Page 84 of Knot Your Problem

Dave looked down at the ground, before he raised his head and looked each one of us in the eye as he said, “Yes. It won’t be easy. We’re going to be figuring each other out at the same time we’re trying to be a solid unit for Lexie. It’s going to take communication and teamwork. But I’m in if she’ll have me.”

“We’re having you, and we don’t leave a man behind. We’ll figure it out,” Dio said. Nodding his head once, decisively, as if it was a done deal. I wondered what had gone down the last few days to make Dio so certain of Dave. I trusted his judgment, though.

“I don’t think you’re the one who should be worried, Dave. I really fucked up tonight,” Sam said, slumping slightly as if he were defeated.

“We’ll figure it all out, but we can only do that if you stay,” Dio told him, reiterating his words as he pulled their foreheads together in the same way he had with me earlier. “If your emotions are pushing at you too hard, lean on us instead of walking away.”

“What do you mean stay? Where the hell is he going?” Dave asked. Dio just looked at him, shook his head subtly and squeezed Dave’s arm, trying to reassure him we had this.

I suddenly realized we’d had this entire conversation while standing in a group huddle, and not one of us seemed uncomfortable about it. I couldn’t imagine doing it with anyone else. Yet, standing here with these three men, with our arms around each other, brought me a strange sense of peace.

“I’ve missed this,” I told them honestly.

“Just wait until Sam starts purring. It’s the bomb. Feels so darn good,” came Leif’s voice from the shadows further into the tree’s depths.

We all jumped apart, and Leif chuckled.

“Crap, I completely forgot you were there,” Dio laughed.

“I figured,” Leif said wryly. “Seriously, though, don’t be embarrassed. I’ve lost count of the amount of conversations I’ve had with the guys while we’ve all been hugging each other.”

“Uh, purring?” Sam asked, looking concerned.

Leif laughed out loud, a great, booming laugh. “Yeah, it’s a prime alpha thing. Don’t worry. It calms your omega when she’s distressed. Maia almost goes into a trance. Damon didn’t even realize the first time he did it. It will come naturally to you.”

“Uh, I’m still not so sure about the whole prime alpha thing. But, okay, let’s table that for another time, because Lexie should be heading back to the treehouse right about now. If I’m staying, how do I go about fixing this?” Sam asked, shaking off Leif’s words and squaring his shoulders.

“It’s going to take time,” I told him. “You’re going to have to be patient.”

“We don’t really have time, though. You need to apologize as soon as possible. Don’t let it fester between you,” Dave argued, giving me an apologetic look.

“You know, I think you should write her a letter,” Dio said as he looked at Sam with a careful focus, as if he didn’t want to spook him again. “I read some of those letters over your shoulder when you were writing them to Maia. You’re a hell of a lot more eloquent when you write than you are when you try to talk to people.”

“You need to let her in, be honest with her and trust she won’t push you away,” Leif added. “It was the only way Damon and Maia got past their issues. If you’re more comfortable writing, then give that a try.”

“Thanks, Leif, I appreciate it. You should be kicking my ass right now, not giving me advice.” Sam shot him a small, grateful smile.

I’d been watching Leif closely. He seemed like a genuinely kind guy, a rarity for an alpha. I was glad Sam’s sister had found him. I hoped the rest of her pack were just as good for her. Sam had talked about his sister a lot growing up, and I couldn’t wait to meet her properly. There had been too much happening at the gate tonight to properly introduce myself.

“Yeah well,” it was Leif’s turn to look a little embarrassed, “I’m kinda the soft one. You’re lucky Damon wasn’t there. He will hear about it though and he doesn’t take anyone upsetting Maia lightly. And she is upset. She’s tight with Lexie. You’re going to have to win her back over, too.”

Sam swallowed hard at that, but he nodded.

“Is it just me, or is it getting darker?” I asked, just as a gust of wind raced up the hill and rustled the branches above us. I looked out over the slope of the farm and saw the horizon looked darker than the sky above us, as if a giant sky creature had swallowed up the stars.

“Uh, it looks like we have a storm incoming,” Leif said. “Usually it’s just rain at this time of year, so we should be okay. It’s not the season for the big lightning and hailstorms. Those are pretty spectacular to watch rolling in, but cleanup can be a nightmare.”

“Do we need to do anything to catch some water? Mobilize people and buckets maybe?” I asked him.

Leif just smiled in the deepening darkness. “Nah, we’re good for water. We’ll give you a tour of the farm tomorrow.”

Wasn’t there an apocalypse going on?I was a little confused. They were getting desperate for water at the Palace. But I held my tongue. I figured Leif knew what he was doing.

“You guys might want to run if you don’t want to get wet. I’ll send Lexie your way if she’s still in the kitchen. I’ll get Ziggy settled myself.”

We all thanked him. Leif was a genuinely good guy. He gave each one of us a hug. I leaned into mine, I’d been touch starved for so long. He gave an amazing hug. Clearly, he was honest about being comfortable with it.

Then we all took off into the darkness. Leif was right. The scent of rain carried on the wind as soon as we stepped out from under the tree. I’d always loved rain. I found it cathartic.

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