Page 98 of Knot All That Glitters: Part 2

“He didn’t say.”

“And it doesn’t matter, because you aren’t going anywhere near him,” Creed growls. I don’t agree with him. He notices. “Haven.” My name is a growl on his lips. “You aren’t going anywhere near him. Especially not alone.”

I take a deep breath through my nose. “I’m not leaving her with him.”

“Of course not, button. We’ll get her out.”

“I could be a distraction,” I tell them. “Go in first and keep him occupied while you come in after.”

“We have no idea what his mental state is, angel. He could drug you again, bark at you again, injure you. He could kidnap you before we can get in.”

I take a deep breath. “He would have to break through Hale’s bark first. Mybondedalpha’s bark. He’d have to get close to me to drug me, and I won’t let him. He doesn’t want me dead. He wants me to help him pretend to be a family man. He wants me under his control. It’ll be ten minutes tops of me being alone with him.”

Creed’s shaking his head frantically while Jude looks sick and Tic has no emotion whatsoever on his face. I can feel their reactions to my suggestion. The visceral need to protect me, to keep me from every dangerous situation, any instance where I might get so much as a paper cut.

I send soothing vibes through the bond and a fair dose of reassurance. “I know your alphas are telling you to protect your omega. My omega is telling me to let you. Believe me, I would like nothing more than to wait on the sidelines while you go in and handle this-”

“Then let us, mouse. Please.”

I shake my head slowly. “I’m not weak. I never have been.”

“That’s not what we’re saying, button. You know we think you’re strong as hell after everything you’ve survived.”

“I can handle my father, can handle being in the same room with him for a few minutes. I’m strong enough to protect myself.”

“You shouldn’t have to, angel. It’s what we’re for.”

“It’s our whole fucking purpose now, baby girl.”

It would be so easy to just let them handle this for me. But I need to be there, need to help Ren. Need to have closure. I’m not sure I’ll be able to fully move on from everything he’s done to me if I don’t witness his downfall firsthand.

“I can go in first, suss out the situation, figure out how much danger Ren is in. I’ll be in contact with you the whole time.” My hand drifts up to touch the space between my breasts where our bonds throb and glow. “If I feel even for one second that I’m in any genuine danger, you’ll know.”

All four of them stare at me and I can tell they want to say no. It’s on the tip of their tongues. “I’ll go whether or not I have your support. You’ll have to bark at me to keep me away.”

Creed gives me a pained look. “You promised, baby girl.”

“So did you. You swore to never bark at me. Are you going to break it now?”

“Hale didn’t promise that shit,” Jude says, sounding pissed off that they didn’t foresee this coming.

“That’s right,” Creed exclaims, latching on to the thought like a drowning man. “He promised he’d only use it to keep you safe.”

The three other alphas stare at their prime like they expect him to just bark at me right this moment to keep me here, in the safety of the house. But Hale’s watching me, weighing his words carefully. And I know he will not bark at me over this.

Steadily, I meet his gaze. “I’m being rational, Hale. I have the best chance of getting in. If the four of you go in with your guns blazing, Ren could be dead like that.” I snap my fingers in front of his face. “I could never live with myself if that happened.”

“We’d never live with ourselves if something happened to you, little mouse.” He scrubs at his face. Blows out a breath through his nostrils. “If you’re doing this-”

“Motherfucker, no!”

“I will fucking end you, Hale.”

“Just bark at her,please.”

Hale ignores Jude and Tic in order to glare at Creed. “Bark at my omega and have her hate me for the rest of our fucking lives? Force her into something against her will, like her father has done repeatedly? What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Creed’s mouth snaps shut and I feel his guilt hit hard and fast. Hale keeps talking, including Jude and Tic, in his stern look. “Haven isn’t our prisoner. She’s not our property. She’s ourpartner. Our equal. If she wants to do this, she’s going to fucking do it. I’d rather she have our support than have her sneak out, like we all know she’s capable of doing and taking on her father alone.”

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