Page 193 of Knot Unwanted: Part One

The air between them feels electric, crackling with something, and I realize my own breathing has gone shallow, my body caught in the middle of their intensity.

Stone’s gaze flicks to me briefly, like he’s reminding himself that I’m still here, but his focus quickly returns to Finn.

“We’re a pack,” Stone says firmly, his voice steady but no less intense. “That hasn’t changed.”

Finn doesn’t respond immediately, but the way his hand tightens over Stone’s speaks volumes.

I sit frozen, unsure of what to do or say, and the tension in the room feels like it’s pressing down on me from all sides. My fingers clutch the edge of the shirt, my chest rising and falling as I try to process the sheer weight of the moment.

When Stone finally leans back, his hand slips away from Finn’s as he shifts to his feet. The tension doesn’t break—it lingers, heavyand electric, wrapping itself around the three of us like a binding thread.

He moves toward the doorway and pauses, one hand gripping the frame like he’s steadying himself. His amber eyes are still locked on us, heavy with something primal and unspoken.

Finn clears his throat softly, glancing at me, and his expression shifts just slightly. The sharp edges soften, replaced by something warmer, and his shoulder brushes against mine as he leans closer.

“You’re starting to get it,” Finn murmurs, his voice gentle but sure.

I glance at him, confused. “Get what?”

He smiles faintly, leaning back into the nest. “What it means to be a part of a pack.”

Chapter 45

Hailey

Stone’s voice echoes in my mind all day. “Good.” The single word reverberates through me, a constant hum beneath my skin like the aftershock of a struck bell. I can’t shake it, can’t escape the memory of his heavy, possessive gaze burning into me. Even now, days later, my body responds to that remembered intensity—skin warming, a persistent flutter in my abdomen that refuses to settle.

For three days, it’s been like this.

I find myself watching him, drawn to him like a moth to a flame. My eyes track his every move. He hovers at the edge of the garden while Finn and I work, a silent, watchful presence. Every shift of his body, every adjustment of his stance—I see it all. The breadth of his shoulders, the powerful lines of his body beneath his worn t-shirt, the way his straight chestnut hair curls slightly at his nape…I drink it all in.

The tension in the house has everyone on edge. Every morning, Finn and I scrub ourselves raw with blocker soap, but it hardly matters. The scents still build, layer upon layer, until the air feels thick enough to choke on. At meals, Stone sits beside us, eating in silence, his gaze tracking everything I do. Lifting a glass of water?His eyes are on me. Reaching for a piece of bread? His gaze intensifies. It’s unnerving, exhilarating, and utterly intoxicating.

And Finn… He notices. Of course, he notices. He always does. These past few days, there’s a flicker of heat in his eyes when he looks at Stone, a possessiveness that mirrors Stone’s, but with an edge of challenge. He catches me watching Stone, and a slow smile spreads across his lips, a knowing glint in his eyes. It’s a look that makes my cheeks flush, my core clench with a sudden warmth.

Sometimes I catch him watching me watching Stone, and there’s something in his expression that looks almost like satisfaction. Like he’s witnessing something inevitable unfold, something he’s been waiting for. He’s hurting, but he’s also happy? It all feels so complicated and that realization sends a confusing mix of emotions through me—guilt that I could want anyone besides him after everything he's done for me, but also relief that he doesn’t seem hurt by it. That perhaps, in some way I don’t fully understand yet, my growing awareness of the alphas is exactly what he hoped would happen.

But Stone’s attention isn’t solely on me. His gaze keeps flickering to Fin, too, lingering on him with an intensity that makes the air crackle. It’s a look that speaks of a deep, unspoken connection. It’s in the way Stone’s hand brushes against Finn’s as they reach for the same dish, the way their eyes meet across the table, a silent conversation passing between them. At that moment, I see the raw hunger in Stone’s eyes, a primal urge to pull Finn onto the counter, right there in the kitchen, and fuck him hard. It’s so instinctively clear that the thought sends a delicious shiver down my spine.

Now another day is here, and the persistent ache hasn’t faded. If anything, the pre-heat symptoms are worse. A restless fire beneath my skin that only Finn’s touch seems to soothe. Every night, I end up in the nest, whimpering and needy as he works me through the worst of it. But even that relief is temporary, and part of me fears tonight will be the same—panting and wanting while I beg him to make it better.

As for Finn, he’s sprawled out in the nest, his arm thrown lazily over his face as he sleeps. His steady breathing fills the room, a comforting rhythm that contrasts with the storm of emotions still churning inside me.

I sit up carefully, trying not to disturb him, and glance around the room. The nest feels safe, cozy even, but the weight of all this tension clings to me. I need space to clear my head.

Be brave, I tell myself.

Sliding out of the nest, I tiptoe across the room. Finn doesn’t stir, and I take that as a sign to keep going.

The hallway is quiet, the morning light casting soft shadows on the walls. For a moment, I hesitate, glancing back toward the nest, but then I take a deep breath and step forward.

The house is quiet, my bare footsteps quieter. I pass the wall lined with framed photos and I stop to study them, my fingers brushing lightly over the framed glass.

Here, in all these pictures—Finn, Stone, Jax, and even Ren look happy, relaxed. Finn’s grin is wide and infectious, his arm slung around Jax’s shoulders in one photo. Stone’s expression is softer than I’ve ever seen it, his arm draped protectively around Finn in another. And Jax…Jax is laughing in most of them, his smile bright and mischievous, his energy practically radiating off the pictures. It’s so different from the alpha I’ve come to know him to be.

But it’s Ren who catches my attention the most. His smile in one photo is small, almost shy, and it feels so out of place compared to the cold, intimidating alpha I’ve met.

My chest feels heavy as I stare at the photos. They look so close, so happy.

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