Page 29 of Knotty Pumpkin

If he’d marked me… well, I probably wouldn’t be here today. Death seems like a much kinder friend than a lifetime of pining for a person who terrorised me in that way.

My hands tremble as I search the room, feeling his eyes on me but not spotting him right away. There's only so many places he can hide. Not that he needs to be hidden. If he truly didn’t want me to know he was here, he’d have used some kind of scent suppressor. No, he’s only hiding to frighten me.

Crossing the space, I perch tentatively on the edge of the bed and take a slow, deep breath, closing my eyes and centring myself.

“I know you’re here, Luke,” I say, surprising myself with how steady my voice sounds as I try to bait him. He never did like when I called him by his name. “Why don’t you comeout so we can talk?”

“It’s alpha to you,” he barks as the wardrobe doors fly open, a burnt edge to his foul scent as he strides purposefully toward me, his dark eyes hungry with want.

The hair on the back of my neck lifts and I swallow hard against the lump in my throat before pushing off the edge of the bed and sinking to my knees.

Luke stops in his tracks, halfway between the bathroom and me, as I lower my head and say, “Yes, Alpha. Sorry, Alpha.”

Words he always wanted me to say. Words I’ve never given him before. They hold power, those words. And now’s the time to use them.

It takes all of my self-control to stop my body from trembling as Luke overcomes his shock and moves in front of me. His finger touches my chin, titling my face to his in a sickening, almost affectionate way. I clamp my eyes shut, searching for what remains of my strength.

This is my only shot. It’s time to draw a confession out of this motherfucker that’ll put him away for the rest of his goddam life.

Drawing a breath that feels like it goes nowhere, I flutter my eyelashes as he stares at my face, a frown etched across his forehead.

“What took you so long to come for me, Alpha? I’ve been so lonely waiting for you.”

Chapter Eighteen

“Idon’t know,” Corey says as I push behind him into the small bathroom.

Where is she?

My heart sinks, a weight settling over my chest as I march to the window and stick my head out, searching for my Pumpkin.

“Saylor!” I shout into the night. Why would she do this? Why would she leave and put herself in danger likethis?

Shouting her name again, I feel the reassuring weight of Corey’s hand grasp my biceps, gently tugging me back from the sink.

“Noah,” he says as I shout her name one more time. His voice is muffled, barely breaking through the fog of panic settling over me. We just found her. She agreed to move in, to see if the three of us would work as a pack.

“Noah!” he barks and the shock of him barking at me snaps me out of the deep pool of worry I’d begun to drown in. Corey is an alpha, a strong one at that, but he has always had a softer side, letting me lead. The only other time he’s barked at me was during Saylor’s heat, when I was close to marking her.

“Sorry,” I mumble, running my hands over my gelled hair, trying to smooth it and soothe myself. “Where is she? Ineedto find her. God, what if something happens to her?”

“I know. I need to find her, too. But she’s not in here, and I doubt she’s anywhere in this house. Let’s head out, see if any of Hudson’s guys saw her, try to call her. Wewillfind her.”

Nodding, I let him lead me out of the bathroom, grateful for his ability to remain calm and collected. It’s one of the things I’ve always loved about him. Despite the fearcoating his normally sweet, toasted marshmallow scent, he holds himself—and me—together.

We push through the crowded makeshift dancefloor and out onto the Lion’s front lawn, stopping beside an electronic witch that cackles as we approach, the basket in her hand full of mini shot bottles and eyeball candies.

“Are you with me?” he asks, giving my hand a squeeze.

“Yeah. As good as I will be ‘til we find her.”

“Okay. Why don’t you call her, and I’ll talk to some officers, see if anyone’s seen her.”

Corey gives my hand another squeeze as he turns back to the front entrance. His phone rings at the same time mine beeps with a flurry of notifications.

Pulling it out of my pocket, I swipe across the screen, the whole world slowing to a halt around me as I see Saylor has sent me three messages.

I vaguely hear Corey answer his call and greet Sgt. Hudson as I read what she’s sent.

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