Page 51 of Break Me Knot

“You scent us the same way we scent you. That’s how we know what you need,” Zane says.

“But...” I struggle to reconcile the mix of emotions crashing inside me with what I've been taught. “That's not... I was told...” The words stick in my throat, memories of endless lectures rising unbidden.

“What were you told, Little One?” Adrian prompts gently.

“That alphas will find our scents disgusting. That they should be hidden at all times.” My bitter scent blooms around us and I know they’re going to get a nosefull. “Unless...we’re in heat. Only then it’s allowed.”

A low growl builds in Zane's chest, making me flinch. But his hand remains gentle on my wrist, his thumb still making soothing circles.

“Whoever told you that was wrong,” Adrian says softly. “I’ve already told you we’re mates. Do you remember?”

It’s never far from my mind. I nod, wondering where this is going.

Adrian leans forward as though he wants to touch me, but holds himself back. “We’re not only mates, but we’re scent-matched mates, Little One. We’re true mates.”

How can we be scent-matches? Surely I would know? Surely I would have felt some switch flick on inside me? Everything taught at Haven focused on how to be a good, submissive slave of an omega. There were no classes about omega biology, or about relationships between alphas and omegas, apart from ownership.

How can I trust what he’s saying is true?

I’m so confused. Panic twists my stomach, knot after knot. “No. No, that’s not true. You're lying.”

“Why would we lie about this?” Zane asks gently.

“Because...” I struggle to find words through my fear. “Because if that were true, Cole wouldn't...” I stop, biting my lip hard enough to hurt. If we were truly mates, true scent-matches, surely Cole wouldn't avoid me like I'm poison? He wouldn't run from me. Wouldn't reject me.

They’re manipulating me. Making me feel things I have no right to feel, drilling down to that soft omega center that wants this very thing.

And yet... their scents call to me in ways I can't deny or explain. Maybe Haven did change me. Twisted my biology so I had no option other than to think I want whatever an alpha will dole out.

Their scents billow around me, offering everything I’m starved for, and suddenly I can’t breathe. Black dots edge my vision. I’m heading down a one-way street toward a full-on panic attack and I don’t want them to have to pick me up off the floor.

Pieces of myself are suspended, caught in an unstable truce. Stress lines form, warning of an impending fracture. I need to hold myselftogether so I don’t shatter entirely. I stand up and drop my gaze. Every bone in my body is hypervigilant, tuned in to their movements. Their scents. Their breathing. “May I please be excused?”

I need to get out of here. Need to escape before I get in any deeper, before leaving becomes impossible. Before I start believing in the impossible dream they offer.

“You don’t have to ask, Mira. If you want to do something, then you have every right do it,” Adrian says.

My gaze flies to meet his. His shoulders are stiff and white lines bracket his lips. He’s barely holding himself back and I’m clearly testing his limits. Pushing an alpha is never a good idea.

I’m tearing apart. I need to bare my neck and offer submission. I need to hug him and provide comfort. I need to tell him there’s no use wanting an omega like me. I’m far too damaged to be of use to them. Apart from my heat, where I serve my pussy up on a silver platter, that is. He stares at me, and I swear I can scent his sadness in the air.

I take one step away. He makes no move to stop me. Gives no indication that this is a trick, and before I can help myself, I’m scurrying down the hallway to the bedroom they say is mine.

Without either of them stopping me.

I ruined dinner and there was no punishment. Instead, they looked sad. What’s more, Iknewthey were with all certainty. I sense their emotions, smell it in their scents, and this is far too intimate. A fatal trap for all of us.

I can't stay here. I have to get out but, when I glimpse out the windows, snow is falling in heavy drifts. Plus, I’m too weak to leave yet. Exhaustion dogs my heels. In my state, with only my thin clothes, it would be suicide to try leaving now. The best I can do is stay out of their way. I stumble into the closet and curl up on my blankets, bypassing the soft-cloud bed because that represents a night spent in an alpha’s arms.

The night I wascomfortedandsafe. Where scents called to me even when I didn’t know what they meant and now I know the reason why, everything is worse.

I must remind myself that no matter how perfect it seems, how right it is... I can't stay. But when I tug my blankets over my head, I can’t help but inhale the tantalizing scents that make me want more. That make me want to believe Adrian when he said I’m their scent-match. Their mate.

It would be so easy to run back, fall into their arms, and give in to the overwhelming urge tobelieve,but there is one big gaping hole.

Cole isn’t here.

Cole didn’t want me in heat and that fact is one thing I can trust. He won’t lure me in with soft words, thoughtful actions and false claims. He’ll want me far away from his bond brothers to protect them.

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