Page 54 of Knot the One They Want

And she's made it clear she's certainly not going to run.

So what happens when the unstoppable force meets the immovable object?

We've finally met our match, the omega who can go toe-to-toe with the great Damien Blackwood and come out on top. It's just too bad Damien is too stubborn and broken to see it. Because I have a feeling Evie is the only one strong enough to put him in his place.

And god knows, someone needs to.

Before he destroys us all.

CHAPTER 26

COLE

The rhythmic thud of my fists against the boxing target echoes through the gym, each impact registering on the high-tech display. Sweat drips down my brow, stinging my eyes, but I don't stop. I can't.

Not when every breath I take is laced with the scent of her.

"A gym shouldn't smell like flowers," I grumble, throwing a particularly vicious jab.

Lake, lounging on the unused bench beside me with a book in hand, glances up. "Really? I think it's a vast improvement."

I scoff, shaking my head. "You would. You're an alpha with an omega's nose."

He rolls his eyes, unperturbed by my jab. "You should be grateful she didn't get rid of the gym entirely." His gaze sweeps over the room, taking in the gleaming new equipment Evie had installed during her redecorating rampage. "Although, I'm not sure if all this is a gift or a passive-aggressive jab."

I grunt, landing a series of rapid-fire punches. The display lights up, numbers climbing higher with each impact. It's a small comfort, a tangible measure of the chaos roiling inside me.

"It's not the worst thing," Lake muses, setting his book aside, "having an omega around who actually knows how to run ahouse this size. The staff haven't been as intrusive as usual, the food is gourmet, and everything seems to be running a lot more smoothly."

I hate that he's right. Evie has brought a sense of order to our lives, a warmth and comfort that was sorely lacking before her arrival. But admitting that feels like a betrayal somehow of the omega who already betrayed us.

A mating mark is a funny thing. Even though it's severed, the ghost lingers. And even though the mark on our new omega is incomplete, it feels like she's pulling me in, calling to me, from across this giant house. And yet, when I actually pass her in the hall, she barely gives me a glance.

"She's about as opposite to Daria as you can get," Lake says, as if reading my thoughts. "Daria prided herself on not being like other omegas, on setting herself above the things that usually interest them. It's probably why she only got along with alphas."

I snort, remembering the disdain Daria had for her own kind. She saw them as frivolous, weak, beneath her notice. It was one of the things that drew Damien to her in the first place, his own elitist tendencies finding a kindred spirit.

"That's not going so well for him now, is it?" I mutter, thinking of the way Evie has systematically dismantled Damien's control, chipping away at his icy facade with each passing day.

He may still be the leader of the pack, but he's no longer the one in charge of this house. Not really.

Lake hums in agreement, but there's a troubled furrow between his brows. "Have you noticed her scent lately? It's been...different."

I still, my fists hovering inches from the target. Of course I've noticed. How could I not? Her scent has been haunting me, invading my dreams and leaving me aching with a need I refuse to name.

"Maybe it's the mark," I hedge, not wanting to voice the suspicion that's been growing in the back of my mind. "Or..."

"Or what?" Lake prompts, his honey eyes intent on my face.

I sigh, dropping my hands and turning to face him fully. "Or maybe she's getting ready to go into heat. She's been here for a few weeks already."

Silence descends, heavy and charged. We both know what that means, the implications of an omega in heat under our roof. The primal urge to claim, to possess, to lose ourselves in her sweet, slick heat. Keeping our hands off her is already torturous enough.

"I don't know how that's going to go," Lake admits, his voice strained. "I have a hard enough time resisting her as it is."

I clench my jaw, my fingers curling into fists at my sides. "You too?"

He nods, a wry twist to his lips. "It's like she's under my skin, in my blood. I can't escape her, no matter how hard I try."

---