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“I don’t like it when you call me that,” he says, gently pushing me away. “It’s Arnold, but if you must. Alpha,” he wipes my tears off his chest. “Stop crying. You’re a grown–up. Act like it.”
“Alpha Knightly is my mate. So, Arnold?” I test it and shake my head. “You’re Mr. Knightly. Sorry,”
“Where are the pups?” he rolls his eyes.
“With the twink in their room,” I wipe my face and try to stop crying. I just got my ass beat and all those guards killed over something ridiculous. WTF?
“Go get cleaned up. Nathan is going to be livid,” he helps me up. “I’ll start packing.”
“No.” I reach for his arm and then jump back. “I mean,” I just grabbed him. The way his eyes snapped to me. Never do that again. “We were working on the paperwork. We wanted food, and I didn’t want to stop the kids from making their video.”
Something in his hard expression softens, and he smirks in a very Mr. Knightly manner.
“You’re willing to lie to him for me?”
“It’s a little white lie. We’re not harming anyone. If anyone is at fault, it’s me. That sick fuck was here to take them,” I try to fight the way my eyes fill with tears, but I can’t contain them from leaking out of my stupid eyes in front of this man who just grimaced at me for being emotional.
“You trust me?” he asks me. And call me crazy but that was almost vulnerable.
“You’ve killed men to protect my weenie ass and my babies. Fuck yeah, I trust you,” I sniffle and wipe my face. “I’ll talk to Knight. He might get crazy, so like tell me when he‘ s here because you know how he is.”
All I get is a nod. I run up the stairs and find that it was a mistake. My face aches. Everything hurts a gazillion times more than it did before.
“Don’t open the door,” I hear Cev shout, and it’s followed by evil giggling.
“Mommy! What happened?” Aizen runs over to me. Fuck my life.
“I was running down the stairs and I tripped in fell,” I lie out of my ass. Holy shit, I’m just
a little fucking liar. “This is why I tell you guys not to do it. Is the green screen set up?”
“No, we were teasing Uncle Cev. He was being so funny,” he giggles.
“Finish setting it up so I can get cleaned up,”
“You okay? You hit your face so hard, Mommy,” he touches his eye worriedly. I kneel down and hug him.
“I did. I was so scared. I’m so glad you didn’t have to see that, but I promise. I’m okay. I just need to change my shirt and clean up.”
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“You’re okay, Silly. Tu es tellement maladroit,” he gently caresses where I’m hurt.
“You’re right. I am the clumsiest. Go finish setting up. Daddy’s going to be home in a few hours.” I kiss his forehead. His eyes go wide.
“Oh, no. We wasting time.” he runs back to the room.
“Holy shit, Phoebe,” Cev runs to my side to help me up.
“Stay with them, please. There’s a mess. I have to clean it up.”
“Okay,” he nods.
Once I’m clean and that man’s blood is off me, I change out of my clothes into something a little more comfy. I head back down to see that Maria is here. God, I love how they look out for their son unconditionally. I’m pretty sure she’s not supposed to be anywhere near us because we’re still rogues and not visiting her territory.
“Oh, sweetie,” she comes over to me. I accept the hug and watch as her team cleans up the mess I made. “Let me look at you.”
“I’m okay. He didn’t scratch me or anything.”
“No, but he did mark you up badly, sweetness.” She lightly tugs on my shirt. “Knight is going to tear you both a new one for being so reckless. Just order in.”
“Juanita’s doesn’t deliver.”
“You risked your life for Mexican food?”
“Have you been? Her mole is to die for,” I smirk. We both laugh as she pulls me into another hug.
“Get your fucking hands off me. Where is he?” I hear someone shout.
I pull away from Maria to go out onto the porch. Right outside the gate is Luther. Cev’s mate and he’s pissed. I don’t know what the guard tells him, but he goes down with a hit to the face. Luther is a big man, and he’s a boxer. That means it’s literally his job to fight people.
“Luther,” Cev shouts from behind me. “No,” he scolds him and rushes down the stairs. We talked about you swinging at people like that, man.”
The big, burly man shoves another guard. The gate is opened, and he wastes no time getting to his Cevin. His hands are all over him, making sure he’s unharmed. I hope he is; I didn’t even get to ask.
11
“Huh,” Maria says, leaning against the porch. “The twink is a top. That was unexpected. Cute, but unexpected.”
“He’s never coming back here again,” Luther points at me. “He quits,”
“No, I don’t,” Cev looks back at me, shaking his head. He turns back to his mate and starts shoving him away. “We can go, but are you insane? Do you know who that is?! am going to make Omega history working for her. You are not taking that from me. I’ll
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come get my car some other time, Phoebes.”
“I’m sorry, Cevin,” I wave back at him.
“That was not your fault. Alphas be cray. Just-” he decides that he has no real advice and continues to push Luther away. “I’ll call you when I’m home.”
I almost jump out of my skin when Mr. Knightly chuckles next to me.
“He reminds me of Benny,” he says.
“That was his name. I was trying to remember since I met him the first time in Phoebe‘ s office,” Maria laughs.
“Who’s Benny?” I ask.
“An Omega Maria and I shared before Knight was born,” he says casually.
“You asked, Sweet face,” Maria grins when I try my best to hide my discomfort. “I was never here. Arnold,”
“Maria,” he says her name with shit eating grin.
She sighs, like it annoys her, as she makes her way down the stairs with a sway in her hips. When she looks back at me, she gives me a little wave and then turns it into a pretty well–manicured bird for him. The team that was cleaning up follows her out.
“She was never here. You agree?” Mr. Knightly asks.
“Who are we talking about?” I ask.
“Good. Why don’t we get you a drink?”
“Do werewolves have painkillers that work?”
“Not any my son would approve of. And the twins are upstairs. Go, I’ll bring you some ice.”
I end up helping the twins make their video. We didn’t call him, but I know Maria is going to as soon as she gets through to him. I reach for my phone several times, but I can’t bring myself to do it.
The twins are in bed when I get a message from him that simply says: Answer. The phone starts to ring just as I make it to our room and close the door behind me.
“Hey,” I say quietly.
“I’m outside,” is all he says and hangs up.
“Oh, fuck my life,” he wants me to go outside so the kids don’t hear us argue. Smart
man. Hopefully, very forgiving man. “We’re good. We stick to the story. We come clean
after he becomes his Majesty.”
