Page 41 of Knotty New Year

“Hi.” Valentine was muffling laughter as we took in the state of her older brother, who had tiny sticks and pine needles in his hair, and snow all over, caking his snow boots. “Need some help?” Luke had his hands full, doing something with a tray of roasted vegetables on top of an old-fashioned Aga stove. I hopped up, ready to help him.

“Omega, sit down,” he replied, looking deeply offended.

I took a breath, realizing Teddy was an alpha, though he had the mildest scent I’d ever come across. Like leaf mulch and coffee grounds.

He peered around the room, like someone might be hiding in the corner. “Where’s that idiot brother of mine?”

Off to one side, I glimpsed Valentine drawing a finger across her neck in an unmistakable signal for him to shut up.

“What?” Teddy asked aloud. “What happened?”

My cheeks blazed with fire as I moved toward the door. “Nobody told you? There was a… thing with the press. I needed to get out of town. Pax is coming tomorrow.”

“Yeah, asshole,” Luke said, clearing his throat. “Remember? I told you about the club thing. And the problems at Pharma. He couldn’t get away.”

“I didn’t know Nicky was so full of shi—sugar.” Teddy scowled. “Not here because of work? Nothing’s more important than… Well, we’ll take good care of you, little sister.”

Luke’s expression held more than a little sympathy. “We will. Val, let’s get her fed.”

Suddenly, all the love Pax’s siblings were showing felt stifling. The room was too warm, my head still fuzzy from the Benadryl, and I wasn’t sure if I could look one more person in the eye and pretend I was fine with being here without my alpha.

“You know what, Valentine? I think maybe not food first. I’m so tired. I… I’d like to see my bedroom now.”

She nodded and grabbed my hand with a smile, pulling me out the door. I held it together as she escorted me across the main room again, then down an adjoining hallway. The scent of pine and ozone wafted out of an open door. Pax’s scent. I noticed a large king-sized bed in the room, but we passed it by. She opened a door to a smaller bedroom, with a queen-sized bed and a view of the mountains. The wall was all windows, and I felt completely exposed.

The sheets smelled clean, almost sterile. A door that led to what I assumed was a bathroom was on one side, a huge walnut armoire taking up most of the opposite wall. There was a small basket of granola, juice, and bottled waters on a side table, and some pamphlets about the area. It was very obviously a guest room.

Set up for one person.

“This is where I’m staying?” I asked, pressing a hand to my stomach, where a constant, churning cramp was starting. Valentine hovered right outside the door.Her eyes met mine, and I was shocked to see tears in them.“Why?” I whispered.“I’m not going to be in the same…” Were they old-fashioned about marriage? My mind spun, trying to find an explanation for the too-small bed.

She frowned. “It’s not like that. P-Pax’s room had a leak. The c-crew will have it fixed in no time, but Kati said this one has the b-best view. It really d-does.”

“Oh.” I didn’t care about that. I needed his scent. No, I neededhim.

“Hang on!” She ran out the door, and was back in seconds with a pillow. It smelled slightly of mildew, but mostly of my alpha. Of course another omega would understand.

I smiled. “Thank you.”

I held the pillow to my face, the faint scent calming me, until Valentine spoke again. “They d-don’t understand. You b-being here, like this. It’s a m-mistake.”

My stomach lurched. “A mistake?”

She nodded. “A huge one. W-we all know it.”

She thought her brother was making a mistake? Meeting me, marrying me?

They all know it?My blood turned to ice. I hadn’t even met all of them. What if they didn’t want me here?

What if Pax didn’t?

My mate mark burned and throbbed like it was infected, but I didn’t let myself scratch it while Valentine was watching.

“Good to know,” I whispered. I shut the door behind her, locked it, and sat on the bed, watching the snow fall outside the huge picture window for a while. Then, I gathered up every blanket on the bed, the extra down comforters in the armoire, and the pillow with his scent, and piled them all into the bathtub. It was a nest, sort of. But the saddest, smallest, loneliest one that any omega had ever built.

With the lights out, I fell asleep buried deep in the soft fabric, wishing I was anywhere but here.

Chapter18

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