Page 12 of Knot Made to Break: Part One

It was hard enough knowing my sister Julia was back there, determined to find her pack so she could start living her life.

And Kitania was different. She wasmine.

I shook my head vehemently. “No way in hell she’s going back to the OMA. She belongs with us.”

A heavy silence fell over the room, the weight of our new reality settling onto our shoulders. I knew without a doubt that my brothers felt it too—the overwhelming need to shelter Kitania, to earn her trust, to erase the shadows of pain and fear from her eyes. To make her happy. To show her she was loved.

“She’s been through so much already,” I said quietly, my chest tightening at the thought. “But she’s strong. A fighter. You can see it in the way she carries herself, even when she’s afraid.”

Dimitri nodded, his expression thoughtful. “We’ll need to be careful with her. Earn her trust. Show her that she’s safe with us.”

“And if the OMA has a problem with that, they can suck it. I’d like to see them try to take her from us.” Marco’s hands curled into fists at his sides, already prepared for a fight.

“One thing at a time,” Dimitri interjected, though the fire in his eyes betrayed his own steadfast resolve to keep our girl where she belonged—here with us. “Right now, Kitania is our priority. We need to make sure she’s okay, and that she knows we’ll never let anyone hurt her again.”

I turned back to the sleeping woman, studying the delicate curves of her face, committing every detail to memory. It had only been an hour, and yet, it had only taken one interaction to know that beneath her timid exterior lay a strong spirit. A soul that refused to be broken, no matter how many times the world tried to shatter her.

And now, she was ours to protect. Ours to love. The missing piece we hadn’t truly believed was out there.

“Surely Chaddrick Hurst will understand that we’re scent matches,” I surmised. The CEO of the OMA had been gratefulfor our help in recovering the purchased Omegas. “He wouldn’t insist we return her, would he?”

Dimitri appeared thoughtful. “He strikes me as a reasonable man. Given that we’re a registered pack in their system, we’ll explain that we’re scent matches and make it clear our intent is to court Kitania. I highly doubt after everything that has happened, he’d stand in our way. He owes us this much.”

I nodded to my older brother. As his second in command, I knew he valued my opinion. “Make the call.”

KITANIA

My eyelashes fluttered against my cheeks as the sweet hold of sleep began to release its grasp. Strange voices floated in and out, but I didn’t want to wake up. Everything smelled nice here, safely cocooned within my dream.

I’d learned long ago that sleep was the only place that brought sweet relief. But those voices sounded... concerned. Worried, even. They dragged me closer to the surface, inch by clawing inch. Reality crept in. The aches and pains in my body, which had been so distant earlier, were now bothersome and uncomfortable.

I squeezed my eyes tighter, trying to swim back down, because I knew when I opened them, when I was awake, bad things would happen.

They always did.

The Valentino brothers were cruel and vindictive. They enjoyed my pain and misery, often inflicting as much as they could to bring me to the brink of begging for death.

An uncontrollable shiver racked me.

No matter how brave I tried to be, I knew I couldn’t take much more.

A whimper slipped up my throat and the room beyond went utterly silent.

I froze, as still as a glacier, refusing to even breathe.

A deep voice spoke at the same moment the cushion beneath me dipped. “You’re safe, Kitania. We got you out. You’re safe.”

The sentiment was followed by the lightest touch on my arm. Reassuring and gentle. Though the man’s voice was oddly familiar and his words comforting, I flinched instinctively from the contact. It took a few moments for it all to sink in.

Safe?

Everything came flooding back to me then. The men. The rescue.

My heart thundered as I ripped my eyes open, needing to see for myself. The world had infinitely changed. Gone were the grungy walls and the bed with old sheets. I was lying on a couch as soft as a cloud, surrounded by men I didn’t know but instantly recognized as my saviors. They stood near the sofa, all staring down at me with varying expressions of concern.

Their faces were bathed in warm light that felt inviting instead of violating. Steadying myself, I glanced around, taking in the vast room before me. Everything I saw was pure luxury, from the massive TV on the wall to the tall windows opposite me that let in a stunning view of the glowing cityscape spread out below. Far,farbelow.

Where am I?

---