Page 11 of Knot Enough (Fruity Omegas #1)

G abriel

Lydia was splayed across my chest and sleeping soundly.

It had been such a long time since I watched her rest with a smile on her face.

I brushed a strand of her hair gently out of her face to get a better view.

The last time I saw such a peaceful look on her was when we sat under the stars and bit each other.

It was the happiest day of my life. The girl I’d been pining for since the day she helped pick up my application to the institution.

She was finally mine and would be that for as long as we both lived.

She had just been rejected by her scent matches after weeks of courting.

She was a mess, hiding away from the world.

Every day, she was getting better, slowly but surely.

Being rejected was almost a death sentence for an omega.

I couldn’t express how grateful I was that she was still here. Alive and breathing.

This pack was helping her just as much as it helped me. She needed them as much as I did. It will just take time to prove it to her. With that thought in mind, I slowly moved out from under her and headed out of the nest. I wouldn’t be long, but there was someone I needed to see.

I followed my nose, guided to the scent I wanted to see the most. Cotton candy and bubblegum filled my nose while I watched Finn silently take a sip from his drink on the back porch.

I hid in the shadows for a bit, watching him, loving the moment I was stealing when he thought no one was watching.

Once I had enough of the view, I stepped out of the shadows and onto the porch.

The noise of the porch door moving had Finn looking in my direction. He seemed surprised.

“I’m not a dream, you know.” I joked as I skipped lightly, crossing the distance between us.

Finn’s eyes watched me intently as he gripped his drink tighter.

My grin widened at the effect I was having on the alpha.

I sat on the other side of the large couch that he was sitting on.

Without a second thought, I grabbed his drink, lifted it to my lips, and took a sip.

I almost choked at the burning sensation going down my throat.

“What the hell is that?!” I asked, wiping my lips with my arm. Mirth danced in Finn’s eyes as he took back his drink .

“Vodka, " he said, taking a sip without a second thought. I marveled at him. I was never great with alcohol; I always preferred cocktails and drinks that disguised the taste of it.

“Unbelievable,” I marveled as I watched him take another sip with ease.

“She okay?” Finn asked as he placed his drink on his lap, still holding it. My grin dropped a little.

“Sleeping like a baby, but that's not what you're asking.” I paused for a second.

“She will be. She’s strong, and she'll pick herself up. Always has and always will. My job is to be there when she drops and keep her from falling apart till she puts herself back together.” I said, leaning back on the couch. I looked up at the stars.

“What happened tonight?” He asked, after staying silent for a moment. I play around with the thought of telling him or not before speaking.

“My guess is she saw someone that upsets her,” I said, finally. Finn's eyes narrowed, and he opened his mouth to say something. I stopped him and continued speaking.

“I can't tell you more than that. It’s her story to tell,” I said firmly. Finn closed his mouth and nodded.

“Now, with that being said,” I decided to change topics.

I got up from my seat and walked in front of Finn.

Watching him closely, I looked for any signs of displeasure as I stepped closer to him.

My legs moved in between his. I barely had a chance to register it when Finn pulled me into his lap.

Both my legs surrounded his waist, and my hands went to his very filled-out chest.

“What’s being said?” Finn asked with a mischievous expression on his face. I had nearly forgotten what I was going to say as I studied his face. I shook my head to clear my thoughts, leaning my head against his.

“Thanks for helping her. She would have been way worse off if she had been by herself,” I said, closing my eyes and remembering the day they rejected her. I never wanted her to go back to that place again.

“She’s pack. Of course, I’ll look after her.

” Finn said with a tone that made what he said seem obvious.

I smiled, a feeling of gratitude overcoming my body.

Without second-guessing, I leaned in and kissed him.

It was a light feathering touch. Finn didn’t try to deepen the kiss, but I could feel a slight grumble coming from his chest, almost like a purr.

I didn’t want this to turn into something sexual, just an expression of gratitude.

We’ll have plenty of time to explore each other later.

Sensing my thoughts, Finn didn't move his hands from my waist. I could feel his hands twitch, indicating his want to move them, but he didn’t, and I was grateful for that.

I pulled away from him, already missing his warmth. His eyes were dark and hooded now.

“Was that alright?” I asked, worried now that I might have crossed a line.

“More than alright. Can we do that again?” He nearly groaned his words out. I laughed at his reaction and lightly kissed his cheek .

“Another time. I need to get back to Lydia. I don’t want her waking up and wondering where I am.” I moved off his lap. His hands tightened around my waist for a brief moment before letting go.

“I won’t be able to sleep tonight.” He pouted as he watched me stand up. I chuckled and threw him a wink.

“I hoped so,” I said with a chuckle as I walked back into the house. I heard him breathe out a sigh.

“Trouble.” He muttered under his breath as I closed the door.

I chuckled to myself and walked down the hallway.

These alphas are going to be fun to play with.

I touched my lips, enjoying the memory of the kiss as I headed back to Lydia.

A pleasant surprise ran through my body when I noticed Sorren exiting my room.

He gave me a wink before walking into his bedroom.

Lydia was sleeping peacefully in our bed.

She usually had a hard time sleeping without me.

Apparently, that wasn’t true anymore. I tucked myself next to her and pulled her towards me. I was out like a light within seconds.

The light hit my eyes, making me groan. I could feel the warmth coming from Lydia as she struggled to get out of my grasp. My eyes closed, I smiled as I felt her move. I tightened my arms around her and moved us to the other side of the bed. She made a noise of surprise at my actions.

“Gabriel! Let go! I have to pee!” she yelled, struggling even more. I was awake now and enjoyed her in my arms.

“Not until I get my morning kiss,” I said, rubbing my nose against her neck. She squirmed in my arms at the touch. Her neck was always a highly sensitive place.

“Fine, let me turn around.” She gave in after a few more seconds of struggle.

Her body relaxed against mine. I loosened my grip to let her turn over.

To my surprise, she slipped out of my grasp instead of giving me the kiss I wanted.

I froze in shock for a moment at the quickness of it.

Lydia laughed and placed her hands on her hips triumphantly. A cheeky grin spread across her face.

“You sneaky little-” I said as I pounced on her.

She giggled and moved out of the way of my arms. She and I played a light-hearted game of tag while she tried to run to the bathroom.

She eventually made it once she was out of breath and sweating slightly.

I chuckled at the sound of the door closing.

I showered in the bathroom located in the nest and dried off my hair before coming out in nothing but a pair of gray sweatpants.

Lydia was on the bed, still in a large t-shirt I owned and a pair of shorts, looking at her phone.

I watched her scroll through it, distracted enough not to notice me in the room.

I silently tip-toed towards her. The floor was covered in a soft carpet, but I didn’t want to take any chances of her hearing my footsteps.

I wrapped my arms around her once I got close enough, causing her to jump slightly .

“Gabriel!” She yelled, looking at me with mock scorn. She tried to act upset, but I could see her mouth twitching as she tried not to smile. I ignored her and looked down at her phone.

“Whatcha looking at?” I asked, catching a glimpse of a chatbox. Lydia turned back around, turning the brightness down.

“Corretta wants us to come to her ballroom dancing competition. It’s the first one of her freshman year.

” She looked back at her phone. Corretta and Lydia were two years apart in age, but Corretta took two years off school to figure out what she wanted to do with her life.

In her soul, she was a ballroom dancer, but the competitions and pay for being one was not enough to live off of.

The only way she could make a living out of it was if she went big and won a famous competition that existed on T.V.

Corretta didn’t want that type of pressure on herself, so she settled for working on a degree that would let her stay involved in ballroom dancing while also participating in the competitions.

“Let’s go then. There’s no need to rain on her parade when we have nothing going on. It is the weekend, after all.” I said as I watched her thumb hesitant over the keyboard. She looked back at me nervously.

“Do you think the guys would let us? It is short notice. What if they don’t want us to go alone?” she asked. I could already smell her scent souring like rotten fruit. I kissed the top of her head lightly.

“Then they’d have to go through me,” I said, winking at her. She still didn’t look convinced.

“Look, I’ll go and ask them right now,” I told her, getting up.

I left our room before she had a chance to stop me.

I could smell all three alphas in the direction of the kitchen.

Following my nose, I stopped once I got to the edge of the hallway.

Lydia had trailed behind me and stopped as well.

I leaned against the wall, taking them all in.

Finn and Sorren sat around the kitchen island laughing at something one of them said while Graham was cooking at the stove.

Sorren was the first to notice me, followed by Finn and then Graham. Sorren gave me a wink, beckoning me over to them. I stayed where I was and started talking.

“Are you okay with Lydia and me going to a ballroom dancing competition? One of the participants is a close friend of ours. We want to be there to support her,” I asked, looking at all three of them.

A worried expression spread across all three alphas’ faces as they looked at each other.

For a moment, I worried Lydia was right to be concerned before Sorren turned back to me with a smile.

“When will it be?” He asked.

“This afternoon,” I replied, watching him nervously. I watched him think for a moment before he focused back on me .

“I can go with you, too, if you don’t mind. I know you both can handle yourselves, but I’m sure all three of us want at least one of us with you.” He smiled nervously.

“I can work with that,” I confirm. I turned around with a sway of my hips before returning to our room to prepare.

I heard several groans from behind, and grinned.

Lydia’s eyes sparkled in happiness at what the alphas said.

She quickly got dressed, buzzing around the room in excitement.

I watched her for a few moments before getting dressed myself.

I changed out of my sweatpants into something more appropriate for public use.

Lydia wore a pleated skirt, thigh-high black socks, and a shirt that almost covered it.

I had a feeling Sorren would have difficulty not looking at her, especially if he had a thing for socks.