Page 110 of Knot a Thief

Garrett’s deep voice cuts through the tension. “She’s my scented mate. Age is unimportant.”

“No,” I whisper, disbelief coloring my voice.

“Yes,” Garrett replies firmly. “Why do you think I couldn’t touch you?”

My mind reels. “Then why did you buy me?”

“You don’t know yet?” Garrett shakes his head and sighs. “I didn’t. You stayed with me to protect you.”

“Protect me?” I ask, confusion clear in my tone. “From my stepfather?”

“Yes, and no. From being sold, and from other alphas, and until you were ready.”

I narrow my eyes. “Keep talking.”

“Maxwell Montgomery made an offer for you, but you rejected him,” Garrett states.

“I did not,” I retort, indignant.

“Your stepfather told him you did. I warned Max your stepfather was a greedy man, and he was trying to get him to up his offer.”

My heart thrums against the bars around my chest.

“He thought you rejected him, but Max couldn’t just let you go. He knew you were his but refused to play your stepfather’s games, so he backed away, infuriating your stepfather, who tried to renegotiate with Max.”

“And somehow you stepped in?” I say, confused about Garrett’s involvement.

“I paid your stepfather a much lower sum of money on Max’s behalf to take you. I made it part of the deal I offered for your sister.”

“Layla.”

“Yes, she’s my omega. And that’s why I claimed I bought you as collateral to ensure I got Layla when she was ready. Max was devastated when you rejected him, but he couldn’t give up on you without a fight. But he wanted you to have the time to change your mind. And that is why I kept you hidden. Nobody could ever know about you. Until Max was ready, and so were you.”

“But you let me go.”

Garrett walks toward Layla and wraps a protective arm around her shoulder. His fingers stroke over her skin in delicate circles. “I didn’t. The night of the ball when Silas St. James was here with his wife—”

I interrupt, “She died that night.” My heart plummets as I remember what Silas told me.

“She did. But before then, he was here to inform me that Max was ready for you. He couldn’t wait any longer. You were supposed to leave with Silas the next day.”

I must look confused.

He sighs. “But his wife saw how attracted Silas was to you. She was consumed with jealousy when she recognized you were his scented mate.” He hesitates.

“Max sent him on purpose?”

“I can’t honestly answer that question. But what I can tell you is, his wife knew if Silas took you the next day to Max, she was history. You can’t fight a scent match.”

I nod slowly, waiting to hear more.

“She wanted him to kill you when he picked you up the next day.”

I gasp. “Why?”

“To prove how much he loved her. She wanted him to kill his scented mate.”

I shake my head. “Oh, my God.”

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