Page 61 of Knot the One They Want

The more they praise her, the more I resent it.

Resenther.

Most of all for how the beast inside me coiled up like a serpent ready to strike every time that investor's eyes traveled over to her tonight. I hate her for the protective instincts she stirs within me more than anything. I tell myself it's only the half-formed mating mark on her neck, but somewhere deep down, I know it's bullshit.

I know it goes deeper than my teeth in her flesh.

But even if it doesn't, what does it matter if she refuses to run? I was expecting her to fold and run back home to daddy in a matter of days, weeks most, but she shows no sign of budging. I'm starting to think she's even more stubborn than I am.

I'm starting to be afraid that when she finally does realize there's no future for her here and shedoesrun, I won't have the strength to let her.

Lake's voice cuts through the red haze of my thoughts. "Well, are you happy now? Dinner was a smashing success," he says bitterly. "Maybe it's time you gave Evie the credit she deserves."

I shove past him, jaw clenched. "The investor is a moron. Any omega with a pretty face could've had him eating out of her hand."

Lake follows me, his footsteps echoing on the marble. "That's bullshit and you know it. Evie is exceptional. She deserves your respect, not your scorn."

I whirl on him, a snarl building in my throat. "Respect? For what? For smiling and nodding and playing the role she was born to play? I'm the one who landed that deal, Lake. Me. With my business acumen and my work. Not her."

Lake meets my glare head-on, unflinching. "Your pride blinds you, Damien. Evie is our partner, not your pawn. The sooner you realize that, the better off you'll be."

I stalk away from him, my pulse pounding in my temples. He doesn't understand. No one does.

I've sacrificed everything to build this company up even more, to step out of my father's shadow and forge my own path. And now, at the pinnacle of success, all anyone can talk about is my omega.

An omega I didn't even want.

He and the others may be content to forget about Daria, about the bond we forged and the promises we made, but that only means I have to be stronger. As usual.

Cole's presence fills the doorway, his grey eyes flicking between Lake and me. The tension crackles between us like static electricity, ready to ignite at the slightest spark. He's always been Lake's shadow, the dark to his light, but now there's a new wariness in his gaze. A silent question.

When did the balance shift? When did Lake stop being the calm voice of reason, the one to talk Cole down from the ledge of his temper? The answer burns like acid on my tongue. Since Evie. Since she waltzed into our lives and turned everything upside down.

Lake steps forward, his jaw set. "Damien, if you bring any more alphas into our home without discussing it with the pack first, we're going to have a problem. I won't sit at the dinner table and watch some stranger ogle our mate again."

Our mate. The words hit like a punch to the gut. As ifourmate isn't two thousand miles away and in another alpha's fucking bed.

"Since when did you start acting like a caveman?" I sneer, meeting his challenge head-on. "Puffing out your chest and marking your territory?"

"You're our leader, not a dictator," Lake fires back, his eyes flashing gold. "We have a right to a say in pack decisions."

Cole nods, a silent wall of support at his twin's back. United against me, their leader. The sting of betrayal is sharp and bitter.

I open my mouth to put them both in their place, to remind them who wears the crown in this pack, but Asher's voice cuts through the rising alpha bark in my throat.

"Has anyone seen Evie?"

We all freeze, the question hanging in the air like a held breath. I scan the room, suddenly realizing that her delicate floral scent has faded from downstairs entirely, no longer twining with the heady musk of angry alphas.

Lake's anger morphs into concern, his brow furrowing. "She was in the kitchen just a minute ago..."

Unease prickles along my spine, a cold needle of dread I can't quite make sense of. It's not like Evie usually hangs around the rest of us, but they're right. Something about her absence feels… different. Wrong.

"I'll check upstairs," Asher says, already moving toward the grand staircase.

Cole and Lake exchange a glance, a silent communication born of a lifetime together. "We'll split up and search the ground floor," Cole rumbles.

They move off in opposite directions, leaving me standing alone in the foyer, my anger draining away like water through a sieve.

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