Page 10 of Knot Broken

“So you do remember that this isn’t a pack,” I said, gesturing to the three of us. “And that you are not its leader.”

Before I could get much more out, Tex stepped forward. His arms crossed his chest as he looked Grey up and down.

“And what am I supposed to be doing while you both search for my mate?”

“Fate handed her to you on a silver platter.” Grey was always terse in his dealing with others, but there was a strange edge to his voice. “You can stay here, wait and see if she comes back.”

“Fuck that.”

Both Grey and Tex headed to the door, but when they reached for the handle, they stopped, each staring at the other.

Goddess, give me strength. Looks like I needed to step in and sort this situation out, again.

“Find the girl,” I said, shouldering forward and opening the door. “Get her name, then see if she wants a repeat performance, because damn…” I remembered then why I rarely intervened. Having Grey and Tex glare at me simultaneously was not a comfortable experience. “If we head outside, I’ll go left,” I told him. “You’ll take the right. If we split up, we can cover more ground.”

“Keep your phones on you,” Grey said with a nod. “And stay in contact.”

Emerging out of the Crowe Corp foyer was a strange experience. What do you mean I was surrounded by officious looking people in smart business wear, while I was still feeling the warm haze of what just happened? It felt like a dirty little secret, right up until we started searching. I walked past men, women, kids, and old people, but as the minutes ticked by, that good feeling started to dissipate.

A glance around me made clear the omega could’ve gone in a million different directions. Those cafes, that dress shop, that tram line. There were too many people, too many places, and I didn’t know where to go next. Putting my nose in the air, I sucked in a few deep breaths, but gave up almost instantly. I wasn’t like the others. My wolf was a shadowy, insubstantial presence in my life, leading the very nice people at Crowe Corp to suggest I was the closest thing to a latent alpha they’d ever seen.

Not in the carpark. Grey’s terse text confirmed what I already knew. We’d lost the omega, so the next logical step was to return to the work site and get back on the tools, but instead I stared at my phone screen.

Pub?

That was Tex.

The offer should’ve been enough to get me heading back, but instead my feet stayed where they were. Turning, scanning the shops again, my heart stopped, then skipped a beat as a door opened. Instinct, fate, something, was sure that I would be the one to find her.

Only to see an older woman and her daughter walk out of the boutique.

I found myself smiling and shaking my head. Were fated mates even a real thing? I wasn’t so sure. The omega, she was hot, sexy as fuck, and I’d love to go round two, three, maybe four with her, but that was just biology talking. I looked down at my phone and typed out my reply.

Your shout, I replied. Because only you would lose your fated mate.

I expected an argument from Grey when I returned to the work site. His foul mood had to be leading to that. Instead, he unplugged the electrical tools we were using, secured the office and then made straight for the door without a word.

“Anyone would think it was his mate he’d lost, not mine.”

Tex was trying to lighten the mood, but his grim smile made clear it wasn’t helping him, let alone Grey. We locked up for the day, exited the building and then decamped to the nearest pub. A beer after a hard day was usually a welcome thing, but Tex wasn’t making any jokes and Grey wasn’t clapping back. Instead, an uncomfortable silence fell over the table, broken only by the sounds of us sipping our beer.

“Why’d she leave like that?” We all looked up when Tex spoke. “The omega, she seemed to be having a great time minutes before, but then she took off out the door like her arse was on fire.”

Tex was my friend, and he was allowing himself to be vulnerable in front of us. I wish I could say I was a more evolved, sensitive sort, but instead I said the only thing you appropriate to this situation.

“Post-nut clarity,” I replied with a grin. “If I looked over my shoulder and saw you hovering there, I’d run too.”

The way his hands balled into fists, then his eyes glowed silver, made me think he was about to launch himself at me. Instead, a hand shot out, shoving my shoulder. I let out a muffled curse as beer slopped over the rim of my glass.

“Fuck you, prick. Probably never had a dick that tiny in her mouth before, so she ran out to report it to the scientists upstairs.”

Putting shit on each other was a time-honoured way to deal with crap, but right as the banter got good, Grey cut us off.

“Or she was a client.” He sat straighter, like he’d woken up from a stupor.

“If she was on our books, I’d know about it,” I groaned, shifting uncomfortably in my seat.

“Not our client.” His eyes met mine. “Good Vibes.”