Page 11 of Knot Our Mistake (Knot Ours #1)

CHAPTER

ELEVEN

SOPHIA

I woke with Persimmon curled up to my side, her fluffy little tail draped over my body, and I just wanted to squeeze her. Bring her sweet little body up to my nose and inhale the comfort she seemed to bring me.

I'm staying, at least for a while. Which was both a relief and a terrifying conclusion to this situation that wasn't my mistake, but felt like it all the same.

I practically forced them to keep me by running out of suppressants, and well, I didn't want to be a burden when the alpha had made it clear I wasn't who he wanted.

But I was relieved I didn't have to go out into a scary world when I was most vulnerable.

I trusted Leo, Bran, and James even when I knew they weren't planning to keep me.

And they still might not keep me. After my heat, once I get a new order of my suppressants, I could leave. It might be painful, sure. But I could do it if it's what they wanted.

"We've gotta get up," I mumbled to the cat, who instead kneaded against my side and repositioned herself for comfort.

It was the first day without suppressants to take. The first day where things might change, the dynamic between us might alter, and I was afraid to face it. But they swore things would be the same. That no matter what my state, we'd figure it out. I had to trust that, had to trust them.

Get the alpha. Lick the alpha. Claim the alpha.

Shit, my omega was already focusing on her needs and wants. Lick? I wasn't going to lick the alpha. Was she insane? James hardly wanted to talk with me most days. My attempt to win him over seemed to fail in most cases, and my omega thought I'd get away with licking him?

I will not.

You will and he'll like it. I rolled my eyes at her insistence before forcing myself to stand. I didn't feel any different. In fact, I felt exactly as I had any other day. Maybe my heat wouldn't come. Maybe I’d worried for no reason at all.

I left my kitten sleeping on my bed, got dressed, used the restroom, then made my way to the kitchen, except today.

..it was empty. No Bran with his fluffy eggs waiting for me, no Leo with his easy smile, and no James with his furrowed brows of annoyance.

The house was completely silent, and I didn't like it.

I inhaled, taking what of their scents I could into my lungs, though it wasn't nearly enough. It was dulled without them near, barely a piece of them, and my omega whined, hating their absence as much as I did. I searched around a little more, finding a note in Bran's writing.

Honey,

Sorry we weren't able to see your beautiful face this morning, but duty calls.

There was a break in the fence on the north of the property that needed immediate mending from James and me.

Leo's supply shipment arrived earlier than expected so he had to head out of town.

Breakfast is in the fridge. See you soon!

Bran

My heart fluttered as if the beta was here in person, even though the silence around me confirmed I was alone.

I had spent so much time with Bran and Leo that I wasn't sure how to handle myself alone.

They always let me tag along on their chores, tending to the garden, checking the fence line, collecting eggs, and without them here, I felt like I had no direction.

I ate the breakfast they left for me before cleaning up the kitchen.

Not like they ever left it a mess, but I had an urge to straighten up every cabinet, wipe down all surfaces, and give the floor a good scrubbing.

When I was done, hardly any time had passed, so I moved on to the living room, the dining area, the hall.

The bathroom, spotless. And when I was out of things to clean, I looked toward the closed door of the men's room curiously.

I'd never been inside their space. Never had a desire to since the first day I arrived and they had asked me not to. But now, there was an itch under my skin so persistent, I couldn't keep myself away. I couldn't stop myself from reaching for the doorknob, and turning.

Leo hadn't been lying when he had given me a tour.

Though they kept their home mostly pretty tidy for three men, the room was a disaster.

Clothing was tossed all over the floor and there was no order to the dresser.

Their bed looked like it might have never been made and the pile of laundry waiting to be done was nearly toppling over.

I took a deep breath, inhaling their scents and groaned at how delicious it truly smelled in here. A heady mix of the scents, each tracing back to the unique man who owned it, and it drove my omega wild.

Ours.

All ours.

Let them bite, let them claim.

Ours.

She didn't understand that I couldn't force them to keep me. James made it clear. I could only hope that sometime along the way they changed their mind, and if not, pray that I didn't somehow take away their boundaries and will.

With another inhale and a smile, I got to work, shoving dirty clothes into the washing machine, picking up the floor, hanging, folding, organizing, and though I knew I shouldn't, I couldn't stop myself from finding pieces of clothing and bringing them up to my nose.

A flannel shirt of Bran's.

Pajama pants of Leo's.

A dirty cotton shirt of James's.

All smelled so good, too delicious, that I decided to tuck them away in my room, to wash later, with the last load.

Is that what you're telling yourself? My omega taunted, but I saw no issue with keeping the articles of clothing aside. They had a lot of things to wash. Probably two days worth. They wouldn't miss the clothing for two days.

Another deep inhale of their things, then I tucked the articles away, storing them in a neat folded pile next to my pillow.

I let the bedroom door click closed before I carried a basket to the washing machine and began to load, unintentionally finding more of their clothing that smelled too good to wash at this moment.

I'd just keep them for a little while, until I needed to wash them. They'd never know.

After placing my armful of clothing into my room, I went to work organizing and cleaning their room.

The act made me feel at peace, my omega purring her contentment each time we touched something and were able to identify who that object belonged to.

If I had known the power this room would have had on me all this time, I would have snuck in here sooner. Hell, I might never leave now.

With that thought, I pulled back the blankets of the freshly made bed and crawled in, letting their scents engulf me as I fought a sudden wave of sleepiness. I'd only stay here for a few minutes, I promised myself, as I closed my eyes, letting sleep pull me into a nap.