Page 40 of Hard Knot

"Shit," he stammers, taking a stumbling step backward. "I... I didn't know she was associated with the Giovannis. My apologies, Sir. I didn't?—"

"What?" Carter cuts him off, his voice dropping to that deep register I know too well.The lethal vibrations that predetermine a victim’s demise."Do I need to put up a fucking billboard? Maybe take out an ad in the paper?" He takes a step forward, and despite being shorter than his opponent, he seems to loom over him.

The man lets out a nervous laugh, hands raised in surrender.

"No trouble. No trouble at all. Just... just admiring your hot accessory, that's all?—"

Wrong thing to say.

Carter moves like liquid mercury, suddenly in the man's personal space.

The air grows thick with Alpha pheromones – the kind that speak of violence and dominance. Through my drone's feed, I can see others in the shadows either retreating further or freezing in place.

Smart move.

When Carter gets like this, even breathing wrong can get you killed.

"Let me correct that statement," Carter says, his voice so soft it's barely picked up by the phone's microphone. "She's not an accessory. She's not a toy. She's not whatever degrading term your limited vocabulary might come up with next."

He leans closer, and even from my position, I can see the man trembling.

"If I ever hear you refer to my Omega,or any Omega, like that again," Carter continues, each word precise and lethal, "I'llpersonally ensure you never speak another word. Starting by removing that tongue of yours. Slowly."

The man drops into a clumsy half-bow, sweat visible on his forehead.

"Please, let me make it up to you. I can... I can guide you to your destination twenty minutes from here?—"

"And why," Carter interrupts, "would you know where we're going?"

The question hangs in the air like a blade.

If he knows how long it would take for them to get to Elizabeth’s dorm, that means this douche has been following her for a while. Stalking her trail and waiting for the right opportunity to strike.

He thought today would be a good day because she was with another Alpha. Thought he could ride his coattails to get a taste of her.

I suddenly feel this urge to rid this dude of existing on Mother Nature’s fine soil.

The man's trembling increases as Carter leans in close, his lips nearly touching the man's ear. Even through my earpiece, his whisper carries clearly.

"Dare to even LOOK at what's mine, and I will systematically destroy everything you hold dear. I'll do it right in front of you, so you know exactly who's dismantling your pathetic existence. And when I've stripped away every person, possession, and every shred of dignity you have left..."

He pauses, and I watch the man's knees start to buckle.

"I'll take my time slicing that cock of yours into tiny pieces. Feed them to my pet piranhas while you watch. And then, if you manage to apologize properly to my Omega, I might grant you a quick death instead of letting you bleed out."

The man collapses to his knees, actual tears streaming down his face as he begs for mercy. "Please, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I wouldn't have – I never meant?—"

Through my drone's camera, I can see Elizabeth's expression – a mixture of shock and what looks dangerously close to fascination.

Don’t tell me violence and chaos turns her on.

If it does, Carter may have just found our golden match.

Carter straightens, adjusting his cuffs as though he hasn't just reduced a grown man to a sobbing wreck.

"Lucky for you, I'm in an exceptionally good mood today."

The casual way he delivers the reprieve might be more terrifying than the threat itself. I've seen Carter in action enough times to know that his mercy can be more dangerous than his wrath – it leaves survivors to spread the word.

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