Page 34 of Knot Broken

And get in the way of all the ladies lined up outside your door? I replied as I began to walk down the footpath.

No ladies here, came Tex’s reply.

Look, I’ve gotta find a cab, I typed out. Drank more wine than I intended to.

Listening to Christian blather on, but I didn’t type that. Instead, my heels clicked along the concrete as I walked past packed bars and noisy nightclubs.

Where are you? That was Grey. Tell me where you are and I’ll come and pick you up.

You don’t… My thumbs moved to tap that out, then stopped. If he wanted to give me a lift, I could let him. Friends did that kind of thing. Better than waiting around on a cold night by myself. I sent the address instead.

There’s a bar just near your location, he said. Stay there until I arrive.

So overprotective, I thought, blowing my hair out of my eyes, but… We weren’t serious, never could be, but in that moment?

I couldn’t have been more envious of their fated mate, wherever the hell the bitch was.

Chapter 16

Ethan

So this was going about as well as I expected.

“You pushed her too hard,” Tex said from the back seat. I sighed, sitting down lower in the passenger side one. “That’s why Nadia hasn’t been around. You said if we followed your lead, my mate would feel amazing.”

He couldn’t see the way Grey’s knuckles whitened as he gripped the steering wheel.

“Well, we made her cry, Grey,” Tex continued. “I never, ever want to see her cry again.”

“Crying is a physiological response to any extreme.” By Grey’s cool tone, you’d think he was perfectly composed, but if you knew where to look, you could see past the mask. It was a skill I’d learned so well growing up that I was now unable to turn it off. The flex of his jaw, the way his brows creased as he made a show of staring fixedly at the road. “Your mate started crying as a response to the incredible release.”

“No more tears.” If I looked behind me, Tex would have his arms crossed as he glared at us. “No more games, no more bullshit. I’m telling Nadia tonight.”

“What exactly?” I asked, but I knew. Tex was like a bull at a gate; pretty sure any obstacle could be smashed through.

“That she’s my mate. I’m her alpha, she’s my omega. I’ll tell her and see where we go from there.”

“After she’s asked for space.” Fuck it, I did twist in my seat and look into the back now. “Tex, you might not be one for the ladies⁠—”

“Just this lady.” Fuck, what must it feel like, to be so completely certain of something. I saw it in his silver glare. It felt like Tex was born in the wrong time, that if he was wearing a suit of armour or a kilt and a bloody big sword, he’d be more at home. That way he could actually cut off the heads of Nadia’s enemies and then bring her the grisly trophies as proof of this love. “I don’t need to know what other women need. Just Nadia.”

But she’d already told him.

It was there in black and white in the group text, but that didn’t mean much to Tex. As I settled back against the seat, I knew he’d do whatever it was he wanted, no matter what anyone had to say about it, so I may as well keep my stupid mouth shut.

“There,” I said as we drove along the street close to the bar Nadia was supposed to be in. Somehow, the gods of parking had seen fit to leave an empty space just outside it. Grey just nodded, then went to park the car, but before he cut the engine, Tex was out the side door. “Here we go…” I muttered to myself. Once the car was stationary, I took off after him.

Only to walk into a busy pub filled with much younger people. A glance around the room made me feel a million years old. Were these kids even legally able to drink? Before I could investigate that, a roar had us all turning to face the bar. Not Tex, thankfully. Instead, I saw a cluster of well-dressed young men singing some bullshit chant and right in the middle was Nadia chugging a beer. She finished with a flourish, then was met by a chorus of approval.

“This is a fucking uni bar,” Grey growled.

I followed him because he made a beeline for the bar and everyone who got in his way took one look at his expression, then moved aside. Of course, Tex beat us to it.

“There you are.”

Man, I loved this guy like a brother, but he had exactly zero chill. His arm was around her waist and he had her in his arms seconds later. The young fellas seemed to think they might say something about that, when we arrived. I might be a weak-arse alpha, but I was big enough, old enough, and ugly enough to make them reconsider their next move.

“Tex…!”