Page 121 of Knot a Bad Idea

We sit in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of the party from inside.

“I love you,” Donovan whispers.

“I love you, too,” I say simply.

Loving him is as easy as breathing.

It’s simple, even though he’s a complicated Alpha.

“What thefuck,asshole! Did you just beat my high score?”

Hunter’s roar echoes through to the backyard, and I bark out a laugh. “Hunter might have met his match with River,” I chuckle.

Donovan quirks his lip. “Your best friend’s pack is…interesting,” he says slowly. “Vincent is extremely protective of her.”

“Sounds like you,” I murmur. “What were you talking about?”

He raises an eyebrow. “You really want to know?”

I make a face. “Maybe not.”

“He said he understood why I did what I did. But recommended I don’t do it again.”

“That was nice advice,” I say carefully.

“It was.”

Liam steps outside, a lavender colored drink in his hand. He joins us at the table and passes the glass to me, and I smile.

It’s the same calming drink he made for me weeks ago at their house.

I take a sip, and it’s even better than before.

“Thanks,” I say as he grins.

“No problem. Your mom is a fan of it, too. She thinks you should add it to the café rotation.”

I shrug. “Why not? We’re already expanding the coffee menu. Why not add another drink?”

With Liam and Hunter’s assistance, I ended up back in contact with Connor, who was still willing to sample some of his coffee with us. He visited the café, and now Devyn has a crush.

She’s only told me, though.

Hopefully, one day she gathers the courage to pursue a pack with Ben.

In the meantime, I’m just happy to have her over any time she wants, baking and watching reality shows.

There’s another shout from inside, then Hunter is opening the sliding glass door. He points a finger at me and narrows his eyes.

“River’s not allowed here anymore,” he says, his voice low. He’sfuming.

“What the hell happened?” I ask, confused.

“He. Beat. My. Score.”

We’re all silent for a moment, then Liam bursts into laughter. “Finally someone did,” he laughs.

But Hunter looks ready to commit murder. “This shit is fucked up,” he hisses. “You let someone into your house, and then they just casually beat the score you’ve held onto for five years.”