Page 92 of Hard Knot

This could all be fake…

He could just be using you for their reform goals.

This…all of this is getting too overstimulating.

"He was my dance partner," I say carefully. "Before...everything."

"Just a dance partner?"

I meet his gaze steadily.

"Does it matter?"

"Yes," he says simply. "Because I don't share what's mine with dance partners."

The possessiveness in his voice should probably bother me, but instead, it sends a shiver down my spine. I try to ignore it and even roll my eyes at his overprotectiveness, deciding I should remind him of the factors in place when it comes to “us”.

"I'm not yours yet," I remind him, though the words taste bitter. "Holmes?—"

"Holmes will come around," Carter cuts me off, his hand coming up to cup my face. "And even if he doesn't..." He pauses, something dark and determined crossing his features. "I didn't spend ten years building an empire just to let someone else's stubbornness cost me what I want."

The intensity in his voice makes it hard for me to dare breathe as our gaze feels so overwhelming, that I could drown in its scrutiny.

"And what do you want?" My voice comes out like barely a whisper.

His answer is immediate and absolute:

"You."

Harsh Realities For A Forgotten Omega

~ELIZABETH~

Carter's grip on my hand is almost painful as he pulls me through the crowded hallway, but I don't complain. His fingers are warm against mine, protective rather than possessive after our encounter with James.

Which I’m still reminiscing over.

It’s obvious we’ve changed as individuals. Five years went by, when we took our separate routes, even if it seemed forced, but I can’t regret my decision to leave that world behind.

Remaining would have simply encouraged that open wound to rot, decay, and leave me on a path straight to death.

I don’t know how he feels about seeing me again, but the reality is, we’ll be walking different paths here. He’ll continue along his as an Alpha who needs to find an Omega that best suits him, while I’ll have to find a pack that can keep me around long enough to be deemed “worthy” at this forbidden sanctuary of burdens and outcasts.

The whispers follow us like shadows as fellow students who’ve recognized me for my reputable “Forgotten Omega” status see the very obvious Alpha bringing me along to who knows where.

"Is that Giovanni?"

"With the Forgotten One?"

"No way..."

"I heard she..."

I guess some would know who Carter is.

In fact, it dawns on me now, that here at Knot Academy, it doesn’t matter if you’re an ex-convict, an assassin, or a mafia drug lord. You’re protected by default, meaning you can’t be arrested, charged, or haunted within these walls. It’s usually why we have different sections because each wing at Knot Academy carries its own set of dangers.

Hard Knot is exactly that.

---