Page 31 of Knot Happening

“You don’t even know me anymore, Hayden.” I shake my head as his blue eyes hold mine hostage. “I don’t know you anymore either. How can you love someone you don’t know?”

“I do know you.”

“How could you! You left me three years ago! Gah!” His insistence pisses me off. How fucking sure he is… “I haven’t fucked any Alphas, recently…” I add, not wanting him to know he’s the only one. “But I would have… I want to,” I growl, crossing my arms over my chest, unsure if I’m trying to hurt him or just push him away. He nods, accepting that. Which is just so fucking infuriating. If he confessed the same? He’d already be a lump of Alpha gasping for air on the ground.

“It’s okay, Tatum. Lots of Omegas have more than one bond. Packs form and take in a single Omega all the time. I’d share you with another Alpha, so long as they deserve you. Treat you well.”

“I didn’t say bond, I said fuck,” I snap, wanting him to lose control, to feel a little of the pain I’m feeling. What's that saying? When they go low, I go to hell? That’s me.

“Okay, that's okay.” The way he says those words, shaking his head, I’m not sure if they’re meant for me, or if he’s trying to convince himself that he’s okay with me fucking any random Alpha. The audacity of this fuck.

“How is that okay? If you so much as smell like another Omega walked too close to you, I’d not only never speak to you again, but there's a good chance I’d fucking murder you both!” I shout, my fists clench as the thought makes me see red and Hayden smirks that stupid sexy smirk of his, flashing the dimples that have gotten him out of trouble more often than they should have. I could choke him right now.

“So you do care.” He wiggles his eyebrows at me, and I nearly detonate from the violence that's rattling my rib cage.

“Fuck off,” I growl, spinning away from him. Fuck the bike, I’ll walk home.

“Tatum, wait. I’m sorry.” I don’t stop, but that doesn’t matter to the two hundred and fifty pound Alpha. He just scoops my five-foot four, one hundred and thirty pound ass off my feet and stomps his husky butt back to his truck.

“This is just not fair! You can’t just pick me up when I decide I’m done speaking to you!” I complain, but he just chuckles. How long is a murder sentence? Surely it can’t be as bad as suffering through his fucking smirk!

“I disagree. I think this is very effective.” He carts me over to the passenger side, and basically tosses me into the car. I wait until he’s on his side, then open the door to hop out. He’s faster though, and jumps into the driver's side, and grabs me by the arm, tugging me back into the seat.

“Hayden!”

“Tatum.”

“Ugh!” I stop fighting, dropping back against the seat, and accept that he’s just as determined to keep me in this car as I am to escape it. He’s bigger, stronger, and I’m fucking tired. My heart, my mind. I’m just…so fucking tired.

“I haven’t been with anyone else. You already knew you weren’t my first, but… You’ll be my last,” he says it softly, as he starts pulling out of the parking lot. I’m shocked, and a little skeptical.

“No one at all, or you just haven’t knotted anyone else? And why are you even telling me?” I cross my arms over my chest, after buckling up.

“It’s getting chilly,” he says, rather than answering me, as he reaches into his back seat. He hands me a massive black hoodie that smells just like him. It matches the one I have stuffed in my bag. Two hoodies for my hoard?

I hesitate, but my instincts don’t give a shit what he did, they’re just glad he’s back. I tug it on, ignoring the way my instincts settle. Yeah, alright, fuck it. Stupid Omega heart.

Fucking Alpha pain in my ass.

“I’ve been with others. Knots…all of it. Three years is a long time.” I try to sound casual. Convincing. I chance a peek at Hayden, but he doesn’t even react. Is he… Is the fuckersmirking!? He doesn’t believe me! “For my second heat, I went to one of those clinics, and let three Alphas fuck me at once. Got knots in my ass and pussy at the same time while the third came down my throat.” I jerk forward as he slams his breaks, but his hand is there across my chest to keep me from hurting myself.

“We both know you’re lying. You cross your fucking fingers when you lie, Tatum!” Hayden lifts my left hand, revealing my little traitor fingers, and I uncross them. “But even if you weren’t, I wouldn’t care. You could have taken five hundred knots, and it would change nothing. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. I fucked up. I really fucked up, but I’m not walking away again.”

“You can’t say that. Don’t make promises you can’t keep, because three years ago you said you’d be mine forever, and then you ghosted me. I had to find out from your fucking girlfriend that you were ‘No longer friends with such a fucking loser!’” I finger quote his then girlfriend's words. “And she bragged about your piercing, and the size of your weak ass knot for weeks! So don’t tell me you haven’t been with anyone since me! You never intended to see me again! The only reason you’re back now is that you got a job at the same club!” Hot, angry tears spill down my cheeks, and I consider how much strength would be required to murder him with my bare hands.

“Who?” he throws his hands up, “I didn’t date anyone!” He’s turned his body fully into me and is looking at me like I’m insane. I scoff.

“Matilda! You had your noodle arm wrapped around her neck that first day back!” I snap, swiping at the tears, no longer bothering to hold them in. I’m too pissed.

“What! She… I didn’t… She asked for a picture with the fucking quarterback for the yearbook! I wasn’t… I never dated her. I never even fucking kissed her! Compared to you, she smelled like boiled hot dogs. No other Omega’s scent evencompares to yours. You think I’d be able to suffer through that? No.” Now he scoffs like I’m the crazy one!

“This is stupid! And pointless. I don’t care what you did, or who you did any of it with. Just take me home,” I grumble, over this entire conversation. There’s a part of me that wants to believe him. But another part of me, buried deeper, it’s claws digging into my soul, whispers that every word is a lie, just so he can hurt me all over again.

“No. Not until you believe me.”

“Fine, I believe you. Now, take. Me. Home. And stop talking. Your voice is agitating.” Another lie, but I make sure my fingers aren’t crossed this time. The truth is that every word he says is dragging me closer and closer to the edge of falling for him again, and that's not something I can do. Not ever again.

“I’m keeping the bike. I know your schedule. I’ll give you a ride from now on. If you don’t like it, then I’ll toss you over my shoulder and fucking carry you into work every day.”

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