Page 129 of Seen Knot Heard

Brush cracks behind me, sending me veering off to the side, crashing through a bush to escape.

Keep running. Don’t look back. Just run.

My heartbeat crashes in my ears like waves, almost drowning out the sound of Louie’s angry shout, but I can’t figure out which direction it comes from.

A whimper escapes my lips as I stumble over a protruding root. I catch myself on the rough bark of a tree, splinters piercing my palms. My muscles quiver, aching for rest, but I force myself upright.

The crunch of heavy footfalls behind me grows louder, closer, and terror claws at my throat. I risk a glance over my shoulder, pink hair whipping across my face.

Louie’s broad form crashes through the underbrush, his face twisted in a snarl. His usually perfectly-styled blond hair stands up on end, and bloody scratches mar his cheeks from the chase.

Icy blue eyes lock on me, glinting with triumph. “You can’t run forever, little Omega. And when I catch you?—”

I tear my gaze away, pouring every ounce of energy into my burning legs. Branches slash at my face, leaves catching in my hair. The spongy forest floor sucks at my feet, and my lungs scream for air.

There has to be somewhere to hide?—

“Got you!” Louie’s body slams into my back.

A scream rips from my throat as we crash to the ground in a tangle of limbs, and pain explodes through me as rocks and sticks jab into my flesh.

“No!” I thrash beneath him, desperate to escape. “Get off me!”

Louie captures my wrists with ease, pinning them above my head with one large hand while he grips my jaw with the other. “Stupid little Omega. Did you really think you could escape me?”

Revulsion ripples through me as his eyes rove over my face and body, filled with sick hunger. Possessive. Predatory. I writhe and kick, but it’s useless. He’s too strong. Panic claws at my mind, tears streaming down my face.

This can’t be happening. It can’t end like this.

Someone help me. Please!

He reaches for my underwear, ready to yank it down. “Time to teach you who you belong to, Omega.”

“Let her go!” The roar splits the air, and Louie’s head whips up as a dark blur slams into him, ripping him off of me.

Dominic! My heart leaps as I scramble backward, my chest heaving.

The two Alphas roll across the forest floor in a vicious tangle of fists and snarls. Dominic lands a solid punch to Louie’s face, snapping his head back, and blood spurts from the blond Alpha’s nose.

“She’s mine!” Louie roars, retaliating with a brutal uppercut that sends Dominic reeling.

“No!” I lurch to my feet, leaves sticking to my skin and undergarments.

My body screams in protest, battered and exhausted, but I can’t just watch. I have to help Dominic.

Before I can move, though, Louie slams my childhood friend into a tree with vicious force. His head cracks against the trunk, and he crumples to the ground, unmoving.

“Dominic!” I scream, my voice cracking.

Louie turns to me, breathing hard, blood smeared across his smug face. “I should have done that from the start. So much less work.”

I stumble back, the strap of my bra slipping off my shoulder.

Louie advances on me, each step deliberate, taunting, knowing I can’t escape. I glance wildly at Dominic’s motionless form, begging him to get up. To save me.

But he doesn’t move. Stupid, stupid. I never should have dragged him into this. Now he’s hurt, and it’s all my fault.

“P-please…” My back hits a tree, the rough bark digging into my bare skin. “Don’t do this…”

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