Page 118 of Tangled in Knots

“You’re both incorrigible,” I mutter, wiggling out of their grasp to stand.

“Where are you going?” Callum asks.

“To get closer,” I say, beginning to leave them behind.

“Woah, wait!” Callum says, digging in his pocket to pull out a knife. “Please take this with you. Can you handle it?”

Carefully taking it, I gently pull the blade out until it clicks into place. It’s a wicked knife, and I look up with wide eyes.

“You just carry this around?” I ask. “Seriously?”

“There’s two guns on my person, too,” Callum says. “We told you that we would keep you safe. If you’re going to go off alone, then you need a weapon. Now put that big thing away before I think you’re excited to see me.”

Rolling my eyes, I push the blade back into the hilt of the weapon and hold it by my side as I step out of the private area to walk down the stairs. The full force of the club’s scents hit me like a freight train, leaving me dizzy.

“You okay?” a man asks, and I turn to see it’s someone I met earlier.

“Yeah,” I say with a nod. “It’s a hit to the nervous system to leave the box up there. It’s overwhelming.”

Glancing up, he nods. “Take it slow, princess. I’m surprised they’re letting you go somewhere alone,” he says.

Showing him the knife, I shrug. “Not completely alone,” I admit, finding his feral grin comforting in a way.

“Don’t hesitate to use it. Someone will help you clean up the mess,” he says, turning away.

Kane is kicking the shit out of Hawk on the ground as I make my way downstairs, and no one is doing anything to stop it. Walking quickly to the ring, I sigh.

“Stop playing with your food!” I yell at him, crossing my arms underneath my breasts.

Kane doesn’t look up, simply smirking as he steps back.

“Get up or you’ll forfeit,” the announcer says into the microphone. “Make your choice.”

Shakily, Hawk stands, his arms at his sides.

“Pussy,” Kane mutters, punching him in the face. The fighter falls back, passed out as the blood flies into the air, almost hitting me where I stand. I guess I was closer than I thought.

“Winner, Kane!” the announcer says, stepping into the ring to point at him. The alpha is covered in smears of blood that I’m sure aren’t his.

Hawk managed to get a few hits in, though, and Kane’s right eye is beginning to swell. Climbing out of the ring, he stalks toward me, lifting me while still in motion to throw me over his shoulder.

Almost losing my grip on my knife, I bang the hilt into his sore ribs.

“You fucking Neanderthal!” I yell, feeling air where there shouldn’t be underneath my skirt. “You’re showing my ass to everyone!”

“No one is looking, little rabbit, if they are, they’re marked for death,” he says casually. “No one look at my girl’s ass!”

For fuck’s sakes.That’s not really what I meant.

I can’t tell if anyone is looking at it, since my hair is in my face, and I swear my curls are determined for me to eat them. Banging on his back, I squirm to get him to put me down.

“Did you claim a prize?” someone asks, amused.

Pushing my hair out of my face and blowing a piece out of my mouth, I struggle to see who is speaking. A beta with cocoa skin and tightly cropped hair stands next to us in a tight dark blue shirt and black cargo pants.

“I’m more a captive than a prize,” I grumble as Kane snorts and keeps walking. “Kane, put me down!”

“Wait, you’re being serious?” the beta asks, taking a step forward.

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