Page 60 of Knot So Sweet

Instead, I let out a slow breath, forcing my heartbeat to steady. "I’m not one of Viper’s toys," I said evenly, keeping my voice steady despite the way my chest tightened. "And I don’t need advice from someone who clearly hasn’t moved on." I smirked, giving her a once-over.

Why was she in the Doc's office? And she was on a first-name basis with him? Coming in here smelling like Viper—that didn’t sit right with me at all.

Her narrowed eyes flicked over me the same way I did her. "Watch your back," she hissed.

Her heel tapped insistently on the wooden floor, the sound grating on my already frayed nerves. My patience snapped. I slammed the book shut with more force than necessary, the sound echoing in the quiet room, and I turned to face her completely, eyes blazing.

"Watch my back?" I laughed mockingly. "Did Viper grow bored of you, and now you're looking to fill your cunt with Doctor dick?"

I couldn’t understand why she was in Drew's office. I like the beta and I didn't much like this bitch stalking him.

Her eyes narrowed further, and I could see her sizing me up, trying to figure out if I was a threat. I didn’t move, didn’t flinch under her scrutiny. If she wanted to play this game,fine. I’d been through worse than catty blondes with an attitude.

I was best friends with Julia, for fuck's sake.

Chapter 27

Candi

Viper appeared in thedoorway, his presence instantly thickening the air with a suffocating tension. My pulse quickened, my body responding to him instinctively, a sensationI hated, yet couldn’t suppress. His gaze flicked between us, confusion creasing his brows.

"What’s going on?" His eyes lingered on me, searching, before shifting to her. "Tiffany?"

Her name on his lips hit me like a punch to the gut.

Tiffany.

The way he said it, the ease with which it rolled off his tongue, sent a flare of white-hot jealousy ripping through my veins. It was like someone had poured gasoline over the fire already burning inside of me, fueling the inferno of emotions I barely held back.

"Viper! Baby, I missed you!" Tiffany squealed, her voice a high-pitched mockery of sweetness as she flung herself into his arms. Her perfectly manicured claws curled possessively into his cut, her entire body molding to his as though she had a right to him—like she belonged there.

My hands twitched, the urge to rip her off him nearly overpowering, but I held back. I waited for him to peel her off, to throw her aside like the trash she was. But he didn’t.

What the fuck?

My heart thudded in my chest, a sickening rhythm of confusion and rage. Why did I care so damn much? He wasn’t my alpha. He couldn’t be, no matter how much my instincts screamed otherwise.

And yet, that primal part of me, the part buried beneath layers of stubborn pride and fierce independence, wouldn’t listen. I couldn’t extinguish the burn of betrayal that sliced through me, sharp and searing. My stomach churned, twisting into a knot I could barely breathe around.

My mouth moved before I could think, venom pouring out in a voice I barely recognized as mine.

"Fuck you, Viper. You let thisbitchtouch you?" I spat, my words low and lethal, dripping with the acid of jealousy and hurtI refused to acknowledge. My hands balled into fists at my sides, nails biting into my palms as I tried to contain the storm raging inside me.

"You talk about loyalty and trust?" I let out a bitter, incredulous laugh, sharp and jagged with my pain.

Viper’s eyes darkened, the familiar smoldering heat flaring up in them as he tore himself away from Tiffany. He took a step toward me, but I stepped back, the distance between us a barrier I wasn’t ready to cross.

"Candice," he growled, his voice low and warning.

"Don't, 'Candice'me," I snapped, mocking the deep timbre of his voice. My body trembled with the intensity of it all—anger, need, frustration, and something dangerously close to heartbreak.

"This is why I will never fucking trust an alpha." I jabbed a finger toward Tiffany, her blonde curls bouncing as she looked between us in confusion and rage.

His expression hardened, the lines of his jaw tightening as the tension between us thickened, making the air almost impossible to breathe. His eyes were molten, burning with a mix of frustration and desire as he stalked toward me, his body coiled tight with barely restrained control.

"You think I’d choose her over you? Never," he growled, his voice like gravel, rough and unapologetic. The heat in his gaze sent a shiver down my spine, but I refused to let him see how much his words affected me.

Behind him, Tiffany let out a shriek, her perfectly composed mask cracking as she clawed at the back of his cut. "You’re seriously choosing this slut over me, Viper?" Her voice was high and shrill, tinged with disbelief and desperation. "After everything we’ve been through, you’re going to throw me aside for her?"

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