Page 68 of Knot the One They Want

I haven't even thought about her until now. It's all too much, my head too jumbled from sleeplessness and the chaos that unfolded as soon as Asher found Evie on the bathroom floor.

I can't think about or untangle any of it now.

Addison searches my face, her eyes narrowed. Looking for what, I don't know. Sincerity, maybe. Remorse. I only hope she finds it.

"You better," she says finally, her voice low and fierce. "Because if you ever hurt her again, Damien Blackwood, I will personally make sure you regret it for the rest of your miserable life."

A small smile tugs at my lips in spite of myself.

At least Evie has someone in her corner. Someone she can trust, who's looking out for her.

The way I should have been all along.

CHAPTER 33

EVIE

The steady beep of the heart monitor is the first thing that pierces through the haze of my consciousness. I crack my eyes open, squinting against the harsh fluorescent lights. The sterile white walls and the faint scent of antiseptic tell me I'm in a hospital room.

But how the hell did I get here?

Memories trickle back in disjointed fragments. The bathroom floor, cold against my feverish skin. The searing pain of the incomplete mating marks. Darkness swallowing me whole.

I reach up, my fingers brushing against the fresh bandages on my neck. The throbbing, the agonizing ache... it's gone. Replaced by a dull soreness, like a bruise that's finally starting to heal.

But with the physical pain receding, a new kind of dread settles over me.

People know.

They have to, if I'm here.

The humiliation of my situation, of being a half-marked omega, discarded by her alphas... it's out there for everyone to see. To judge.

My heart monitor beeps faster, spiking with the sudden surge of anxiety shooting through me. What will Damien and the others do now? Will they finish what they started and reject me publicly? Toss me aside like yesterday's trash?

A soft snore draws my attention to the chair beside my bed. Addison is curled up, her auburn curls wild and her face pale with exhaustion.

She came.

Of course she did. She's my rock. My ride or die. The one person I can always count on.

As if sensing my gaze, her eyes flutter open. For a moment, she looks disoriented, but when she sees me, she bolts upright. "Evie! Oh my god, you're awake!"

I manage a weak smile. "Hey, Addie."

She lunges forward, wrapping me in a fierce hug. I cling to her, her flowery scent soothing as it washes through me. "How did you get here?" I ask, my voice muffled against her shoulder.

She pulls back, brushing a stray curl from my face. "Lake found my number in your phone. He texted me last night and told me what happened."

Last night."How long have I been unconscious?"

Addison's expression softens. "A while. But don't worry about that now. The doctors say you're going to be fine. You just need to rest and recover."

I nod, swallowing past the lump in my throat. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. About... everything."

She shakes her head, her eyes fierce. "No, don't you dare apologize. I'm the one who's sorry. Sorry I wasn't there, that I didn't see how bad things had gotten."

"I didn't want anyone to know," I whisper, hot shame prickling at the backs of my eyes. "I was so embarrassed, Addie. So humiliated by what they did, and how far it got…"

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