Page 21 of Break Me Knot

Chapter Ten

Mira

The suite Zane leads me to makes my stomach churn into a jagged knot. The room is massive, easily three times the size of my entire apartment. Plush cream carpet stretches wall to wall, so thick my feet sink into it. A huge bed dominates one wall, piled high with pillows in soft blues and grays. The sheets are silk, and I've never seen a mattress so thick.

“This is yours. For as long as you need it,” Zane says.

I hear what he’s not saying. This is mine while my heat keeps me locked on their knots. I clutch my ratty pack tighter, trying to hide how badly I’m shaking. Through an open door, I see a bathroom bigger than any I've everbeen in, with a massive soaking tub, a shower enclosure that could fit four people, and double vanities in gleaming marble.

Another door reveals a walk-in closet larger than my bedroom but it's the closed double doors on the opposite wall that draw my attention. The nest room; it has to be. Every instinct I possess screams to open those doors, to explore, to burrow into whatever soft things lie beyond, but that way lies danger. I clench my teeth, forcing my urges down despite the ache.

“The TV has every streaming service.” Zane gestures to the flatscreen mounted on the wall above a seating area with plush couches.

Every streaming service. As if I belong in a reality where I can afford one streaming service, let alone anything to watch it on. I catch my reflection in one of the many mirrors and have to look away. I'm filthy, my uniform stained with sweat and other things. My hair is tangled, and dark circles under my eyes make me look haunted. Small and broken against all this flawless luxury.

I don’t belong here.

If I were a beta, they wouldn’t look twice at me, but unfortunately fate gave me the magic pussy, able to lure alphas in with one sniff of my omega scent. Go me.

“Let me run you a bath.” Zane walks toward the bathroom. His massive frame makes the space smaller, but he moves carefully, obviously trying not to spook me.

I follow numbly, watching as he fills the tub with steaming water and adds oils that smell of something florally and feminine. “The towels are fresh.” He points to a stack of white fluffy clouds on a heated rack. “And there are robes in the closet.”

The mirror above the double vanity shows the full extent of my displacement, me in my dirty uniform, looking thin and scared, while Zane is reflected behind me, all strength and wealth and alpha certainty.

“I'll leave you to it,” he says gently. “There's a lock on the door. Use it if it makes you feel safer. We'll be right outside if you need anything.”

I want to laugh. Need anything? I need to not be here, surrounded by luxury I don't want under these conditions. Not to fight my omega’s desire to submit to these alphas who smell so perfect.

“Thank you,” I manage instead.

He hesitates at the door. “Mira... you have nothing to worry about here. With us. I promise.”

The door clicks shut behind him and I’m alone in this huge bathroom. The bath steams invitingly, but even its luxury is a trap, like everything here. For the first time in days—weeks maybe—my stomach isn't gnawing with hunger. Cole's soup sits warm and heavy in my belly, almost uncomfortably so. My body isn't used to real food, to second helpings, to the simple luxury of eating until I'm full.

I peel off my uniform, wrinkling my nose at the state of it. Sweat-stained, dirty, reeking of fear and heat pheromones. It falls to the marble floor in a sad heap, and I'm glad to be rid of it.

The water embraces me as I sink into the tub, hot enough to make me gasp, and for a moment, I let the heat soak into my aching muscles. When was the last time I had a proper bath? The communal shower in my building barely managed lukewarm water on good days.

My thoughts drift to Adrian and Zane, to the way they look at me like I'm something precious and worth protecting. Then to Cole, whose disgust is almost comforting in its honesty. At least one of them isn't pretending I belong here.

The heat symptoms have settled somewhat, my exhausted body knowing it can't sustain that level of biological demand. The water helps, soothing my fevered skin, washing away days of grime, fear-sweat and dried slick.

Small mercies.

I hate to admit it, but there's a certain peace in knowing no one can burst through the door here. No Chuck with his “routine inspections,” no desperate alphas following the scent of an unmated omega, no Omega Services officers coming to drag me back to Haven. The door is solid, the lock secure, and three powerful alphas guard an entire penthouse between me and other dangers.

Three alphas who smell perfect. Who look at me like...

My eyes grow heavy, the warm water and full stomach conspiring against my vigilance. The lure to rest is all-consuming. I just want one moment. One singular moment of peace…

The forest closes around us, branches whipping our faces as we run. Emma's blonde hair gleams like a beacon in the darkness, while Leah's ragged panting matches my own. Pine needles and sharp stones tear at our bare feet, but we can't stop. Won't stop. The thin nightgowns Haven provides—white cotton, identical, designed to strip us of individuality—offer no protection against the cold, but fear keeps us warm enough to stay moving.

Every shadow could hide a guard, every rustle someone hunting us. We've been planning this escape for months, waiting, watching for the perfect storm of circumstances: a shift change, a faulty security camera, a moment of carelessness. We acted when it all came together.

Now we're running for our lives. Literally.

We collapse in the shadow of a massive pine, our bodies trembling with exhaustion and terror. Emma's lips are blue, her pale skin almost translucent in the moonlight. Leah's olive skin has turned ashen with fatigue, blood trickling from where thorns have torn her legs. We cling to each other, trying to quiet our panicked breathing.

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