Page 19 of Knot So Sweet

Candi

The tension in mymuscles slowly began to ease as Pixie turned his attention to me. "You alright, Candi?" His tone had softened, the threat dissipating along with Gears.

I nodded, rubbing my arm where Gears had gripped me. "I’ve had worse." I shrugged. "Thanks for that. You have fantastic timing. I was about to kick him in the balls if he didn’t let me go," I said sweetly.

"Breaking his nose wasn’t enough?" Pixie cackled, the sound light and oddly reassuring. It was the same energy he had the day we first met. "I was watching the cameras. Saw you pull up and figured I should come make sure you didn’t cause too much trouble."

"I didn’t start shit. Gears—"

"—is an asshole, I know." Pixie’s voice carried more amusement than apology, though there was a hint of understanding beneath it. "But he’s been through a lot. We all have."

I frowned, feeling the weight of his words. "Doesn’t fucking matter. We all go through shit. The next time he touches me, he’ll regret it."

Pixie chuckled softly, though his eyes remained sharp. "Easy, killer. I’m sure he already does."

I grinned, rubbing the soreness in my arm. "Is he always such a dick-wad?"

"Pretty much," Pixie admitted with a shrug. "But he’s got a lot on his plate. Being the VP and all. It’s not exactly an easy job. He takes the club’s safety personally, especially since the Hounds haven’t retaliated yet for what happened at the docks. Everyone's on edge."

My brows shot up in surprise. I knew the MC had been behind that bomb at the docks, but I hadn’t expected anyone to actually talk about it in front of me.

Owen’s deal with the Cromwells resurfaced in my mind, reminding me I still had no idea of the price my brother paid to have them help us.

"What exactly happened at the docks, Pix?" I asked boldly.

He paused, his kind, honey-colored eyes searching mine. For a moment, I thought he wasn’t going to say anything. Not that I blamed him—club business wasn’t something I was privy to.

He knew about Owen’s plans to work with some of the ‘strays,’ as Viper called them. Vaughn had told them as much. I mean, that was when I'd found out too. So Pixie had no reason to tell me anything. Or to trust me. I could easily use this information against them if I wanted to.

Against Viper’s club.

"All Viper wants is Heat out of our city. He heard the stimulant was being smuggled in from Port Angeles, using the docks as a way in. We planned to…" He blew out a breath, his eyes darting around the hallway as we walked.

"Get rid of it," I finished for him.

Pixie nodded, and my heart ached.

"I wish you had been successful. Too many omegas have suffered because of Heat," I admitted, thinking about Kay. About her best friend who had died because of Heat. About Linc and Sean’s mom. Even Creed had been forced by his mother to take that abomination. Too many omegas had been ruined by that drug already.

We walked in silence for a moment, the quiet hanging between us like a shroud before Pixie continued. "Anyways, we didn't know the shipment wasn't the stimulant from Port Angeles and shit went south fast. We lost a brother in the flames. Chaos tried to stop the explosives, but he was too late. He burned along with all of those omegas."

His voice held a weight I hadn’t heard from him before. Gone was the easy-going, tech-savvy Pixie I was used to. In his place stood an alpha who had seen too much, carried too much. The loss etched deep lines in his face.

It made me pause, realizing just how much the MC had sacrificed to try and take Heat off the streets. And just how easilyMichelle manipulated the narrative on the gang violence in our city. Maybe the Serpents weren't as bad as I thought they were.

"I’m sorry about Chaos," I said quietly.

Pixie nodded, but his gaze stayed fixed ahead, distant, as though he was reliving the flames all over again. "Ghost, Gears… they haven’t been the same since Chaos died. Losing him broke something in them. I mean, we’ve all been through hell, but that… that was different. My best friend lost his son that day. And now, Viper thinks helping you open The Den will atone for our mistakes."

I frowned, my heart heavy as I absorbed Pixie's words. "Ghost took it the hardest, though. He’s not a bad alpha, Candi." He paused, meeting my gaze. "Give him a chance. Ghost's just… broken. Chaos was his brother."

My mind spun as I processed this new information. Ghost, Gears, Chaos—they were a family. My heart ached for their loss. I couldn't imagine losing Owen. He was everything to me. The only family I had.

"So Gears is Ghost’s father?" I asked, just to make sure.

Pixie nodded, gesturing for me to follow him as he led me through the clubhouse. "Yeah, and Gears is fiercely loyal to the club, even if he is an asshole. Don’t let him get under your skin."

I wasn’t so sure about that, but I kept my thoughts to myself. "You seem a lot more laid-back than most of the alphas here," I said, giving him a sidelong glance.

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