Page 111 of Knot a Thief

“So, I made a deal with Silas when you went to your room, and while his wife was in the restroom. He wanted you safe. And he paid for you to disappear that night. Not me.”

“Silas? No. Silas isn’t that rich.”

Garrett laughs. “Silas is a millionaire many, many times over. His mother is a DuPont, and her family is the original owners of the DuPont island.”

“Not Max Montgomery?”

“They both own it now.” Garrett laughs. “After Silas’ wife died, it took him a year to decide to pursue you, and then he went back to Max with an offer. Max would return to him half of the island that his family sold him, and then they would find their omega together.”

“Wow.”

“Max countered. He wanted Silas as his pack mate and gave Silas fifty-one percent back, providing the first baby was his.”

“That’s—” My voice is shaky as I think of how much Max wanted my child. He gave up the majority ownership of the island.

“Yes. It’s what you think.”

“And Silas agreed because the island was more important to Silas than me?”

Garrett walks to me and touches my hand. “Nothing is more important to Silas than his daughter.”

I smile. “She’s pretty special.” I can hardly be jealous over a three-year-old who I love myself.

Garrett continues. He explains the complex web of arrangements and deals made on my behalf. As he speaks, I feel the ground shifting beneath my feet, everything I thought I knew crumbling away.

My voice is shaking as much as my body as I process the information. “I’m in shock. I thought they hated me.”

Garrett shakes his head. “It’s not the actions of men who hate. Yes, Max wanted a baby, but I think he’s still scared you actually rejected him. And Silas can’t hate you. A man who goes against the wishes of his wife, an omega herself, doesn’t hate you.”

Garrett touches my hand gently. “They aren’t bad men, Avaline. They’re confused. You’re an omega who fights her designation. I know your stepfather injected you with an anti-heat drug, but that’s gone now, and you’re still fighting.”

I swallow hard, my voice shaky. “That's all I’ve known. It’s become part of me.”

Layla steps closer, her eyes pleading. “Ava, please understand. This isn’t just about alphas and omegas. It’s about finding your place, your family.”

The weight of the ring in my palm is conspicuous as I turn to Garrett and slowly open my hand. “Was this your payment for looking after me?”

He nods. “It was. As you can understand, Max could have paid your stepfather many more millions, but him telling him you rejected him was what he found hard. So he offered me a deal instead, but that deal meant that I couldn’t take my omega until you were gone.”

I look down at the ring in my hand, then back at my sister. “And this is your place? With Garrett?”

She nods, a small smile on her face. “It is. I love him. Just like your place is with Silas and Max.”

“It’s with Seb,” I counter.

“Then tell them that,” Layla says, quietly. “Tell them Seb is your pack, too.”

I shake my head, still struggling to accept it all. “But how can I trust them after everything that’s happened?”

Garrett speaks up. “They’ve been waiting for you, Ava. They never stopped waiting, and I think they’ll wait forever.”

I close my eyes, feeling overwhelmed. When I open them, I see Layla holding out her hand.

I hesitate, looking between the ring, my sister, and Garrett.

Years of running, of fighting, of not trusting anyone weigh heavily on me. But beneath it all, there’s a flicker of something else. Hope, perhaps. Or maybe just curiosity.

With a deep breath, I place the ring in Layla’s outstretched hand. “I’m not promising anything,” I say firmly. “But I’ll listen.”

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