Page 13 of Knot Happening

I climb out of the booth and head back to the pass-through window to grab his pancakes. Keeping my focus on the ground while I walk them back over, I place the plate in front of him and scurry to the bathroom.

This feels a little weird. Why is he here? In this diner, of all places, right now. Stalking me seems a little on the nose. I knowthat sometimes when an Alpha catches the scent of an Omega that they like, they can become a little obsessed. But my scent is muted because of my meds. At best, he probably is only getting little whiffs of it. Which shouldn’t be enough to make him lose his marbles.

I don’t use scent blocking sprays, so maybe his sniffer is supercharged? His own scent is a lot more overwhelming now. It wasn’t before.

I shake off the thought. Declan doesn’t seem like the type that wants to attract less attention. If anything, I would expect him to wear scent enhancing lotions.

My blown pupils snag my attention as I meet my icy gaze in the mirror. I refuse to let this man get to me. I splash some water on my cheeks, fix my messy bun, and straighten my apron. One Alpha is not going to screw with my head this much. It’s got to be a coincidence.

When I return to the table, the plate is cleared of food, and there’s a stack of money under the edge. Enough to cover the bill and then some. After cashing out his bill, he left me a two hundred dollar tip.

He’s trying to flash his wealth. Lure me in with cash.

Tatum: If you’re trying to buy your way between my legs, two hundred isn’t going to cut it. Think bigger. I have a mother to take care of after all, and recently discovered my taste for expensive shoes.

I walk back into the employee break room and toss my phone back into my locker, choosing to ignore it the rest of my shift. I’m mildly annoyed that he thinks money is what will sway me, rather than his personality. The shoes felt like a flirty gesture, but the cash?

Shit, maybe I’m just insecure about looking desperate for money, and overreacted? Damn Alpha fucking my head in.

I don’t know if I like his behavior or find it sketchy, but it’s entertaining. It’s hard not to enjoy the novel experience of being pursued by this man. The promise he’s making without words. He can show me a world I’ve never seen before.

But what happens when he loses interest? He’ll ditch me, and leave me a broken shell. I've put myself back together once before, and I refuse to have to do it again.

Chapter Six

Kodiak

He’s taunting me. This much is obvious, I just can’t figure out why. Or who he is!

It’s maddening.

He scent marks every trap I set, leaving behind rich chocolate brownies each time. We’re unmated Alphas. The scent can send us into a rut if we’re not careful.

If we don’t catch him soon, I might finally lose my fucking mind. At first, I thought he was trying to flirt with me. His intentions are less clear now.

He’s fucking with us. Fucking with our legit business as well as meddling in our less than legal business.

If I understood why, I could stop him. But even as good as we are, he’s better. Something that enrages me to admit.

We have a lot of enemies. The list is so long that even though I’ve spent the last few months narrowing it down, I haven’t fucking figured out why the hell an Omega would be after us.

An Omega!

We save Omegas… We killed our father for the sake of an Omega. Partly, anyway.

Why the shit would one be trying to kill us? Destroy us?

It makes no fucking sense.

Hayden is saying something about getting the Betas to walk the property when we leave out the back door when my arm snaps out, and my palm catches him across the chest.

We’re in the parking lot at Haze, about to head to the pawn shop. But something is off. Not right.

“If she applies, we have to give her the job,” Hayden urges, but I have no idea who he’s talking about.

“Shhh,” I hiss, as I tilt my head to listen. I don’t hear anything, so we move forward. We’re about four feet from the Jeep when I hear a click. I know that sound. Where do I know that sound? Oh fuck. I grab my brother by the back of his neck, and drag him away.

“Uh, rude. I need to be somewhere–” I neither care nor have time to tell him to shut the fuck up when I’m tackling him to the ground. Asphalt digs into my elbows, gravel embeds itself under my skin, but I hardly feel it as I brace…

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