Page 5 of Knot Going Down (OlympicVerse #3)

EMILY

“ D id your brother explain what they wanted?” Declan asks as we get off the elevator. All Team USA athletes are in the same building, but I’m on a different floor from Ellis and his teammates.

“Not exactly.” I chew on my cuticle. Ellis told me Meggie’s heat suppressants are missing.

But that’s not something I’m going to mention to Declan.

I don’t know how he would feel about this egregious breach of the rules.

Omegas aren’t allowed to participate in the Olympics.

Only a limited number of people know Meggie’s an omega, and the DEA agent probably shouldn’t be one of them.

Ellis also briefly mentioned that their packmate McQuinn is in some trouble, but he wouldn’t go into details, just said they needed to speak with Declan, because he might be able to help.

As we walk up to the apartment my best friend shares with my brother’s pack, Declan presses me against the wall next to the door. His lips graze my neck up to my ear. “Is there something you’re not telling me, baby?”

“Yes,” I say without thinking, mind too muddled to deny it. I’ve never been good at lying.

His hand grazes my outer thigh along the hem of my jean shorts. “Are you going to tell me?”

“I… um…”

He brushes his lips across my neck, and my breath catches on a moan. His woodsy scent thickens in the hall. Even as a beta, I catch each note of spruce, pine, cedar and earth.

“Well?” His hand slides up my side, settling on my hip and pulling me closer against him.

“Unfair.” I close my eyes and hit the back of my head against the wall.

His huffed laugh sends a hot breath across my neck. This man is dangerous. But I can’t tell him my best friend is an omega illegally competing in the Olympics. Nope. I’m not doing that.

I’m also not letting him tease me anymore when we’re about to walk into my brother’s apartment!

I sidestep to get away, and he lets me with a rare lazy smile, watching as I knock.

By the time Ellis opens the door, Declan’s smile is gone as Officer McLaren meets my brother’s gaze. Ellis gives Declan a pointed once over before drawing me in for a hug.

“You okay?” he whispers.

“Yeah.” I pull away and cross the room to hug Meggie, but I’m not sure I believe myself anymore than my brother seems to. He turns to Declan and says something too low for me to hear. Declan nods while keeping his gaze on me.

The rest of my brother’s pack are scattered around the small living room. All six of the guys keep eyeing Declan wearily and glancing at Meggie all twitchy and tense.

“Um, hot,” Meggie whispers in my ear, subtly pointing at Declan.

“Shh!” I backhand her arm lightly.

“Are you being safe at least?” Meggie asks.

My cheeks burn. “Meggie Harper, you know I… well, you know.”

I’ve only ever been with one person before. A man I try not to think about. We were young. It was sweet, but ultimately didn’t work out, and now our lives have gone in different directions.

“It’s just a little flirty something,” I say. “An Olympic memory. That’s it.”

“That man doesn’t look at you like this is a momentary bit of fun, Em.”

I pinch my lips together before changing the subject. “So, are you okay? What happened to…” I trail off, looking over my shoulder at Declan, not wanting him to hear me talking about Meggie’s suppressants. Not that I want him to hear any of this conversation.

Before she can answer, Declan takes the one armchair in the room and motions for me to join him. “So what’s this about?”

Wrapping a hand around my hip, he pulls me down until I’m sitting on the armrest. He’s always touching me like this, always wants me close whenever we’re together. It makes me feel almost like an omega.

Omegas were always the desired ones in the fairy tales, soft-spoken and beautiful, plucked from obscurity by powerful alphas who worshipped the ground they walked on. They were cherished. Protected. Wanted. Everything I longed to be.

My friends and I played games at recess, pretending to be claimed, and no one chose to be a beta. Betas were background noise. We all wanted to be omegas or alphas. I always wanted to be an omega.

The older I got, the more the dream sharpened its edges.

Being an omega started to mean being docile, pliant, governed by your alphas.

And yet, the allure remained—glossy and golden.

You were told you’d be revered, treasured.

They never mentioned the leash that tighten around Meggie when she designated.

Even while I watched my best friend struggle because of her omega designation, I still craved it. Because at the end of the day, being prized still meant being seen.

But I’m not an omega.

And it’s silly to feel like I can’t be desirable as a beta. I’m worthy of a partner utterly smitten with me, regardless of my designation.

“First of all, thank you for coming so quickly,” Harrison says as he sits down on the couch across from us.

Most of his pack remains standing, but Meggie takes the seat next to Harrison.

It’s strange that she leaves a foot of distance between them, though.

Maybe she’s more worried about being off her meds than I thought.

I don’t think omegas go into heat the second they get off suppressants. But what do I know? She does look a little flushed.

“No problem,” Declan replies to Harrison. “I know you have a game today, and Emily said it was urgent.”

He looks up at me with a soft expression that’s almost a smile. I love when he smiles. It doesn’t happen very often.

“We have information about someone selling illegal suppressants that we think you might be interested in.” Harrison leans forward, resting his elbows on his spread knees.

Declan tilts his head, studying the other alpha. “Why not call the French authorities?”

“He’s from the States, and we have reason to be sensitive with who we?—”

“Look,” Ellis cuts in, “it’s clear you care about my sister, and this affects her. So we’d rather have you deal with it.”

“How does this affect Emily?” Declan’s tone is cautious until his gaze suddenly swings up to me. “Are you an omega?”

A laugh breaks out of me like a bubble popping, but I can feel an edge to it.

That dream of a ginormous pack, with lots of hot alphas and kids running around everywhere, cuts into me now.

Betas don’t often get the big packs that omegas do.

The kind of family I wanted. A family that wasn’t like the quiet, neglectful one I came from.

Things were okay before my mom died. But after that, my dad withdrew, and it was pretty much just me and Ellis. He’s a great older brother, but he was only around so much.

I’ve made my peace with not having a pack. Honestly, I’d probably be in a constant state of panic with that many people around all the time. This is good. I like who I am and the life I have now.

But… I kinda wish I could keep Declan.

He’s looking at me like he wants to see into my mind, maybe like he’s not sure he believes me, so I shake my head again, and mouth, ‘no.’

“Okay, so what’s this about, then?” Declan turns his attention back to Harrison.

My brother’s pack alpha leans over, elbows on his spread knees. “Where do you stand on omegas competing in the Olympics?” The two men stare at each other for what feels like a long time, but is probably only a few seconds.

“My personal opinion is that it’s a rule based on prejudice and there’s no reason for it to continue,” Declan says carefully. “My professional opinion is it’s against the law, and I’d have to turn in any omega I found competing.”

I catch Harrison’s eye and shake my head, trying to keep him from disclosing what I think he’s about to share. Why would they tell Declan about Meggie? It doesn’t make sense.

“What if I told you I could help you take down an entire operation, but you’d need to look the other way on one omega?”

A sick feeling swirls in my gut. I don’t know where he’s going with this, but I sense it’s going to be dangerous for more than one person I care about.

Declan scratches the short stubble on his chin and looks around the room, zeroing in on Meggie. Ellis steps into his line of sight, blocking my best friend. There’s no way Declan hasn’t figured it out yet. This is bad.

I touch his arm and silently beg him not to arrest my best friend.

He squeezes my hip. “If I don’t know anything for certain, I don’t have to act on it.”

“Good.” Harrison and Declan stare each other down. Harrison’s probably the strongest alpha I’ve ever met. His bark puts other alphas to shame, though he doesn’t use it often. He never backs down. But now, looking at the two of them, it feels like they might be equally matched.

“After our game,” Harrison says, “a man named Knox will be making a hand off of illegal suppressants.”

No.

“He’s not a bad guy,” I squeak out.

Everyone looks at me with quizzical expressions.

I can’t handle the intensity of their attention and drop my eyes.

To most of them, Knox and I are basically strangers who only know about each other because he supplies Meggie with her suppressants and scent blockers. But that’s not exactly the truth.

Not the whole truth.

“He works for a man named Glenn Planksy who is the real target,” McQuinn, one of my brother’s other pack mates, jumps in for the first time. He’s squeezing his rabbit’s foot so tight his knuckles are white.

Declan sits up straighter, his whole body stiffening. “Glenn Planksy?”

“You know him?” Nils asks. He’s always been the most observant of the pack.

“We’ve been trying to nail him for years.” Declan’s answer is straightforward, but something in his tone tells me there’s more to the story.

“Knox works for him,” Harrison says. “But it’s important that you let the deal go down before making a move. Can you do that?”

I hold my breath, waiting for Declan’s answer. “I need to see the deal go down before I can move in, anyway.”

“And the buyer?” Ellis asks. “You’ll give them time to get away?”

My breath catches, stomach swirling with nerves.

I don’t know how I feel about this. Knox is involved in something he shouldn’t be, and maybe this is his way out.

If Declan takes down his boss, maybe it’ll be an opportunity to do something different.

Not that it matters to me. Knox and I haven’t had contact in years, and that’s not going to change, whether he’s selling drugs or not.

Declan lets out a loud breath and his shoulders drop ever so slightly. “I can give them a head start. But it would be wise for them to keep their identity hidden and move quickly.”

Harrison nods, standing as he extends a hand to Declan.

I don’t let out a full breath until the guys have exchanged numbers, we’ve said our goodbyes, and we’re back in the elevator on our way up to my room.

“You really have been keeping secrets from me, baby.” Declan crowds into my space. His warmth and scent are soothing after the tense exchange with my brother’s pack.

Neither of us confirms with words what he’s clearly figured out about my best friend.

Lifting up on my toes and wrapping my arms around him, I pull him down to my level and kiss him.

“Please don’t hurt either of them,” I whisper right against his lips.

He makes no promises. He just kisses me until I forget about Knox, Meggie, the Olympics, anything and everything else in the world but him.