Page 28 of Seen Knot Heard

For a long, agonizing moment, she says nothing. Then her shoulders sag, and she reaches into her pocket to pull out a cell phone.

“You have one minute,” she whispers, pressing it into my trembling hand. “Make it count.”

My heart races as I clutch the phone, the plastic case slick with sweat from my palms. The keypad blurs before me, and I blink to clear my vision. My fingers hover over the numbers, my mind blank.

Who do I call? Grady is gone. The police? Louie probably has some of them bought off. The Misty Pines pack?

I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to focus.

The Alphas. They’re my only hope. Doubt rises, but I push it aside as I pull up their website and punch in the number for Misty Pines, praying that someone, anyone, will answer.

The phone rings once, twice, three times. Each second feels like an eternity, my breath caught in my throat.Please,I beg,please pick up.

A familiar voice comes through the speaker. “Misty Pines Resort. How may I help you?”

Relief crashes over me, so intense that I stifle a sob.

“Kyle,” I rush out, glancing at the door. “It’s Chloe. Can you help me?”

“Chloe?” Surprise sharpens his tone. “Everyone’s been going crazy? Where are you?”

The words tumble out of me. “I’m at the hospital. I don’t have time to explain, but I need someone to come get me right away.”

“Which hospital?” Kyle demands. “What’s the room number?”

I peer up at the nurse. “Where am I?”

She shifts from one foot to the other and wrings her hands. “Mosswood Care Center. Room three-fifteen.”

I relay the information, my voice breaking at the end. “Please hurry. I don’t know how much time I have.”

“Holden and Dominic are already in Mosswood,” Kyle says. “They’ll come right away.”

“Wait!” I rush out before he disconnects. “There’s a guard watching my room.”

“They’ll figure it out,” he reassures me. “Just hang on. Someone will come for you.”

The call ends, and I return the phone with shaking hands. “Thank you.”

She slips it back into her pocket, her expression full of sympathy. “I hope they arrive soon.”

Me, too,I think, sinking back against the pillows.Me, too.

I curl up on my side, pulling the thin hospital blanket around my shoulders. The scent of antiseptic mingles with the lingering traces of Louie’s nauseating pheromones, making my stomach churn. Eyes closing, I try to block out the harsh fluorescent lights and the fear that pulses through me.

Time seems to stretch and distort, each minute an eternity. My ears strain for any sound of footsteps in the hallway, my heart leaping at the slightest noise.

Is it Louie coming back to claim me? Or is it my Alphas?

As the minutes tick by, doubt creeps in, insidious whispers in the back of my mind. What if Kyle can’t reach them? What if they don’t arrive in time? Or what if all my worries prove real, and they don’t care?

Worse yet, what if Louie discovers what I’ve done?

The thought sends a shiver down my spine, and I curl in on myself even tighter.

I wish I had my shamrock necklace. I need all the luck I can get right now.

Instead, I rub my thumb over the inside of my wrist, the steady thrum of my pulse a reminder that I’m still here, still fighting.

---