Page 77 of Break Me Knot

“We need to talk to Aubrey,” Adrian says finally, his voice grim. “That’s if he’d be allowed to even see us with that pack…”

“Wait.” A memory surfaces of a petite blonde omega at the recent gala. The way she froze when she spotted Mercer is vivid in my mind. “Adrian, remember that omega at the Brynwald Tower gala? The one who practically had a panic attack when Mercer appeared?”

Adrian frowns, his fingers stilling on the keyboard. “You think she might know something?”

“I think anyone who reacts like that to Mercer's presence has a story to tell. But I have no idea which pack she belonged to. They left so quickly after that.”

I move to the door, calling for Elliot. He appears moments later.

“Could you get us the invitation list from the Brynwald Tower gala two weeks ago?” I ask. “We're trying to track down one of the guests.”

“Of course, sir.” Elliot nods, but hesitates. “Was the previous report I compiled... helpful? The one about Haven's early years?”

Something in his voice makes me pause. There's an undertone I can't quite place, an interest that seems too pointed. “It was, but why do you ask?”

His careful expression doesn't change, but something flickers in those sharp blue eyes. “Just ensuring I'm providing adequate assistance. If you need any additional information about Haven's history...”

The offer hangs in the air, too deliberate to be casual. Adrian shrugs noncommittally in Elliot’s direction. As Elliot leaves, I share a look with Adrian. Why would he be so interested in that particular report? In Haven specifically?

“Did that feel off to you?” I ask quietly once Elliot's footsteps fade.

“Maybe but…we’re not exactly giving off normal vibes recently. Let’s see what the guest list reveals but we’d best keep anything else to ourselves.”

Our phones ping simultaneously, the sound sharp in the tense office. I pull mine out, expecting Mira in the group chat, but it's our private alpha chat.

“Holy shit,” I breathe when Cole’s face fills the screen. Cole looks wrecked, his hair disheveled, eyes wild, skin pale. His controlled demeanor is completely shattered. There's a desperation in his expression I've never seen before, not even after Lily.

I clench the phone in my clawed hand, blood pounding in my ears as I listen to his hasty message.

“I fucked up. Mira... she was in the gym, and I... fuck.” He runs a hand through his hair. Sweat gleams on his face and shoulders. He must have been working out when whatever happened went down. “I'm going to tell her everything. About Lily, about why I've been such a fucking coward. But I've scared her off and she... something's wrong. She's extremely upset and...” His words tumble together,panic threading through his usually steady tone. He swallows, stark eyes staring down at the screen. “You need to come back. Now. It's an emergency. She's... there was pain in her eyes, and her scent... just hurry.”

I stare at Adrian, my own concern mirrored in his face. For Cole to lose control like this, to show fear...

Adrian utters one word. “Fuck.”

“Understatement of the year,” I say.

We bolt from Adrian's office, my heart pounding with urgency. The need to get to our omega, to fix whatever's broken, drives every movement. Cole's desperate message plays on repeat in my mind, his uncharacteristic panic feeding my own, but just outside the door I collide full force with Elliot, the impact nearly sending him sprawling. My reflexes kick in, and I catch him before he hits the ground, steadying him with hands that want to be somewhere else entirely.

“Shit, sorry!” He was so close to the door I hadn't seen him. What was he doing hovering there?

“I was just coming to—”

“It's fine,” I cut Elliot off, already moving again. No time for his meticulous explanations. Adrian's already at our private elevator, repeatedly hitting the button as if that will make it arrive faster.

As I sprint through the office, dodging startled employees, something niggles at the back of my mind. Why was Elliot standing so close to Adrian's door? Had he been... listening? But the thought dissolves under more pressing concerns as I reach Adrian.

The elevator seems to take forever to arrive, each second an eternity when our omega needs us. The normal bustle of the office fades to background noise against the pounding of my heart, the urgency of our mission.

“Come on, come on,” Adrian mutters, his scent growing sharper with each passing moment.

The elevator finally arrives with a soft ding too peaceful for our urgency. The ride up is torture. Neither of us speak as we’re consumed with worst-casescenarios. Cole's distressed face haunts me, along with his words about Mira being in pain.

When the doors open to our penthouse, the scent slams into us. Distressed omega. Sugared lilac turned bitter. Sweet, musky, sour. She’s having another heat spike, but she’s also terrified. Cole's leather-pine scent is mixed with hers, heavy with guilt and fear.

Everything inside me snaps into high alert.

Adrian growls, low and dangerous, as he stalks through the penthouse. His eyes have gone dark, his movements predatory. We follow the scent trail. It's everywhere, panic-sharp and wrong, but strongest toward Mira's room. The closer we get to her room, the stronger the wrongness becomes.

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