Page 53 of Knot Broken

“Tex and Grey will come with us,” Fen said. “No one’s done anything wrong, but it’s important to be clear about some ground rules that apply to all alphas while in this unit.”

“Well, that’s me out then.” Ethan stepped back with a brittle smile. “If there’s anything you fellas need, just send me a message and I’ll run it over.”

“There is one thing,” Riley said, then glanced my way. “I’m just waiting for the blood tests to come in and then I need a little bit of time to analyse the results. You know your way around the building. Could you take Nadia down to the cafeteria to get some breakfast…?” She glanced at her watch. “More like lunch now.”

“Oh, no—” I started to say, horrified she’d even ask. Ethan had made it clear he had no interest in hanging around.

“Sure.” He smiled at me, then held out his arm. “I don’t mind. The bacon and egg rolls here are amazing, so I intended to grab one before I left.”

Before I could fob him off again, my stomach rumbled pointedly.

“We don’t usually let alphas or omegas go hungry,” Riley said. “Getting hangry means something else entirely when you can shift into a powerful wolf. Have something to eat, a coffee or whatever, and we’ll catch up in an hour, OK?”

“OK,” I said, finding myself drifting towards Ethan. “You don’t need to…” He waggled his elbow, making clear he was going to escort me to the cafe, so I grabbed it, trying really hard not to notice those bulging muscles. “I guess you do.”

“So, Nadia, this seems like a stupid question to ask of someone I’ve seen naked but…” When we reached the lift, he pressed the button before looking my way. “Are you a salad or a bacon and egg toastie girl?”

Chapter 26

Ethan

“Well, this is awkward.”

The vibe in the elevator was weird. Nadia’s scent was one part sweet, one part sour, and I could guess why. That look of surprise, quickly stifled, had me smiling as I turned towards her.

“Look, I’ve always called a spade a spade,” I continued. “No point bullshitting around, pretending like it isn’t super uncomfortable hanging out with a former friends-with-benefits partner.”

Her eyebrow rose slowly.

“Something you’ve had to deal with before, I assume?”

Nadia didn’t need to know that it really hadn’t happened that often. I felt something in my chest, an ache, but there was a bittersweet edge to it. That I’d miss her, not just the sex, but then I realised if the guys played their cards right, I’d still be part of her life.

“Maybe,” I replied, then slung an arm around her shoulders. Why the fuck did that feel so right? “And maybe if friends with benefits is off the table, what about just friends?”

She gazed up at me through slightly narrowed eyes and I bore the inspection. With a nod, she returned my smile.

“Yeah, I think I’d like that.”

“Good. So, what have those idiots done so far? Lemme guess. Tex is all over you like the world’s biggest golden retriever, and when Grey isn’t walking around with resting bitch face, he’s barely restraining himself from marching over and marking you as his on the spot.”

I felt her snort as much as heard it.

“You’ve got Tex pegged. He’s super sweet and just a little suffocating, but after what feels like a lifetime of fuckboys and commitment phobes, it’s actually kinda nice.” I couldn’t help but glance down as she sighed, wondering how the betas before us could be so stupid to let a girl like Nadia slip through their fingers. If I… Nothing good could be found down that road. “And Grey? I saw his wolf this morning.”

“Blackie?” I pulled away, making a show of inspecting her fingers. “And you walked away in one piece? That beast is savage.”

“He seemed like a big puppy to me,” she said, squeezing my hands before letting go because the door had opened. “A really big, scary puppy, and did I tell you I’m a cat person? I gave him a scratch behind the ears that he seemed to like.”

“Tell me you got his back leg working?” I asked, following her out into the cafeteria, mimicking the movement dogs make when you hit the good spot.

“Something to aim for,” she said as we lined up to look at all the items for sale. “Goddess, this stuff looks good.” Did Nadia know how cute she looked, standing there, fingers wriggling, like a kid in a candy shop? “I’m so freaking hungry, I don’t know what to pick.”

“High fibre carbs.” I grabbed a multigrain chicken and salad sandwich. “Protein in the chicken and cheese and some veg for vitamins.” A glance her way. “You’ll burn through them if you…” Suddenly there was a lump in my throat. “When you go into heat. Calcium.” I held up a fruit-sweetened yoghurt, then snagged a chocolate bar. “And something for pleasure, too.”

“Yeah, that works. Shit!” Her smile faded. “I didn’t bring my wallet.”

“I’ve got it, omega.” Steering her towards the hot food, I leaned over and grabbed a couple of bacon and egg rolls for myself. “Happy to provide for my mate…” Shit. Shit, shit, shit, it was back to being awkward. “Mate-in-law?” I suggested. Her quizzical look had me digging myself deeper. “Mate = friend.”