Page 144 of Knot Unwanted: Part One

The contrast of our bodies—my bulk against her delicate frame—sparks a wild satisfaction deep in my chest. This close, her scent is intoxicating, pure and sweet. I stiffen my spine just so I don’t lean closer.Think about something horrible. Like lost ducklings or something else heartbreaking.

“Relax,” I murmur, reaching around to cover her hands with mine. But I’m not even sure I’m telling her to relax or myself. “It’s all about finding the rhythm.”

Her fingers are cold against my palms as I guide them through the motions. “Over, under, just like that. Feel how it flows?”

She nods, and I feel some of the tension leave her shoulders. Her head tips back slightly, and that’s when it hits me—what’s happening. She’s letting me touch her. Guide her. No panic, no fear. Just trust.

The realization makes me go completely still, my hands frozen over hers on the shuttle. Finn’s eyes meet mine over her head, and I see my own shock reflected there. This is the closest any of us, me, Jax, or Ren, have been able to get to her without triggering a panic response.

“This is…” Hailey’s voice is soft, contemplative. “Different than I thought it would be.”

“Different good?” Finn asks, tone cautious.

She nods, her fingers flexing slightly under mine. “Less complicated. When you break it down into simple movements like this…”

My scent shifts with possession before I can control it. Hailey inhales sharply, a small sound escaping her throat that makes both Finn and me freeze.

I start to pull away, but another whimper escapes her throat.

“No, please,” she whispers. “Show me again? I think I almost had it.”

I look at Finn, seeking guidance. He gives me a small nod, his own scent weaving between ours.

“Okay,” I say softly, settling back. “Let’s try again. Over and under…”

She relaxes back against me incrementally as we work, each pass of the shuttle more confident than the last. Finn watches us with soft eyes.

“You’re a natural,” he tells her, and her answering smile lights up the room.

The peaceful moment shatters with the bang of the front door. We all startle at the sound of stumbling, followed by a heavy thud in the foyer.

I’m on my feet instantly, protective instincts flaring. But the scent that hits me is familiar—Ren, but wrong. Sour with expensive whiskey and something darker.

The wrongness in Ren’s scent sends ice through my veins, driving back the pleasant haze of arousal that’s been clouding my thoughts all morning. Something has happened. My gaze shifts instinctively to our omegas, the need to shelter them from whatever storm Ren has brought home overwhelming every other thought. The memory of the accident flashes through my mind—another time Ren stumbled home every night with that same haunted look, another time our world tilted on its axis. Whatever has happened, I need to contain it before it can touch what we’ve started to rebuild.

“Stay here,” I tell them, but footsteps behind me indicate neither omega is listening. Finn is at my back and although Hailey hesitates, the soft pads of her feet tell me she is following right behind him. When we round the corner, Ren is sprawled on the floor, trying and failing to push himself up.

“Fuck,” I breathe, dropping to my knees beside him. He reeks of alcohol and his usually immaculate suit is wrinkled, tie askew. “Ren?”

His eyes are unfocused when they find mine, then slide past to where Finn hovers anxiously. “Beautiful,” he slurs. “So beautiful.”

“I’ll get water and the first aid kit,” Finn says, disappearing toward the kitchen.

I haul Ren up, bracing his weight against my chest. He’s freezing—must have walked up the drive in the morning chill. “What happened? I haven’t seen you like this since?—”

“The gala,” Ren interrupts, voice thick. “Remember the gala, Finn? All those years ago?” He’s speaking to empty air—Finn’s still in the kitchen.

Hailey kneels beside us, surprising me by reaching out to brush Ren’s disheveled hair from his face. Her hands are shaking like she’s going through some kind of internal battle, but she doesn’t pull away. She’s fighting whatever it is. If Ren wasn’t being an absolute fuckup right now, I’d have the brain space to marvel at her strength.

“Hadtosaveyou,” Ren continues, words running together. “The moment I saw you there, in that pink suit. Knew I had to save you. They were going to—but I couldn’t let them. Couldn’t let them take you.”

Finn returns with supplies, face pale. “Take me where? Ren, you’re not making sense.”

“My family.” Ren’s laugh is bitter. “Always my family. Been fighting them so long. But you—you were different. So precious. You saw me, Finn, not just some rich alpha bastard.Me. I had…had to protect you. Failed though, didn’t I? The accident…” His voice cracks. “I killed—” I go still, muscles locking as I pray he doesn’t expose everything right here, right now. “I killed us.”

That familiar pain in my chest, that gaping hole in our bond, spasms. For a moment, the world centers only on those words. Finn doesn’t know. He doesn’t know the extent of what happened two years ago. We kept it from him. I’d die before he finds out like this.

“Ren—” I grab him by the collar, but he doesn’t seem to notice.

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