Page 124 of Knot Her Beta

Chloe waddles in on Nathaniel’s arm, a cake box balanced on her forearm. She sets the box down on the table, takes in the paperwork, and moves to the far end without being asked.

Quinn darts past everyone’s legs, a streak of brown hair and a yellow dress, and Sprinkles follows at her heels, his massive paws skidding on the hardwood. The dog heads straight for the table, his nose stretching toward the papers.

Blake catches him by the collar, which bears a yellow bow tie. “Not now, buddy. Back.”

Kyle comes in last, carrying a box of wine. “Hey, heard you might need some reinforcements.”

Jared closes the door. “What are you guys doing here?”

“Dominic let us know what happened.” Chloe eases herself into a chair. “We figured you wouldn’t be in the right mindset to feed yourself, and since Holden had already put together this feast, we just packed it up and brought it over.”

Emily’s brow furrows. “What about the Homestead?”

“Can’t get on the island if there’s no boat to take them there.” Kyle carries the box of wine into the kitchen and whistles. “Good thing we brought paper plates and cups. You guys really are ready to move tomorrow.”

“We’ve been motivated.” Jared joins his cousin, and their quiet murmurs drift out as Jared catches him up on what happened.

Nathaniel goes around, gathering coats to pile on the hooks by the door while Blake and Holden unpack the food and load up plates.

Leif brings me, Dominic, and Grady white paper cups of wine and water for Chloe as I keep working, the sound of the printer whirring from where Leif set it up on the sideboard behind me.

Grady sips his wine as he picks up my settlement agreement for leaving the Lavender Pack. “The buyout for his half of the cottage was written into the expulsion agreement, right?”

“Yeah.” I rub my temples. “At least I know for a fact that his name isn’t on my loans. We won’t have a problem selling this place and paying off the mortgages.”

Dominic takes the papers from Grady and scans the relevant clause. “The settlement was structured around your removal from the pack. He accepted payment for a legal outcome he never delivered.”

My chin comes up. “What’s that mean for me?”

“Let’s have the pack lawyers review everything first,” he pulls out his phone. “I don’t want to give you any false hope.”

Dominic steps away from the table, already tapping through his contacts.

Holden sets a plate in front of me that holds a lobster roll, chowder in a paper bowl, and two pieces of smoked salmon arranged as neatly as if we were sitting at the Homestead instead of surrounded by moving boxes.

“Eat,” he says. “No reason to risk a hangover by drinking on an empty stomach when you’re moving first thing in the morning. Our hill is no joke.”

I stare at the food Jared spent all morning predicting, and guilt settles beneath my ribs. “This was supposed to be a welcome celebration.”

“It still is,” Nathaniel says.

Jared abandons Kyle in the kitchen and drops into the chair opposite me, his feet finding mine under the table. “Don’t let Auren ruin this for us, Em. We joined the Wrights today.”

“Technically, you and Grady joined them.”

His features harden. “Don’t.”

Leif comes up behind me to massage my shoulders. “Auren managed to delay the paperwork. That’s all.”

Around us, Blake is keeping Sprinkles away from the food while Holden is passing out more plates, Chloe is already trying to open the cake box, and Nathaniel is keeping his pregnant mate at bay.

I look around the crowded cottage, at people sitting on boxes where they can’t fit at the table, eating a meal prepared with care. Even Dominic, who paces near the front window while on the phone, holds a cup of wine. Today may not have gone the way we hoped, but it still brought us to the same place. Together.

The county registry still says I belong to Auren, but I know better.

Auren can’t take my pack from me this time.

Chapter Thirty-Five