Page 41 of Knot So Sweet

"You’re safe with me, princess. None of them will fucking touch you." She sucked in a sharp breath, her vibrant blue eyes rimmed with coal, looking so vulnerable, so scared. I hated it.

Hated how these men reduced my sassy omega to a shell of herself. Whatever they had done to her, whatever fears they had ignited, I would make sure they paid in blood.

If Chaos were here, he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Hello,sweet tart. Did you miss me?" Travis's dark voice mocked.

Candi stiffened again in my arms, her body going rigid for just a moment before she stepped out of my hold, narrowing her eyes at him. My gaze was intent on the culprit of her fear.

"Travis," she spat, her voice dripping with venom. "I thought I smelled a wet dog."

I flicked my gaze to hers with a smirk.That’s my girl.

"Still feisty, are we, Candi?" the beta beside Jordan chuckled, leaning against the bar with an arrogant grin. Candi shot daggers at Dare, arms folded defiantly across her chest.

"Shut the fuck up, Dare," she shot back, her tone laced with fire. "Always hiding behind your masters. Step the fuck up to meand say it to my face. I'm not theweaklittle omega from high school anymore."

I frowned at that.

She went to school with these strays?

I could only imagine the horrors she must have endured back then. Were they why she refused to bond with a pack? I scanned the two alphas more calculatingly, trying to pinpoint exactly what they did to my girl, so I could punish them for it.

Dare cackled, and my teeth clashed at the irritating sound. "I don't know if I believe you. Let's see if you squirm just like you did back then." He mocked her in a high-pitched voice,"Please stop!"

"Don’t hurt me,"Jordan added, and both Hounds' laughter echoed, cruel and taunting. They were using a memory dredged up to cut her deep.

My blood boiled.

Candi’s face flushed, a mix of anger and humiliation flaring beneath her bravado. I could see her trying to steel herself, the pain of that past threatening to unravel her resolve. I stepped in closer, a protective growl rumbling in my throat.

"Enough," I warned, feeling my fists clench at my sides.

But Dare continued, relishing her discomfort. "What’s the matter? Don’t like the reminder of your weak moments? You think you’ve grown stronger, but we all know the truth. You’re still just a scared littlebitchtrying to play in an alpha’s world."

Says the fucking beta.

Dumbass.

Candi’s expression hardened, fire igniting in her vibrant blue eyes. "I’m no one’s bitch, Dare. Not anymore. You think you can waltz in here and taunt me about the past? You have no idea what I'm capable of."

"Yeah? And what’s that? Hiding behind this slug here?" Travis intervened. "You really think he has any power here?"He gestured dismissively at me, his smirk only growing wider. "You’ll always be at the mercy of the Hounds. Just like your mother was."

Candi stiffened beside me. "Leave," she said, her voice steady, though I could sense the tremor beneath. "I’m not afraid of you or your pathetic threats. You don’t get to dictate my life, Travis."

Pride swelled inside me at how brave she sounded. She was a warrior, and I would make sure she knew it.

"Is that so?" Travis folded his arms, mirroring her stance with an arrogant smirk playing on his lips. I stepped forward, positioning myself between her and the Hounds, ready to defend her against whatever these strays had in mind.

"You think you can protect her,slug? She’s a big girl. She can handle herself."

My blood boiled at the challenge, but I forced myself to remain calm. I wasn’t about to let some stray taunt me. "Get out," I growled.

Travis and Jordan exchanged a look, and Travis nodded before Jordan swaggered toward us. My gaze locked on him as he rounded the opposite end of the bar, reaching under the cash register and lifting up a baseball bat.

The moment he brandished it, a hush fell over the bar, tension crackling in the air. Candi’s breath hitched beside me, and I could feel her anxiety radiating like heat. It reminded me of the first time I had to face the Hounds—when Vaughn lost his mother, Everly. I was twenty, over a decade ago now, and I could still see the pain in his gaze when he told me what Titus had done.

My best friend had never fully recovered since.

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