Page 3 of Knot Made to Break: Part One

I took the reprieve and huddled up against the headboard once more, wishing, not for the first time, that I could become part of the wood itself and disappear.

The tension between the two Alphas was electric, sparks ready to ignite into an inferno of aggression at any moment.

Antonio’s gaze swept over me, his expression unreadable as he addressed his brother. “You know this ismytime with her. Leave us.”

Rocco opened his mouth as if to protest, then seemed to think better of it. With a final glare at Antonio, he brushed past him and out the door, slamming it behind him hard enough to rattle the walls.

Alone together, the silence stretched unbearably as Antonio studied me with that dark, penetrating stare. His presence was suffocating, like he commanded all the air in the room, saving it for himself.

“Your scent has been growing stronger,micia,” he finally rumbled, prowling closer. The pet name dripped like venom from his lips. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

Instinctively, I tucked myself into a tighter ball. My mouth was as dry as the desert, my voice failing me under the crushing weight of his dominance. All I could do was shake my head mutely.

A low, displeased rumble vibrated deep in his chest. “Use your words,” he barked, forcing the answer out of me with the onslaught of Alpha authority he infused into his tone.

Omegas couldn’t resist an Alpha bark. The need to obey was compulsive and unavoidable, a reed bending in the wind. It didn’t matter how much that reed wanted to be an oak, to stand tall and unyielding against the gale. A reed would always be a reed, and I’d never resented anything more in the entire world.

Swallowing hard, I forced out a trembling whisper, “N-No… Alpha…”

“Good Omega.” Rough, calloused fingers grazed my jaw, tilting my chin up to meet his penetrating stare. “Don’t fret,micia. We’ll take good care of you.”

The endearment, whispered so gently in contrast to the horrifying promise in his eyes, made me tremble. Antonio might not have the same penchant for dark desires that his brothers Rocco or Vincent did, but that didn’t make him any less violent. His softer tone and more confident demeanor drew you in, but they were facades. An alluring mask that hid the controlling, savage monster beneath.

A monster that would surely do his best to destroy me.

So far, I’d survived, but if they bred me, I knew there’d be nothing left of me but an empty, soulless husk, vacant, devoid of anything beyond a heartbeat.

I squeezed my eyes shut against the bleak reality, trying desperately to conjure my usual dreams of rescue. But those fantasies were fading, becoming tattered remnants with each passing day, losing their color, their vibrancy.

I had to come to terms with the fact that no one was coming to save me from this nightmare.

I was alone.

Unloved.

Forgotten by the outside world.

Once upon a time, I’d thought my designation would finally offer me the protection and love I’d always hoped for, but all it had done was paint a target on my back.

Antonio moved to the bed, shrugging off his suit jacket before sitting on the mattress. It dipped, and I listed toward him before scrambling away. His dark chuckle turned the blood in my veins to ice.

“Stop,” he barked, and my muscles froze involuntarily.

A whine slipped up my throat.

He smelled like old cigarettes and damp paper, and the stench of him nearly choked me as his hand landed heavily on my ankle.

Fear gnawed at the edges of my mind, a ravenous beast desperate for sustenance, feeding on my anguish. But I refused to cower, refused to give him the satisfaction. I jutted my chin upward, letting him see my fortitude, my steely resolve.

I might be battered and bruised, littered with scars from their sadistic games. I might be beaten down, stripped of dignity. I might be powerless, a plaything for their twisted desires.

But I wasn’t broken. Not completely.

A flicker of defiance still burned within me. That stubborn will to survive no matter how they tried to snuff it out. I clung to it with everything I had.

I met that glacial gaze of Antonio’s head-on. The cruel tilt of his mouth and the hunger in those blue depths promised pain and domination.

A shudder rippled through me, but I didn’t flinch as his calloused hand cupped my jaw, his touch hard and unyielding. He leaned in, his lips grazing my ear, causing the bile in my stomach to churn.

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