Page 68 of Knot Happening Again

"Where are the others?" I ask, trying to keep my voice casual, as if I haven't been absent for weeks, as if this is just another normal day.

Rhys turns, and for a moment, I see a flicker of relief in his eyes. It's quickly replaced by a guarded expression, but that brief glimpse of his true feelings is enough to make my guilt intensify. It's my fault, I know, and the knowledge is a bitter taste in my mouth.

"They're out," Rhys says, his tone carefully neutral. "Mace is at the gym, Troy's at his studio, and Maddox had some business to take care of." He pauses, his eyes searching my face. "Did you take care of your family business?"

I can hear the suspicion in his voice, see the doubt in his eyes. It's all I can do not to flinch under his gaze. "I want to talk to you about that," I mutter, knowing it's a weak response. "But first, what did you need to tell me that we couldn't discuss on the phone?"

Rhys folds his arms across his chest, a defensive posture that speaks volumes about the state of our relationship. "The omega we met at Temporary Bonds," he says, his voice flat. "I want her to meet the entire pack."

The words hit me like a physical blow. I react defensively, my voice sharper than I intend. "You didn't run that by me."

"You haven't been home for me to run anything by you," Rhys shoots back, a hint of anger creeping into his tone.

I can't argue with that, but I want to. I want to explain, to make him understand why I've been gone, why I've been distant. But the words stick in my throat. Instead, I mutter, "It's not a good time."

"Why?" Rhys asks, his voice rising slightly. "Because of whatever secret you're keeping from your entire pack?"

The accusation hangs in the air between us, heavy and suffocating. I open my mouth to deny it, to offer some explanation, but nothing comes out. How can I explain without telling him everything? And how can I tell him everything when I have nothing to show for my efforts?

"Leon," Rhys says, his voice softer now but no less intense. "You've been the reason we've delayed finding an omega all this time, and we can't put it on hold forever. Especially not when you expect us to put our lives on hold for you while not even being honest about what's going on." He pauses, his eyes boring into mine. "Unless that's changed?"

I know this is the moment.

I need to come clean.

I have to tell Rhys everything.

About Ophelia, about our past, about the incomplete mark I left on her neck.

About how I think she's our true scent match.

But without Ophelia being anywhere near willing to meet with me, let alone the rest of the pack, to prove she's our actual scent match, I know it's too soon.

It would sound like a desperate excuse.

A last-ditch effort to avoid the inevitable.

"Please, Rhys," I plead, hating the desperation in my voice. "Just give me a little more time."

Rhys hesitates, and for a moment, I think he might agree. But then his expression hardens, and I can see the hurt in his eyes, the disappointment that cuts deeper than any anger could. When he speaks again, his voice is cold, distant in a way I've never heard before.

"We've waited long enough, Leon," he says. "And you can't give me a good reason to keep waiting." He takes a deep breath, as if steeling himself for what he's about to say. "Our scent match is coming on Friday to meet the pack. I want you to be there, but she's coming regardless."

With that, he turns and leaves the room. The sound of his footsteps fading away feels like a countdown, each step bringing us closer to a future I'm not ready to face.

Frustration boils over inside me, a tidal wave of emotion that I can no longer contain. I lash out, my fist connecting with the wall. Pain shoots through my hand, radiating up my arm, but I barely notice it. The physical pain is nothing compared to the emotional turmoil raging inside me.

I stare at the hole I've made, my ragged breathing the only sound in the now-empty room.

What have I done?

How did I let things get this far?

My mind races, replaying every mistake, every missed opportunity. I should have told Rhys the truth from the beginning. I should have tried harder to find Ophelia. I should have been honest with my pack about my past, about the guilt that's been eating me alive for seven years.

But I wasn't. And now, I'm on the verge of losing everything. My scent match, my pack, my future.

I sink to the floor, my back against the damaged wall, and bury my face in my hands. I can almost hear the disappointment in Mace's voice, see the hurt in Troy's eyes, feel the confusion radiating from Maddox.

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