a Beta…”

“Yes, he is, but why would that mean he has to sit in the back?” Nixon inquired.

“Because Rafael is an Alpha, his place is at the top of the pack. Spencer shouldn’t be allowed to sit where an Alpha would… right?” I asked, looking for confirmation from any of them.

“Cambrie, while other packs might view their designation as equal to their status in life, our pack isn’t of that same mindset. Nixon is Spencer’s partner in life so I feel it’s only right he should sit next to him. Me sitting back here with you doesn’t make me any less of an Alpha, in fact, I think I’m getting the better side of the deal,” Rafael shared, a smile tugging at his lips.

“Why would you be getting the better end of the deal?” I inquired.

Rafael cautiously lifted a hand, and when I didn’t move he tucked some hair behind my ear, letting his smile bloom on his face. “That’s because I get to sit next to you. I don’t doubt the others would eagerly change places with me if I gave them the chance, but I won’t.”

Heat crept up my cheeks as I couldn’t help but bite my bottom lip in embarrassment. A hand gripped my chin and the thumb pulled my lip from between my teeth. “It’s not good for you to be so mean to your lip. The poor thing will start bleeding if you keep chewing on it.”

My gaze lifted to meet Rafael’s ensuring he wasn’t angry at me even though his voice was calm and even. His expression was neutral with some slight concern but nothing that would have me believe he was upset. “I’ll try. It’s a bad habit of mine.”

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