Page 13 of Knot All That Glitters: Part 2

Just do it, I think.Just inject me and then back away to give me room. If he does that, I can make a run for the door. Shrug off his barks and make it to the nurses’ station or the waiting room where Creed might still be waiting. He’ll help me. I know he will.

The door opens and Ren slips in, wearing fresh clothes and looking better for the rest I forced her to get. But she pauses just on the other side of the door, wide eyes taking in the scene, my father holding me down with his hand around my throat, the needle hovering over my arm.

Her lips part and for a moment, I think she’s going to get out a scream, something to let people know that something is wrong. But my father is fast with his commands, he always has been.

“Quiet,” he barks at her, and Ren’s mouth snaps shut as her entire body shudders and her face pales. “Do not say a word. Do not move unless I tell you.”

Ren goes unnaturally still. Her eyes focused on me with anger and fear and hatred. I feel that too. Hatred for my father. I thought I hated him before for what he’s done to me but having him bark at Ren is so much worse. I’d rather he command me a million times over than see my best friend like this.

I hold her gaze as the needle pierces my arm. She whines softly; the command keeping it from being too loud. I try to tellher with my eyes I’ll be okay, that I’ve handled everything he’s ever dished out to me, before I can handle this now too.

Only, I’m not so sure I can.

Not now that I know what life out from under his thumb is like. Still, it’s not like I’m going to risk Ren to defy him.

So I sit quietly while he injects me with god knows what. I don’t fight or cry or scream. I just lay there.

His hand slides from my mouth when the plunger is fully depressed and pats my cheek. “Good girl. Now you’re going to come home with me with no argument, aren’t you?” Ren whines again, making him snarl. “If you argue, I’ll take my displeasure out on Florence. You wouldn’t want that, would you?”

I shake my head jerkily, fear making my muscles tense, making my chest constrict.

He straightens and glares down at me. “I should have used her to keep you in line before. You’re much more willing to do as I say if it’s your friend who will bear the consequences, aren’t you?”

Another jerky nod. Absolutely, I am. I can’t bear the thought of Florence being hurt because of me. I can’t bear the thought of her being his puppet, but that is exactly what will happen if I don’t do as he says.

My best friend mouths my name soundlessly, tears streaking her pale golden cheeks. I think she’d shake her head at me if she could, but he told her not to move.

“Good.” My father turns his attention to Ren. “Go get a wheelchair.She won’t be able to stay awake soon, let alone walk.” She turns to do as he says, and he seems to realize he needs to give her more to keep her in line. “Do not speak to anyone about anything else beyond getting a wheelchair. Do not show in any way that there is anything wrong. Do not warn anyone that I am taking her.”

I watch as Ren’s shoulders slump under the weight of his commands. Watch as she shrinks in on herself. When he’s satisfied, he lets her go, turning his attention back to me. I grit my teeth and make myself follow his commands, not wanting him to know that I don’t have to. Not when Ren is coming back any minute and he can take his anger out on her.

Thanks to Hale, I’m protected from his dominance. Ren is not.

My body feels heavy again. My head is woozy. That should concern me. When I’m fully dressed and standing, he barks, “take these,” and holds four white pills to my mouth. Pills I recognize as suppressants. But I’ve only ever taken the recommended two pill dosage.

I don’t think doubling up is a good idea, but again, I don’t have the luxury of denying him.

“Now, then,” my father says when I’ve swallowed dutifully. “Tell me how you were able to ignore my command.”

I blink up at him, feeling the weight of the drugs he gave me on all of my limbs, on my chest, on my mind. “What?”

“I ordered you not to move, and you did. You were going to throw yourself off the bed to get away from me. How were you able to do that? You’ve never managed it before.”

I don’t want to tell him the truth. Iwon’ttell him the truth. That will end badly for me, for Ren. I’m sure of it. He’d hate knowing he can’t control me any longer, hate knowing his commands slip over my skin like water off a duck’s back. But I have to tell him something, something he’ll believe because if I don’t he’ll just ask Ren when she gets back, and she won’t be able to lie to him, not if he barks at her for the truth.

I have to come up with a good reason.Think, Haven, think!

I lick my lips and try to infuse as much of the truth as I can into my voice. “The Calloway pack,” I start, and his lip curls back at the mere mention of them. “They ordered me to stop takingthe suppressants. I-I thought maybe you’d found a new type. Their alpha barks made me react instinctually.”

That sounds plausible, right? He’ll believe that they would want me to stop taking suppressants around them, that they would order me to like he’s ordered me every day since I presented as an omega to take them.

He glares at me. “So then, why didn’t you fight when I gave you actual suppressants?” He scoffs. “Do you take me for a fool, Haven?”

Yes. A foolish, horrible, evil man.

“You barked at me to take them,” I remind him. “It superseded their order.”

That seems to satisfy him, and he nods after a moment. “Yes, of course.” He’s probably thinking that I’m more likely to submit to his barks than anyone else’s. Seeing as he’s had years to wear down my resistance. He’s thinking I’m a rock, and he’s a sculptor. Each one of his commands slowly chisels away at me until I’m in the shape he wants.

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