Page 25 of Knot All That Glitters: Part 2

“Little mouse,” a voice hisses right behind my ear. It should startle me, make me jump with its unexpectedness, but I can’t make myself react normally. It’s like all of my emotions, my reactions, are muted. Which also means that when I turn to look up at him, to see his face that I know somewhere deep down I probably still love, I actually feel... Nothing. Just mild annoyance.

Probably the only good thing about being as drugged up as my father has me. I don’t feel the absolute agony of their betrayal. I know I should, I just…don’t.

My mouth curls into the Frederick Bell approved smile, the fake one. “Mr. Calloway. Lovely of you to make it.” Polite and to the point. I’m aware I don’t sound like myself, my voice taking on the detached, dreamy quality everyone else at this party has received.

It’s the drugs in my system, I know that.

Hale frowns, those icy blue eyes of his running over me like he’s trying to figure out why I’m not throwing myself at him. But that can’t really be a surprise, can it? Not after what he did to me. What they did to me.

He reaches for me, but I’m quick to step back. He cannot touch me. Not here, not ever, and not just because my father told me to keep my distance, but because I don’t want him to. It’s imperative that he doesn’t.

He follows my retreat, but his hand drops to his side. “Baby, please. I need you to come with me. Let us explain-”

I shake my head with that smile still in place. “I can’t go with you.”

“Did Coogan bark at you, angel?” Tic asks, sneaking up behind me. “Did he tell you to behave tonight?”

Hale’s jaw hardens as he looks at me, waiting for my answer. “If he did,” I say slowly, softly, testing the words to make sure they don’t contradict any of the commands. “He also would have barked at me not to tell you, to tell anyone, don’t you think?”

“Fuck, baby girl.” Creed sounds absolutely gutted as he approaches from my right. Feeling cornered, trapped, I glance to the left, already knowing what I’ll find there. Jude lingering, farther away than the others, but still blocking any means of escape.

With no preamble whatsoever, Hale leans close and whispers. “You will disregard any and all commands Brian Coogan has given or will give you in the future.”

Creed hisses at him angrily, but Hale ignores him, eyes focused on me, watching as the commands given to me by my fiancé slough off like dead skin cells.

They all watch me expectantly, like they think I’ll fall apart now that I’m no longer bound by alpha commands. But I don’t. I just keep staring at them with that same fake smile on my face. True, I could let it drop, but I won’t.

The same way I won’t go with them.

“Haven,” Jude says softly, drawing my attention to where he’s still lingering, hands tucked in his pockets. “We’re so fucking sorry. You never should have seen-”

A flare of anger has me snapping at him. “Whether I saw it or not, you were still using me.” The flare dies a quick death and I blow out a breath through my nostrils, actually grateful for thedrug that’s balancing me out, keeping me from feeling too much. If I didn’t have these chemicals thrumming through my veins, I would be a wreck right now. I’d be sobbing, raging, torn between anger and agony.

Instead, I can do this, smile at them like I mean it, like they didn’t destroy me. “I’m sorry,” I say and all of them jerk like they hadn’t expected me to say that. “I shouldn’t have raised my voice.”

Behind Jude, I see Brian motioning at me angrily. It’s tempting to ignore him, but if I do, he’ll know something’s up and he’s been just as vocal about punishing Ren if I fuck up as my father has been, so I nod at him to let him know I’m coming. “Thank you so much for coming, gentlemen.” I say, weaving between the small space Jude’s stance has allowed. “It’s been a delight to see you again. If you’ll excuse me, my fiancé is looking for me.”

I think I must startle them because they don’t stop me as I hurry by Jude and stride toward Brian, chin tipped down so I don’t have to see the flare of victory in his eye, the undoubtedly cocky smirk I’m sure he’s throwing their way.

If it wasn’t for the threat hanging over Ren, I would flash Brian the finger and keep walking right on by him, straight to the microphone set up for my father to give a speech later congratulating the two of us. It must be for him. I can’t imagine anyone else standing up there.

If I wasn’t certain that my father would retaliate against Ren, I’d happily announce the wedding is off and then go on my merry way.

But that’s not my life.

It never has been, and it never will be. My life will always be to spend it under the thumb of an alpha, diminished, small. A mouse.

Chapter 9

Better For You or Better for Her?

“The command worked, right?” Jude says, sounding confused as hell. “You freed her from Coogan?”

Hale’s jaw ticks as he nods. “Yeah, it worked. She’s not under his control.”

“So then why-”

“Because we fucked her up too badly for her to trust us,” Creed spits out. “We did this to her. We broke her.”

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