Page 16 of Cruel Knots

“You’re getting married next week.” Callum’s face splits into a wide grin like he’s announcing his sudden decision to send me on a vacation free from him.

“Next week?” I ask slowly, wondering what new madness he’s up to now. Is he trying to trick me somehow? He can’t even bear for another man to look at me.

Dad makes an angry noise. “N...n...no,” he chants.

“Dad, calm down,” I say, worried his pent-up frustration would spike his blood pressure. Turning toward Callum, I ask, “You already have someone in mind?”

“Yes,” he says with a hearty wink. “It’s Freddy Stone. You know him, right? He went to school with you.”

Freddy Stone had been an extremely popular beta at school because of his close friendship with Lola Rostek, captain of the cheerleading team. He was also blatantly and proudly gay.

Callum’s dark eyes, so dissimilar to my emerald green, gleam with cruel amusement.

“That’s right, Lucy. Freddy’s agreed to marry you.”

“I don’t understand,” I say slowly, knowing there’s no way in hell Freddy would get married to a girl. “Freddy’s...gay.”

Callum chuckles. “I know! He’s the perfect guy for you.”

The confused look on my face seems to amuse him greatly. Taking deep breaths, he explains. “Freddy’s grandpa is a conservative old fart and refuses to leave his legacy to his only grandson. All because he’s gay. He’s given Freddy an ultimatum. Get married or get kicked out of his will. Guess what Freddy chose.”

“But why me?”

Callum’s expression darkens. “It’s the perfect façade for us, Luce. You’ll be married to him but it’ll be me who becomes your true mate. I gave you enough time to grow up. You’re past twenty now. It’s time you went into heat and bonded with an alpha. This way, our relationship will evolve into something deeper and more meaningful. Our child will become the heir to our empire. Want to know the best part though? Our sons and daughters will inherit the Stone legacy too. Our children will be the most powerful heirs in Ashville.”

Fear and disgust shoot through me as I listen to Callum. Cold dread fills my heart as my head whips toward my dad as an involuntary reaction to my brother’s craziness.

“D...d...don’t!” Dad mutters hoarsely, his body shuddering as he tries to channel his rage at Callum. “N...n...n...no!”

“No one’s asking for your permission, Dad,” Callum says coldly. “I’m letting you know out of courtesy. You and Mom thought you could keep me away from my sister by sending me away.” He scoffs. “I don’t play to your tunes anymore. So, just keep shut and fucking breathe!”

“Don’t talk to him like that!” I shout.

Callum’s gaze zeroes in on me. The rage swirling in his eyes tells me he won’t let my rudeness go unpunished.

Stomping toward me, he grabs me by the shoulder and pushes me toward the door. He keeps pushing me vehemently until we’re both out in the corridor.

A massive shove sends me crashing against the wall. Before I can recover from the impact, Callum is on me, pushing his hard body against my soft curves.

I’m forced to stay still or risk rubbing my stomach against his growing bulge. My pain and helplessness are arousing him. The very thought sends a chill through me.

“I have finalized the deal with Freddy,” he barks in my face. “So, don’t you dare fuck things up in any way!”

“D-deal?” I choke, realizing that Freddy knows about our shameful secret too.

“He’s ready to let me fill you with child and claim them as his own heirs,” Callum says through clenched teeth. “As long as he can secretly live his life the way he wants, he won’t bother us. Don’t you dare do anything to jeopardize our arrangement.”

Tears splash down my cheeks as I see no other way out of this horrible situation but to seek death. There’s no way I’ll let Callum do those awful things to me. Death seems like the only way out of my miserable life.

“I’ll kill him, you know,” Callum whispers.

“What?”

“Dad. He’ll pay the price if you do anything to fuck up this arrangement.” He gently tucks a stray strand of my raven-black hair behind my ear. “I’ve kept him alive only for you or he’d be rotting away in a garbage dump just like those three street rats he picked up for you to play with.”

My eyes widen.

For the first time in years, Callum is mentioning Damien and his brothers, reminding me of the sole reason they’d disappeared. It was him. It was my own brother who killed them.

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