Page 2 of Knot So Sweet

In the aftermath and smoke, the reality of what we’d just lost settled in.

My brother and all of those captive omegas were dead.

I knew there would be casualties in this war. I just hadn't expected there to be so much innocent blood shed.

The flames licked up the side of the building, hungrily devouring the walls until it was engulfed completely in a blaze of orange and red. The heat was unbearable, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the destruction before me. The fire reflected in my eyes, but the blaze inside me burned hotter. This wasn’t just about protecting the city.

This was personal.

"I'll avenge you, Chaos," I vowed.

Chapter 1

Candi

There was nothing worsethan being forced into a bond. The mere thought made my skin crawl. I’d seen firsthand what happened when a bond wasn’t reciprocated.Analpha turning feral, unpredictable, and dangerous. And the omega trapped in that nightmare shattered almost beyond repair.

I stood in the small kitchen of our loft, fingers gripping the edge of the counter as the early morning light filtered through the thin curtains, casting a soft glow over the cluttered countertops. The scent of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the air, but it did nothing to ease the anxiety gnawing at me. My inner omega was jittery and restless, pacing beneath my skin like it wanted to tear free, to run.

But where the hell could I go?

The Omega Den was still closed. The doors had been shut for months, and without it... I felt exposed. Vulnerable.

I wanted more than anything to reopen The Den, but how could we promise a safe space for omega heats when the world outside was so precarious? Adam Sterling was lurking, his influence spreading like a disease. His golden-boy image to the rest of the city was a lie; I knew what kind of monster he was. I’d seen the aftermath of his bite on someone I cared for. Kaylani’s haunted eyes still kept me awake at night.

Because I could be next.

Breaking a bond with a feral alpha was near impossible. The only way out was through blood—one of them had to die. Rescinding the bond wasn’t enough.

I shuddered, gripping the counter harder, wishing it would ground me. I couldn’t let him do that to Kay, or to me. I refused to become some possession, trapped in an endless cycle of fear.

I would never be owned. Would never return his bite. The thought made me sick. My stomach churned, and I pressed a hand to my abdomen, willing the nausea away. My heat was coming. The thought of it made my throat tighten with panic.

My heat had always been manageable at the Den. I would choose a beta to ride it out with, safely inside the walls of ourclub. But now, I couldn’t even open it. Between my brother's pack and myself, we couldn't guarantee these omegas safety anymore. The city has gotten too far out of control.

I sighed, snapping the rubber band on my wrist, hoping to fend off the rising unease. It was a lousy replacement for the sharp sting of a blade, but it was the best I could do.

I hadn’t cut myself in months, the longest stretch since high school. Every day the temptation clawed at me, harder and harder to resist.

Bleed my pain.

Suppressants crossed my mind, as they always did when desperation hit. But the last time I took one, I felt like a shell of myself—emotions dulled, instincts buried under a thick fog. It was like living half a life, like wading through the world in a body I had only the most tenuous control of.

And if there’s one thing I hated, it was losing control. The mere thought made me shudder. I couldn’t afford to lose it now, not with Adam still circling like a vulture.

"Maybe I should just stock up on ice packs and chocolate, and ride it out alone," I muttered, imagining myself buried under a mountain of blankets with nothing but Netflix and snacks to keep me company.

Or I could invite someone to Netflix and chill.

I snorted. But who would I chill with? The thought of a knot spread warmth to my core, an unwanted reminder of what my body craved, even if my mind rejected it.

Yeah, like that was going to happen.

The idea of riding it out alone didn’t exactly scream fun, but what other choice did I have? I wasn’t about to risk venturing out in the city. Not with Michelle Sterling’s eyes always watching, not when her son was still hunting for me.

Adam had forced his bite on Kaylani, my brother’s omega. Tied himself to her when she was in the throes of her heat, toofar gone to fight him off. She didn’t reciprocate it and he went feral.

That sick bastard nearly killed her in retaliation, blaming her for his own broken bond. He would do the same to me if given the chance, bite me just like he’d done to Kay.

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