Page 63 of Knot the One They Want

It's been an hour. Sixty goddamn minutes of not knowing if Evie's going to make it.

I can't get the image out of my head. Evie on the bathroom floor, pale as a ghost, her lips blue.Fuck. I dig my nails into my palms, welcoming the sting. It's nothing compared to what she's going through.

How could I be so stupid? I should've told Damien to go fuck himself when he came up with this idiotic plan. But no, I went along with it like a fucking coward.

Lake squeezes my shoulder. I know he's hurting too, but right now, I can barely look at him. Or any of them. We're all in this shit together.

Three of us, at least. I can't say what Damien is feeling right now. I really don't care. I don't blame him for his actions as much as I blame myself for going along with them.

"Hear anything?" Lake asks, nodding at the door.

I strain my ears since I'm closer to it, pressing against the unyielding wood of Evie's room, but only the muffled sounds of medical staff and equipment reach me. I shake my head, not trusting myself to speak.

Cole loses it. He gets right in Damien's face, jabbing a finger at his chest. "This is on you, you piece of shit! Your fucked-up plan to chase her away. Look what you've done!"

Damien's eyes flash, a cold blue fire, but he doesn't retreat. His jaw clenches, the muscles ticking beneath his skin. "I never forced any of you. You all agreed?—"

"Shut up," I snap. They all turn to me, surprised. "Just shut the fuck up. We're all to blame here." I meet each of their gazes in turn, holding up a mirror to our collective guilt. "Every single one of us bit her. Made a promise. And each of us chose not to follow through, regardless of whether it was Damien's idea."

The truth settles over us like a shroud, heavy and suffocating. Damien flinches as if I've struck him, his shoulders curving inward. For once, the great Damien Blackwood looks small. Vulnerable. Human.

Lake's voice is a whisper, barely audible above the hum of the fluorescent lights. "Asher's right. We're all to blame. She's our omega. Our responsibility. And she could have died tonight because of our neglect."

The words hang in the air, a noose tightening around our necks. Because of us. Because we let our pride and bitterness blind us to what truly matters.

"She still might," I breathe, giving voice to the fear that haunts us all.

Cole snarls, a wounded animal backed into a corner. "No. She's not going to die." His voice cracks, fractures, the broken shards embedding themselves in my heart. "She can't."

But she can.

We did this to her. We broke her trust, her heart. And now we're standing here like useless idiots while she fights for her life.

I lean against the door, closing my eyes. I want to cry, to scream, to break something. But I don't deserve that release.

None of us do.

Please, Evie. Please be okay.The prayer echoes in my mind, a desperate plea to a universe that feels cold and unforgiving.We need you.Ineed you.

My words hang in the air, a vow and a challenge all at once. "If we get another chance..." I swallow hard, my throat tight. "If Evie makes it through this, I'm claiming her. As my mate. Properly this time. If she even wants me after all this."

The silence is deafening. I half expect Cole to lash out, to snarl that I have no right. That none of us do. But instead, his voice is a quiet echo of my own. "Yeah. Me too."

I look at Cole, surprised.

Lake nods, his eyes red-rimmed. "I'm with you both. Evie deserves better than what we've given her. If she'll still have me after all this, I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to her."

Three united fronts. Three alphas ready to lay down their pride for their omega. It's not much, but it's a start. A tiny spark of hope in this nightmare.

But Damien's still the wild card. I look at him, trying to read his face. He's stone-cold, giving nothing away.

The silence drags on, broken only by the hospital noises filtering through the door. Each second feels like forever.

Come on, Damien. Say something. Anything. Don't leave us hanging. Not now. Not with everything on the line.

But before he can speak, the door opens. My heart leaps into my throat, lodging there like a stone. The doctor steps out, his face grim, and I brace myself for the worst.

Lake practically lunges at him. "How is she? Is Evie going to be okay?"

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