Page 10 of Knot Your Pawn

“Mum, Dad.” Luca pulls their attention. “They prepared some rooms for you. Just until they find a safe place. Shall we move to them? I’m sure Vera would like to get the kids to settle down for the night.” His voice is quiet but insistent.

“Of course.” The older man lets me go, giving me a soft and apologetic smile that reminds me of Luca immediately, making my pheromones flare with longing. The man looks from me to Luca and back, frowning, but he doesn’t say anything. “Let’s get out of here so the kids can go to sleep. They must be exhausted too and I know how hard things get when kids don’t get enough sleep.”

He picks up the young boy they brought with them, Luca’s sister’s son. The man looks at me, nodding. “We’ll talk more tomorrow. Again, thank you so much.”

“Have a good night. Try to get some rest.” I give them my best smile, even though it hurts and I have no idea how much actually shows.

Automatically, I follow them to the door, until I realise that I’m now right next to Luca.

Fuck.

No matter how much I instinctively want to be near him, I can’t. I really can’t.

But, before I can move away, Luca hooks his pinkie around mine, holding me like that for a few moments. My heart races and no matter how much I try to suppress it, my pheromones flare.

Internally, I curse myself for not paying more attention to what I was doing, wishing I could pull the pheromones back inside.

But it’s too late.

Luca’s face pales and I quickly step away, breaking our connection.

No.

Fuck.

No.

A whine catches in my throat, not even letting out a peep, but from the way Luca looks at me, he doesn’t need to hear it. He knows what’s going on.

“I’ll help my family settle in.” His voice is soft, wavering, his pheromones full of pain, fear, and underneath it all, deep longing.

I nod, blinking fast to keep my tears away, but failing as I watch him walk down the hallway, glancing back at me every few steps, as I close the door between us.

The moment the ‘click’ of the door reaches my ears, the tears start streaming down my cheeks. I suppress the new whine in my chest, the wail I want to let out, the desperation of needing to be with my mate.

One of the kids brings me a napkin and I give them a watery smile. “Thank you.” I wipe my eyes, though the tears keep returning.

Luca is here.

He’s only a few rooms over.

It’s not like he’s far away. He’s right here.

But right now, it doesn’t really matter, not if we can’t be in the same space.

It might even be worse.

So close, and so far at the same time.

My eyes shoot open as burned caramel reaches my nose.

Luca!

But when I become aware of my surroundings, I realise it’s Jorge, trying to put a shirt with Luca’s pheromones over my shoulders.

I’m in the nest, my mates’ clothes, including the shirt that Luca gave me for the ride home, clutched against my chest. I’m gripping them so tightly that my hands are all sore.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to wake you.” Jorge sits down next to me on the pillows, letting his cedar pheromones mix into the air, soothing me.