Page 67 of Knot Now Knot Ever

“Of course, right this way,” Lewis obliged, leading the way.

“Tell me, Lewis, we’re planning on moving Lyra out in the next few days. Would we be able to use this same entrance?” I questioned, feeling it was best to know all the options.

Lewis nodded and pushed open a set of dual swinging doors. “Absolutely, it’s the main reason we have the loading dock area along with a freight elevator.”

“Excellent, you’re a good man, Lewis,” I said, slapping the man on the back as I passed.

“Feel free to call the cops if they give you any excuse,” Eli added. “I don’t want them under the illusion we won’t take action.”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Thatcher, this isn’t my first time facing down those damn shutterbugs,” Lewis assured Eli, then turned his attention to Lyra. “I’ll be sad to see you go, Miss Clark. You’ve been a bright spot in this building, but I wish you all the best.”

Lyra smiled and waved. “Same to you, Lewis. Take care.”

We all bundled into the waiting SUV then sped past the group of ten or fifteen reporters with cameras and handheld recording devices.

“What the hell did we miss?” I muttered and pulled out my phone.

First, I searched Eli’s name and lawsuit to see if that had anything to do with what was going on. I found a report announcing that Mira Chambers had been served with a rather unflattering picture of her trying to attack the man who’d given her the papers. There was no new information or signs of retaliation on that front, but then I scrolled a little further down. Someone had dug up a picture of Fawn from when he’d been working at the strip club.

Pack forces Omega to sell himself! Do they deserve to have two Omegas?

My jaw dropped at the absolute lies being splashed across the page. The more I read, the hotter my temper burned. How dare these bastards dig into our lives and use something from Fawn’s past to sell their paper.

“Tee, what’s wrong?” Fawn asked, climbing over the seat to land on my lap and wrap his arms around my neck. “I haven’t felt you this angry in a long time.”

Locking my phone so Fawn couldn’t see the screen, I returned his hug. I buried my face in his neck and breathed in until all I could think about was perfectly ripe, juicy strawberries. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for either of my Omegas, but my heart ached, wishing I could prevent Fawn from finding out his past was being thrown in his face. Oh God, what if they find his account on the Rut Room website? Reporters were ruthless, and if they smelled even a drop of blood in the water, they wouldn’t stop until they found the source.

Fawn sat up and cupped my face. “Please, Tee, tell me what’s going on in your head? Do we need to be worried? I can look up a meeting right now if you need to go.”

How the hell did I get lucky enough to deserve this man’s unconditional love?

“I’m okay, Fawnie,” I assured him, then softly kissed his lips. “I love you, you know that, right? No matter what, nothing will change how I feel about you.”

Fawn relaxed a little in my arms and smiled. “I do know that and feel the same way about you, Tee. I love you to the moon and back.”

Kissing Fawn again, I tried to pour every ounce of my love through our bond. My cheerful Omega had come so far from the man we’d first met, and I didn’t want anything to ruin his hard work. Tucking him close, we snuggled the rest of the drive back home, and it eased some of my panic. Zachary was the only person who’d known me during my first few months after rehab. It was a battle every day not to give in and take the easy way out. I’d felt like such a failure when the only dream I’d had for myself was ripped away in a matter of seconds.

One thing I needed to remind myself was Fawn wasn’t going to face this on his own. He had five other people who cared about him as much as I did. I could also hear Zachary’s voice telling me not to impose my trauma on others. Just because my biggest fear was relapsing and one small mistake could fuck up years of work didn’t mean everyone’s struggles were the same. Fawn wasn’t an addict. He was a survivor who’d gotten himself out of that dangerous situation, and just because a reporter was exposing the past didn’t mean Fawn would go back to that world.

“Hey, Tee, we’re home,” Zachary whispered then kissed my temple. My eyes opened, and I met his gaze that swirled with concern, but he trusted me to talk to him if I needed to. “We made it just… Joe’s here with our dinner.”

I grinned. “You always deny it, Zac, but I have magical powers when it comes to ordering takeout.”

Zachary rolled his eyes and grunted, then kissed me. “Whatever you say, oh great wizard. Now get your ass out of the damn car so we can eat.”

Fawn detached himself from me and yawned loudly until I playfully poked just above the belly button. “Hey,” Fawn grumbled, swatting my hand away.

“Fawnie, I can’t get up until you do,” I reminded. “Some days you’re like a sloth moving in slow motion.”

“Oh, I see. We’re just going to pretend you didn’t have an existential crisis on the drive back.” Fawn huffed, clambering out of the car. “It’s fine, I’ll poke you about it later. Maybe food will help coax it out of you.”

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes, but I knew full well Fawn wouldn’t let this matter drop. Logically, I knew he had the right to know, but damn if I didn’t selfishly want to protect him from ever having to deal with this.

“Hey, can you grab another handful of drinks,” Pascal asked with his hands full of cans and bottles. “Our Omegas voted for using the upstairs living room.”

“Yeah, no problem,” I agreed, grabbing what was left on the counter.

We stood waiting for the elevator in silence for a moment before Pascal spoke. “Look, I know I’m not the person you normally turn to when you’re having a rough time, which is fair. I don’t really have great advice to give, but people tell me I’m a good listener.”