Page 4 of Knot Made to Break: Part One

“All you have to do is surrender willingly,micia, and I’ll be gentle,” he promised, then chuckled when I, too, refused to yield. “Have it your way. I’m going to enjoy making you beg for mercy, Omega.” Every word dripped with menace.

I waited for the infamous bark that demanded my obedience once more.

More tears leaked from my eyes as I fought to gather and protect the last scraps of resilience I possessed.

As Antonio’s fingers dug into my skin hard enough to leave more marks, I retreated into myself, grasping that numbness that had become my only refuge. I let my mind drift to my happylittle fantasy where I was loved and had a pack, a home, and a family.

Sinking into the vision, I let it wash over me, protecting me like a shield. Here, in the recesses of my mind, no one could hurt me.

Just like I had every other night of my captivity, I’d survive this night, promising myself that if I held on just a little longer, somehow, someway, my dreams might just come true.

one

DIMITRI

“You sure thisis the right place, D?” Marco’s voice sliced through the silence as our car rolled up to the dilapidated safe-house.

I clenched my jaw, eyes narrowed on the crumbling building beyond the windshield. The iron fence was rusted to shit, the peeling paint on the exterior of the house giving the place an ominous aura.

“I’m certain. I’ve had Nick and Enzo stalking the Valentinos for weeks and I trust their intel. This is the place.”

Marco nodded and rounded the block again, looking for a discreet place to park.

“What’s her name again?” Giovanni questioned, his gaze riveted on our surroundings. Scanning. Always assessing the danger level.

I flicked open the latest file, sent to us by our friends in the Jacobs pack.

We’d made the Alphas’ acquaintance a few months ago when they, along with the men in the Maverick pack, saved our sister, Julia, from some sadistic bastards who were running an underground Omega trafficking ring. The men of Pack Jacobs and Pack Maverick didn’t mind getting their hands dirty to solve a problem, and we all quickly became friends.

Now, we were repaying our debt by helping them rescue the Omegas who had been sold in those auctions weeks or even months before Julia had been kidnapped and almost sold.

This was our fourth rescue mission in the last three weeks, but I had a sinking feeling it would be the worst one yet.

The unfortunate Omega, who was raised across the state in Kipper Valley, had been taken directly from her dorm, stolen right off the campus of her local Omega Matching Agency. A place that should’ve been a haven.

Instead, she’d been kidnapped, drugged, caged, and sold off to a bunch of sadistic assholes.

Just the thought of what this woman had endured made me see fucking red.

I swallowed, pushing down the rage, promising myself vindication was coming soon.

“Her name is Kitania,” I told my brothers.

“That’s pretty.” Tommas, the youngest of us, smirked.

“Don’t be your normal dickish self. The poor thing is bound to be traumatized, like the others. She was auctioned off nearlyeightmonths ago.” Which meant the woman had undoubtedly survived endless horrors.

“Fuck.” Marco scrubbed a hand down his face.

“My sentiments exactly.”

All four of us knew how ruthless the monsters in the Valentino family could be. They were our rivals for a reason. Dealing in drugs, illegal weapons, and running a ring of gambling dens, the low budget gangsters had been a problemsince they cropped up in Westin, the town bordering ours. They’d done nothing but cause problems, drawing unnecessary attention to themselves, leaving their dead in the streets and propagating violence instead of carefully honed control over their city.

It was messy and barbaric, a far cry from the way my family operated.

Now they were pushing in on our territory, trying to flush us out. It was laughable, really, but their numerous failed attempts were getting…inconvenient. Our family, the Cristenellos, had ruled Silver City, New York for generations, and we weren’t about to cede our territory just because some imbeciles decided they wanted in on our turf.

We might not be on the upside of the law by any fucking means, but at least, in our own way, we were loyal, honorable men. We owned our sins, took care of our own, and gave back where we could.

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