Page 48 of Knot So Sweet

I swallowed the urge to hit back, to lash out, but the betrayal was festering in me like poison. Someone in this room was feeding the Hounds information, putting Candice in danger, putting everyone at risk. I couldn’t afford to lose anyone else. Couldn’t afford to lose her.

The knot of protectiveness inside me tightened even more. The thought of Candice falling into the wrong hands, of someone hurting her… it clawed at me, gnawed at my control. She wasn’t just an omega I felt obligated to protect. She was mine, and I’ddiebefore I let anything happen to her.

Losing Chaos had already taken a piece of me I couldn’t get back, and now this? The Hounds wanted to tear us down, destroy us piece by fucking piece, and someone from the inside was feeding them the ammo.

I glanced at Lenny, one of the many kids we’d taken in over the years. He came here when he was seventeen. His mother was one of the Hound's many victims. Lenny was pouring drinks, pretending not to hear, but I caught the quick glance he threw our way.

Gears slammed his fist on the bar, leaning in so close I could smell the smoke on his breath. "They want a fight, Viper, and they’re pushing us. You gonna sit here and keep drinking like a damn coward, or are you gonna do something about it? Or do I have to?"

I shot him a look that could cut through steel. "Get the fuck out of my face, Gears," I growled, my voice low and dangerous. "I don’t care if you’re my VP, or my old man’s best friend. You will show me some goddamn respect."

Gears didn’t back down. "I’ll show you respect when you prove you can protect the people in this club."

The room went deathly quiet. Every head turned. He was pushing me, and I knew why. I knew the loss of his son was making him see red. But he needed to remember who was in charge.

Slowly, I stood, bringing us eye level, the tension between us crackling like a live wire. My voice dropped to a deadly calm. "Back. The fuck. Off. Now."

Gears held my gaze, his eyes dark with frustration and something close to rage. The kind of rage that made a man dangerous if left unchecked. The entire room felt the weight of it, the tension palpable as the rest of the guys sat frozen, watching the standoff. A few murmurs floated in the background, but no one moved. No one dared.

He took a step closer, shoulders squared, his breath coming out in harsh exhales, but I didn’t flinch. Didn’t give him the satisfaction. Gears wasn’t just mad—he was hurt.

We all were. This wasn’t just a fuck-up; it was betrayal. A gut punch from someone on the inside, and that wound cut deep, deeper than he’d admit. But his anger wouldn’t get us anywhere. Mine barely kept me standing as it was. Just the thought that someone in my club betraying me put everyone at risk.

Including Candice and I would kill anyone who hurt her.

Chapter 21

Viper

"You think you canjust bark orders, pretend you’ve got this all figured out?" His voice was a harsh whisper. "Look around, Viper. This club isn’t your playground. It’s bleeding out right in front of you."

His words struck something raw, but I kept my face neutral. The walls I’d built over the years didn’t allow cracks, especially not now. Gears needed to see strength. The others needed to see a leader, not someone who’d buckle under pressure.

"I see it," I said, my voice low, a lethal edge to every syllable. "And I’ll handle it."

"How?" He practically spat the question, and I could see the veins in his neck pulsing as he gritted his teeth. "Another failed run. The Hounds are laughing at us. The antidote’s gone, Viper. If Heat gets into the wrong hands—"

"I fucking know what’s at stake!" I roared, my voice echoing through the room like a thunderclap. Everyone fell silent again, and I could feel all their eyes on me, waiting for my next move.

"You think I don’t know Heat is already in the wrong hands? You think I’m not bleeding with every single one of my club? Honor. Protection. Loyalty. That’s what we stand for as Serpents, and that antidote was our leg up in this fucked-up war for power. So don’t you dare stand there and tell me I don’t know what’s at risk."

For a moment, Gears looked like he was going to say something, his lips parting, but he swallowed it down. The weight of my words hung between us, heavy, dark, and full of unspoken truths.

I wasn’t just their president; I was one of them. One of the many suffering from the same losses, the same betrayal, the same goddamn heartbreak that came with this life.

"You’re pissed. I get it," I said, lowering my voice, but keeping the steel in my tone. "But lashing out? Calling me weak? That’s not gonna solve shit. We need to find the mole, lock down ourassets, and strike back. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Now. Before the Hounds think we’re just rolling over."

Gears stared at me for a long beat, the war in his head playing out in the set of his jaw and the flicker of his eyes. He wanted to challenge me, to push harder. But even he knew this wasn’t the time for it. Not when our entire operation was hanging by a thread.

Not when this very conversation could be reported back to our enemy.

Finally, he stepped back, his shoulders sagging just a fraction. He didn’t apologize—he never would—but the rage had dimmed enough to let some semblance of rational thought through.

"What’s the plan, then?" His voice was gruff, like it had taken every ounce of control to ask that without adding more fire to the flames.

I took a deep breath, my gaze sweeping over the room. All eyes were still on me. The pressure to lead, to make the right call, was a heavy weight I carried every day, but this moment felt different. It felt like everything hinged on what came next.

"We go after the mole first," I said, scanning the faces of the men who had been with me through every fight, every blood-soaked night. "Whoever betrayed us, we will make an example out of them. They’ll pay. No one does this to us and walks away clean."

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