Page 38 of Knot So Sweet

Damn him.

My mouth parted, the sharp retort I wanted to throw back stuck in my throat. I was never speechless, but now? Now, I had nothing. His words, his promise, the raw desire simmering just beneath the surface—it was all too much.

Too real. And also hid his own pain. One I caused him. I could see it still lingering in the depths of his eyes.

The front door banged open, and lemon curled around me—sharp, bitter. My stomach lurched into my throat, the sour tang of it making bile rise.

I knew that smell.

Travis Knight.

The alpha I swore I'd kill if I ever saw his face again. The alpha who, along with his friends, taunted me for months, circling like vultures, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

"Hello,sweet tart. Did you miss me?" His voice slithered over my skin, thick like oil, settling deep into the cracks I thought I’d sealed long ago. It twisted around my heart, squeezing the breath from my lungs, forcing me back to a time I swore I’d buried.

To the girl I once was.

The one who had her innocence ripped away. The girl who shattered into a thousand jagged pieces, the day he decided she was nothing more than a challenge to be won.

Why? Because I perfumed for the first time at a high school party and Travis decided to take what he wanted.

The memory clawed its way to the surface, tearing through the fragile walls I’d built. I remember the way Travis’s eyes gleamed, the way his friends laughed as if it were some kind of sick joke. They circled me like predators, alphas drunk on the power of scent, while I stood frozen in fear.

My scent had made me his prey.

I can still feel his hands on me. That moment when my world collapsed, when the fear consumed everything. I sucked in a shaky breath, my pulse pounding in my ears, pulling me back to the present, to the scent of bitter lemon that now smothered the room.

I could barely breathe.

My vision blurred, emotions crashing into me with the force of a storm.

Rage.

Fear.

Humiliation.

All tangled together, swirling like a whirlpool I couldn’t escape.

Ghost’s arms tightened around me, grounding me for a moment, but nothing could drown out the memory of that day. Of what Travis had done to me.

But more than that—Of what I’d done to survive since then.

Chapter 17

Candi

Six Years Ago

My heart pounded inmy chest like a drum, each beat echoing in my ears as I ran, legs burning with every desperate stride. I couldn't let them catch me. I knew what happened to omegas like me, and I refused to become just another statistic.

Why did I have to perfume at a party?The question spiraled in my mind, mixing with the dread that gripped my throat. It wasn’t fair. I just wanted to feel normal, to belong, but now all I felt was terror sinking its icy claws into me.

A howl pierced the night, followed by cruel, taunting laughter that sent a chill racing down my spine. The Hounds. Jordan and Dare were out there, hunting me.

Their laughter was a twisted symphony with my panic, as if this was all a game to them. If they caught me, they’d drag me back to that room where my innocence lay shattered, a trophy for their sick amusement.

Another howl. Another taunt meant to terrify me.

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