Page 202 of Knot Unwanted: Part One

“The scent trail was clear,” Jax replies, his voice carrying a tension I’ve never heard before. “Right where she must have climbed over. They’ve been studying our property line.”

The world suddenly comes into focus, sleep and exhaustion forgotten. The Academy. They’re talking about the Academy. Ice spreads through my veins as I push myself up, straining to hear more.

“And what’s this about a car?” Finn asks. “The one Dr. Greene mentioned?”

There’s a pause, followed by the sound of footsteps pacing. “Black sedan,” Stone says. “Tinted windows. Claimed they had a flat tire, but when we went to check…”

“Nothing,” Jax finishes. “They were gone. Just like when they pulled up to the house before that.”

My heart pounds against my ribs so hard it hurts. The room suddenly feels too small, the shadows in the corners too deep. They’re here. They’ve found me. The thought I’ve been trying to outrun since I escaped crashes over me like a wave of ice water.

The Academy has come to get me. And I was sold…I…I belong to them.

“We need to increase security,” Stone continues. “Camera coverage on the entire perimeter. Motion sensors. The works.”

“And Ren?” Finn’s voice carries an edge I’ve never heard before. “He needs to know.”

“Already called him,” Jax says. “He’s gone radio silent.”

The pacing stops. “They’re watching us,” Stone says, his voice dropping lower. “Testing our defenses. Seeing how close they can get.”

“Looking for weaknesses,” Jax adds grimly. “Points of entry.”

“Oh God.” Pacing again. Finn’s voice trembles. “They’re coming for Hailey.”

The certainty in his voice makes my chest constrict painfully. Memories flood back—sterile halls, locked doors, the endless training they claimed was for my own good. The way they’d talk about me like I wasn’t even there, discussing my “lack of potential” and “low value”.

“Over my dead body.” The growl in Stone’s voice should be frightening, but instead, it sends a wave of warmth through my frozen limbs. “The sensors picked up movement near the east fence line last night,” he continues after a moment. “Brief, but…”

“A test,” Jax says. “Seeing if we’d notice.”

I hear Finn let out a heavy breath. “With her pre-heat hitting…It can’t be a coincidence, right? They must have stopped the suppressant so she’d go through this with the perv that bought her. They probably know exactly what’s happening.” More pacing. “Maybe we should leave. Head across the country. My parents still have that cabin out west. Doubt they still go there for mom’s heats. It should be available.”

My fingers twist in the blankets as understanding dawns. Of course. The Academy would know exactly when my suppressants would wear off. They’d designed them, after all. They would have calculated precisely when the withdrawal would hit, when I’d be at my most vulnerable.

“No, we can’t run. They’ll follow. I’m sure of it. At least here, Iknow what to defend. The direction they’ll come from.” Stone lets out a breath. “We’ve already fortified everything. There are no blind spots. No weak points. I’ll know the second anyone sets foot on our property.”

“Okay. Okay.” Finn says lower. It sounds like he’s still pacing. “And we don’t leave her alone. Not for a second.”

The protectiveness in their voices makes my throat tight. They barely know me. I’ve brought nothing but chaos into their lives. Yet here they are, planning to defend me against an enemy they don’t fully understand.

ButIknow the enemy. I’ve lived under their command for six whole years.

“They won’t stop,” I whisper into the darkness, though they can’t hear me. “They won’t ever stop.”

They’re coming for me. And this time, they won’t just lock me away. This time, they’ll make sure I can never escape again.

The thought sends bile rising in my throat. I press my face into a pillow that smells like Stone and Finn, trying to ground myself in their comforting scents, but even that can’t fully chase away the terror that’s taking root in my bones.

Because I know what the Academy is capable of. I’ve heard the lengths they’ll go to, the measures they’ll take to maintain control. Those screams used to follow me into my nightmares. And now I’ve not only escaped, but I’ve found something they never wanted me to have.

A real pack. A family.

They’ll destroy it all.

The voices downstairs grow more intense, plans being laid, strategies discussed. They sound so certain, so determined. But they don’t understand. They can’t know what they’re really up against.

I should run.

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