Page 76 of Break Me Knot

This is everything. I want to keep her, protect her.

Love her.

I want forever with this omega.

Slowly, awareness returns to her face. I smile, unable to help myself. “So good, Sweetness. You did so well.” The words come out tender, possessive, full of promises I vow to keep.

I don’t expect the horror that floods her features as awareness returns to her expression. Her scent turns sharp. She struggles in my grip, and I let her down, immediately missing her warmth the moment she's gone.

Her hand presses against her abdomen, a flash of pain crossing her face before she masks it. Her eyes swim with unshed tears. “I'm so sorry, Cole.”

Before I can respond, before I can tell her how perfect she is, how much I need her, how fucking sorry I am that I treated her with anything less than she deserves, she runs from the gym.

The scent of her distress lingers, mixing with the remnants of her pleasure. Everything in me screams to chase her, to gather her close, to never let her go again.

What just happened?

And how do I fix this when I've only just realized I can't live without her? That flash of pain was something beyond emotional distress, beyond regret. She needs me how she’s always needed me and I was too stubborn to see it.

I’m an idiot, treating Mira as though she’s anything less than perfection. I always see things too late, and this is the biggest mistake of my life.

Mira doesn't take away what happened to Lily. She never will and I should never have expected her to. Adrian and Zane are going to have a field day with me, and I’ll take it because I deserve everything they’re going to throw at me. Mira is too special for any of my crap, not only because she’s our gods-damned scent-matched mate, but because she only deserves the best. Something I haven’t shown her.

Something I need to rectify.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Zane

Adrian's office offers a panoramic view of the city below. We’ve come back to the office after returning from Sophie’s to take care of some business we hadn’t gotten to. Usually, his space is a sanctuary but today, it’s a war room. I slump into one of the leather chairs facing his desk, while Adrian stalks to the windows. His scent is sharp with anger, with protective fury. The tension in his shoulders speaks volumes about his state of mind. My own nature is buried under the weight of what we've learned, replaced by somethinggrimmer.

“Thank fuck Sophie went through Haven before...” I run a hand through my hair, remembering my sister's bright smile, her healthy pack, her beautiful baby. “Before whatever this is started. Her experience is what Haven should be… what it was meant to be.”

Adrian's jaw clenches as he stares out over the city. His reflection in the window shows the darkness in his eyes. “Which makes Mira's situation even more concerning. Why isn't there any record of her time there? Why fake her death? What happened in those years between Sophie's attendance and Mira's disappearance?”

I lean forward, the words tasting like bitter ash on my tongue. “Two car accidents bad enough to take out an alpha pack and beta parents can’t be a coincidence.”

Adrian turns to face me, the muscle at his temple ticking as he grinds his jaw. “Richardson was pushing for omega rights. Sophie said he was implementing progressive programs, teaching omegas to drive, encouraging creative expression...”

“Programs Mercer later dismantled,” Adrian finishes, his scent darkening further. “And now we have Mira, an omega who's terrified of medical procedures, who lacks basic omega education, who was declared dead alongside her parents.”

“What the hell is Mercer doing at Haven? Or more specifically, to Haven's omegas?” I ask, though I'm not sure I want to know the answer. The implications make my stomach turn. “What kind of program produces traumatized omegas?”

“Whatever it is,” Adrian's voice is deadly calm, but his scent betrays his rage, “it surrounds the deaths of two families that we know of and left our omega traumatized enough to hide her identity.”

“There is one person we could contact to see if he could shed some light. Thomas's omega, Aubrey,” I say. “If anyone knows what happened during that transition period, it would be him.”

Adrian immediately opens his laptop, fingers flying over the keys as he accesses Pinnacle's database. I can't sit still anymore, the weight of our discoveries makingme restless. I push up to lean over his shoulder, watching as he navigates through the records. The screen fills with information, and we both freeze.

“What the fuck?” My rain-washed pine scent sharpens with shock. “Aubrey Turns? Not Richardson?”

Adrian scrolls through the file, his scent threading with confusion. “He's been registered with a new pack. The Turns pack.” His voice carries a note of disbelief that matches my own.

“The Turns pack?” My stomach drops. Everyone has heard about the Turns pack. They're one of the most prolific alpha groups in Brynwald. Their influence extends through every level of society, their power undisputed. Axel Turns, their head alpha, isn't just wealthy and powerful; he's the Chief Commissioner of Police. The kind of alpha other alphas fear.

“I've seen them at galas,” I say, remembering the imposing presence of Axel and his pack. The way other alphas give them a wide berth, the way omegas lower their eyes in the pack’s presence. “They've done inspections here at Pinnacle. Axel's not someone you want to cross.” I trail off, remembering how he questioned our more progressive policies. But in all this time, I’ve never seen their omega. Never knew how they were.

Adrian leans back, running a hand through his hair. “How does an omega go from being bonded to Thomas Richardson's progressive pack to being claimed by one of the most conservative, powerful packs in the city?” The question hangs heavy in the air. “Richardson was pushing for omega independence. The Turns pack believes in complete submission.”

---