Page 134 of Knot Unwanted: Part One

—“hold still, omega”—

—cold metal against my spine?—

I’m screaming. I must be screaming, but I can’t hear it over the roaring in my ears. The store dissolves into sterile walls and harsh lighting.

A crack splits the air. The grip on my wrist vanishes. Through the haze, I see Finn standing over the fallen alpha, his knuckles bloodied, chest heaving. He’s never looked less like a stereotypical omega, never looked more fierce.

“Don’t. Touch. Her.” Each word drops like shards of ice.

The alpha touches his bleeding nose, shock warring with rage on his face. The darkness that settles across his features makes some deep-seated fear rise so high within me I can no longer breathe.

He laughs and at his back, his friends move closer. Rolling their shoulders. Cracking the bones in their necks. Other shoppers edge away, and I wish we could, too.

“Hailey.” Finn’s voice breaks through the terror, gentle now. His hands hover near me but don’t touch. “You’re not there. You’re here with us. Can you feel the cart handle? The blanket?”

Stone is suddenly here. I can’t see him but his pine scent hits me, forcing calm even as terror fills my soul. I can feel his presence expanding to fill the space between us.

I’m shaking so hard I can barely stand. The fluorescent lights are too bright, too much like?—

“Look at me, sunshine,” Finn murmurs. “Just at me. Stone’s got everything else handled.”

Behind him, I dimly register Stone’s voice, low and deadly: “Your friend made a very poor choice. Now you all have exactly five seconds to walk away before I make even poorer ones.”

The alpha laughs, but there’s uncertainty in it now. “Hey, just being friendly. You can’t blame a guy for noticing such a rare specimen. A male omega? That’s quite a pet you’ve got there?—”

“You really want to do this?” Stone asks, and there’s something terrible in his calm. “Here? Now?”

“Four of us, one of you,” one of the alpha’s friends calls out. “Maybe learn to share.”

Stone smiles. It’s not a pleasant expression. “Five.”

“You can’t just?—”

“Four.”

They back away, dragging their friend with them. The alpha’s nose is still streaming blood, but his eyes are fixed on Finn with a different kind of expression now. Like he’s never seen anything like him before.

“Breathe with me,” Finn continues, his focus entirely on me despite the tremor in his own hands. “In through your nose, out through your mouth. That’s it. You’re doing so well.”

The older omega appears at his shoulder, her scent warm with concern. “Security’s called,” she says softly. “And my mates will bring your things to the vehicle. Don’t worry about the bill for now. We’ll take your details and you can pay later. Poor dear’s had quite enough shopping for one day.”

I try to focus on their voices, on the present, but the memories keep washing over me in waves. The rough grip of hands I didn’t want on my body. The sharp bite of needles. The endless training, endless submission, and the whip when I’d make a mistake…

“Finn.” Stone’s voice, closer now. “She’s going to collapse. Can I?—?”

“Careful,” Finn warns. “No sudden moves.”

Strong arms wrap around me, but slowly. Stone’s scent envelops me—pine and warmth and safety—as he lifts me against his chest. Not like that other alpha. Safe. Stone is safe. “Close your eyes, sweetheart,” he murmurs. “We’re going home.”

“My hand hurts,” Finn says suddenly, like he’s just noticing. His voice sounds young, almost surprised.

“I know.” Stone’s chest rumbles against my ear as he speaks. “You did good, Finn. Really good. We’ll ice it in the car.”

As they carry me out, I catch fragments of conversation from other shoppers:

“—never seen an omega fight like that?—”

“—did you see how fast he moved?—”

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