Page 54 of Knot Happening

“What do you mean threat? If that guy was so dangerous, why even let him get to a private room? Why did Hayden even let me walk in there?”

The way he rubs at the bridge of his nose agitates me. As if this conversation is beneath him. “Hayden made a mistake and wasn’t aware of some information that I won’t be sharing with you, either.”

I huff, accepting that this conversation is probably going nowhere. “Okay. Sorry. I shouldn’t have talked back. I just don’t like feeling like everyone is lying to me or hiding something from me.”

“I’m not trying to keep you in the dark to punish you. You’ve done nothing wrong in need of punishment. There are things I can’t tell you for many reasons, and I take the safety of my employees very seriously.”Employee…Ouch. Right. I’m just his employee.

Okay, fair, but also that shouldn’t make me feel so let down.He’s your boss, not your boyfriend, freak, stop lusting after theman.It’s because I’m so lonely. That has to be it. My scent sours, growing stronger, calling out to the nearest Alpha for comfort. To my horror, he senses the shift in my mood, and I jump to my feet to cut off whatever he’s about to say as his look softens. I start to turn, sliding my hand across the edge of the desk, and make my escape before this gets worse. “Thank you, sir.”

“Tatum.”

I pause. I already made it several steps, and when I glance back, I’m not expecting the raw fury I find in his eyes.

“You have no idea how close you were to being in an extremely terrible situation. Hayden’s instincts proved right, and in the future, we can only keep you safe if you listen to us. I don’t want to see anything bad happen to a sweet Omega like you.”

“All that concern, over a simple employee?” I grumble, lifting my chin. He can’t say shit like that after reminding me I’m nothing more than an employee to him.

“Why do you insist on pushing, hmm? You won’t be satisfied until I snap and bend you over my desk, will you?”

The wide-eyed look he gets from me is justified. Because for the fiftieth time tonight…What?“Declan?”

His husky laugh sends a shiver over my skin. “Go on, Little Omega, before you tempt me into something neither of us can walk away from.” He watches me so intently, I can’t help but shiver. I believe him. If I keep pushing, he will act.

I walk away, but there’s a large part of me that wishes I had stayed and pushed him just a little further.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Declan

I spent the rest of my night imagining what it might be like to take Tatum into my arms and show her exactly what she does to me.

She’s stunning and stubborn. Despite all she’s been through, something Kodiak filled in for me, she’s still so full of fire. That sexy little thief. I left the small blue opal pendant on the edge of the desk, just to see if she'd take it. Tag still on it.

It was a test, but I’m not sure if she failed or passed. I’d purchased it for her.

Will she wear it for me? If I tell her I want to see her naked, in nothing but the pendant and Louboutins I bought her, will that ruin whatever magic the thieving gives her?

I growl, just imagining how many things I can gift her, all while she believes she’s stealing them. I pull my phone out and text Kodiak.

Declan: The Little Omega likes to steal things. She’ll return them if she believes they are sentimental. Make them things that are easy to take.

Kodiak: Interesting. And what has she taken from you?

Declan: A pendant. For now.

I drop the phone behind me, and lean back in my seat, letting my eyes fall shut, as the urge to go to Tatum rushes through my veins.

I picture her being here with me, riding my cock as I caress her skin. Gripping those curves…

Fuck, I must be nearing my rut… I need meds. An injection… I don’t have time to deal with the fog of a rut right now. Not only that, but there’s only one Omega I want to rut, and she’s…off limits.

My phone buzzes, and I reach for it, assuming it’s Kodi.

Tatum: So how strict is that no texting rule? Can you not talk to me at all?

Hayden would call it a sign from the universe. That my rut is days away at the most, and the Omega I can’t get out of my head messaged me.

Kodiak would probably call it a trap…if it was any other Omega. I can feel them both in the bond, but their emotions are locked down. I usually keep my end open, unless I need to hide…like now.

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