Page 107 of Knot Broken

“Nadia?”

You know how the sound of some people’s voices just sets your teeth on edge? It was like it left a greasy residue behind. Glancing up, somehow I knew whoever it was, I didn’t want to talk to them.

And I was right.

Standing there, a sheepish smile on his face, was my stupid ex.

“I thought it was you,” Grant said, coming closer.

Now I had a wolf, I could hear the insincerity in his voice. He probably saw me the moment I walked in and for some reason thought it was a good idea to approach me. The way his eyes dropped down to trace the scoop neckline of my top made clear why. Fighting the urge to snarl at him, instead I said, “Grant. What are you doing here?”

“Just having breakfast with some clients,” he said smoothly, grabbing a chair and then sitting down. “I looked up and then I saw you. Nadia, you look amazing.” His hand gestured vaguely at my new body. “What’ve you been doing with yourself?”

“Discovering I’m an omega,” I replied flatly. “Working out how to transform into a wolf.” His eyes widened and he leaned back slightly. Good. “I can become a massive white wolf at will now.” When my eyes dropped down to my hands, his followed, catching the moment my claws sprang free. “And finding my fated mates.”

“Fated mates…?” he spluttered. “You’re not still caught up in that twaddle, are you? I remember those ridiculous books you used to read.” His lips twisted into a sardonic smile as he recited some of them. “The Alpha Princess’ Mates or Knotted by My Billionaire Boss.”

“She doesn’t need them anymore.” That dark growl was a perfect expression of my own anger, but it was Grey who said the words. My coffee and his were set down on the table, and then his hands gripped the back of my chair. I had a big dog at my back and he would tear this idiot’s throat out if he made a wrong move. “We always get the latest ones for her, though, because nothing is more important than making my mate happy.”

“And who’re you?”

Grant worked in finance and was making good money, but not enough to affect this kind of snotty tone. The man shifted so the gold Rolex on his wrist was shown to greater affect.

“The bloke that’s going to rip off your head and shit down your neck if you don’t get the fuck away from my mate.”

Grey said that in an almost conversational tone, but the message was heard loud and clear, if Grant’s pale complexion was anything to go by.

“Last time I looked, it’s a free country.”

Could Grant sound any more like a pouty child? I was about to find out.

“But I’m not.” My hand went around Grey’s wrist, both to claim him publicly and to keep him from doing what he said. “We broke up.”

“An overreaction on your part.” Grant’s eyes slid down to my bust, again and if he turned into one of those cartoon wolves where their tongue starts rolling out of their mouth like a carpet, I wouldn’t have been shocked. “We were good together and you know it.”

“Good?” The metal of my chair creaked a little as Grey’s grip tightened. “You pumping away for 12.5 seconds as you get your rocks off, leaving your girlfriend dry as a bone and completely unsatisfied is what passes for good nowadays?” He looked down at me. “Just say the word, love, and I’ll kick the audacity out of this prick.”

The fact Grey was utterly serious and yet wouldn’t lay a finger on Grant unless I said so filled me with a kind of joy I didn’t even know existed. It felt like something healed inside me that day. My thumb rubbed across his pulse point, feeling his heart rate, strong and steady, before I shook my head.

“Would I enjoy seeing your wolf tearing this idiot to shreds? Hell, yeah.”

“Nadia—!” Grant spluttered.

“But he’s not worth getting arrested for.” Shifting my focus back to my ex felt like a waste of time, but it wouldn’t be for long. “Grant isn’t worth anything at all. He’s a small man. Small brain, small heart…” My eyes slid down his perfectly pressed linen clothes. “Small dick, which at the time was a relief, because it meant I hardly felt it when we had sex so unsatisfying I couldn’t even get myself off when I ‘had a shower’ afterwards.”

“Grant?”

A pretty woman appeared beside him, eyeing me warily before turning back to the man I was willing to bet was his date.

“Sophie.” He pasted on a fake smile. “I was just catching up with some old friends.”

“Ex-girlfriend,” I corrected, “and if he’s somehow sucked you in with his bullshit, just know it never gets any better. There’s better options out there.” Both my hands encircled Grey’s wrists then. “Options that give you multiple orgasms and the love and respect you deserve.”

She frowned slightly, looked down at Grant, then turned on her heel and marched off.

“Sophie…!” he called out as he rushed after her. “Sophie!”

“So, a pancake stack the size of your head with extra maple syrup?”