Page 52 of Knot My Band: Part Two

My former bandmates’ chorus of agreement rises, and I can feel the tension in the group ease.

A warm hand finds my shoulder, grounding me. I don’t need to look up to know it’s Dax. “You okay, Oli?”

“Better than okay,” I reply, and I mean it. There’s no use feeling sad. I got my alphas out of this move. “Just caught off-guard, is all. Trevor’s got more moves than I gave him credit for.”

“Well, we are done with him,” Jack adds with a smirk, his arm slipping around my waist in a casual yet possessive embrace.

Liam frowns, “Done with him? Do you know why he was fired from the label?”

I only debate a second before deciding to tell them what happened. I like and trust these guys. They deserve to know why to avoid Trevor.

My alphas jump in throughout as I tell them the story. Horror covers their faces by the end.

“I’m so sorry, Oli. Thank fuck he’s gone!” Liam shouts.

“Exactly,” Henry says, relief flooding his features. “For what it’s worth, we’ve all missed you. Your energy…it’s one of a kind.”

“Missed you guys too,” I confess. “But check you out, headliners! That’s massive, and I’m genuinely stoked for you.”

Aiden’s hand gives a reassuring squeeze on my shoulder, grounding me with his quiet strength. Jack’s eyes gleam with pride, the kind that says he’s grateful all this happened so we could find each other.

Liam checks his watch before swearing. “We are on soon, we have to go.”

I glide forward with my arms open wide and start hugging Henry.

A chorus of growls sounds behind me, making Henry stiffen.

I swat my hand behind me. “Ignore them.”

One by one, I pull Liam, Lucas, and Leo into an embrace. I squeeze them tight enough to feel their hearts beat against mine.

I can feel Chase’s possessiveness and jealousy through our bond. It’s easy to guess the others feel the same.

As soon as I release Leo, I’m tugged back into Chase. I fall into his arms, the scent of caramel popcorn washing over me.

Aiden’s hand finds my back, a steady pressure that whispers security. Jack’s laughter rumbles against my ear, a sound as comforting as it is arousing, while Dax’s gaze burns into mine, igniting fires in places that make me blush.

“No more hugging other men,” Jack chastises.

Lucas laughs. “Good luck with that. Oli is friendlier than anyone I’ve ever met.”

We break apart, but their hands linger, fingertips tracing invisible lines of connection along my skin.

My old band takes off, leaving me with my new band and pack.

“Can you believe that?” I muse aloud, my mind replaying the conversation with my old bandmates. “All this time, I thought—”

“Hey,” Jack cuts in, slinging an arm over my shoulders, “It’s good to know what happened. Another thing we can blame Trevor for.”

My body snaps in half as I curl around my abdomen. A sharp cramp forcing a whine out of me.

“Oli?” Aiden asks, panicked.

I force myself to focus through the pain and all-consuming need that my body is overwhelmed by.

It’s my heat. It’s too powerful. Too fast to be anything else.

It came right on time. No matter how much I tried to will it to come a day or two later, it doesn’t work like that.