Page 213 of Knot Unwanted: Part One

I ease away from Hailey carefully, but she still makes a distressed sound that tears at something in my chest. Jax is there instantly, his hand replacing mine on her waist. “Shh, little omega. You’re safe.”

The hot water is a blessing on my aching muscles, though I have to keep my injured arm away from the spray. Blood swirlsdown the drain, but the memories aren’t so easily washed away. The crack of gunfire. Finn’s snarl of defiance. How close we came to losing everything.

When I return to the bedroom, the scene before me stops me in my tracks. Jax has moved to sit on the edge of the bed, one hand buried in Finn’s hair while the other still rests possessively on Hailey’s thigh. He’s frowning at the dark bruising around Finn’s eye, his thumb tracing gentle patterns on his temple.

“You know,” Jax says without looking up, “some packs go their whole lives without finding even one omega that accepts them. And here we are, blessed with two of the most beautiful, fiercest ones I’ve ever known.”

The truth of his words settles something in my chest. These areouromegas.Ourpack. The primal part of me that’s been screaming for blood since the attack finally quiets a little.

It’s the doorbell’s soft chime that breaks the moment. Jax tenses, but then relaxes slightly. “Must be Dr. Greene,” he murmurs, though his hand doesn’t leave Hailey’s thigh.

I move toward the door, every protective instinct firing as I head downstairs. It’s fucking carnage. The house Finn turned into a home for all of us is destroyed. His plants are shattered, leaving soil, broken branches and leaves in the hall. And there’s splintered wood and glass everywhere. Not to mention the doors hanging off their hinges. Fuck. My chest tightens at the thought of him waking and seeing all this in morning light. I can’t let him face it.

The moment I open the door, Dr. Greene takes in my defensive posture with knowing eyes.

“At ease, alpha,” she says softly, medical bag in hand. “Though given what Jax told me over the phone, I understand the caution.” Her gaze tracks to my bandaged arm. “That needs proper attention first.”

“The omegas—” I start, but she cuts me off with a look that brooks no argument. I almost smile. You’d think she’s got alpha genes by the way she acts.

“Will be better served by an alpha who isn’t at risk of infection.” Her eyes sweep the destruction visible in the foyer. “Though I understand your reluctance to leave them.”

“We go to them,” I say, already turning toward the stairs. It’s not a question.

She follows without protest, her footsteps unsteady as she avoids the debris. The climb makes my arm throb, but I ignore it. When we reach the bedroom doorway, Dr. Greene’s clinical gaze takes in the scene—Jax standing guard, our omegas curled together on the bed.

She settles her bag on the nightstand and gestures for me to sit on the edge of the mattress. Her hands are gentle as she unwraps the hasty bandaging job Hailey had done earlier.

“Who bandaged this?” Her gaze flicks to mine.

“Hailey.”

“She did well with this,” Dr. Greene murmurs, examining the wound. “Clean entry and exit, minimal tissue damage. You’re lucky.”

Lucky. The word tastes bitter. Lucky would have been preventing this entirely. Lucky would have been keeping our pack safe.

“Stone.” Dr. Greene’s voice pulls me from my dark thoughts. “This isn’t your fault.”

Before I can respond, Hailey stirs on the bed, a small distressed sound escaping her. Jax murmurs something soothing, but her eyes flutter open anyway, immediately seeking me out. When she spots Dr. Greene working on my arm, she tries to sit up.

“I should help—” she starts, but Jax’s gentle grip keeps her in place.

“You’ve done more than enough, little warrior,” he says, the pride in his voice unmistakable. “Let the doctor work.”

Dr. Greene’s eyes warm as she watches the interaction. “These two,” she says quietly, nodding toward our omegas while she works on my arm, “they fought?”

“Like they were born to it,” I confirm, unable to keep the fierce pride from my voice. “Finn took down an alpha with a baseball bat. And Hailey…” I trail off.

“Wielded a toilet tank lid,” Jax supplies.

Dr. Greene’s eyes widen. “At an alpha?”

Jax grunts, chin lifting. “Yup.”

Dr. Greene’s hands still for a moment, and something like confusion crosses her features. “Well. That’s…that’s impressive.” She returns to cleaning my wound, but her eyes keep darting to our omegas. “Most omegas would have frozen. Fight or flight usually defaults to flight, especially against alphas.”

“Not our two,” I say, and the possessive growl in my voice makes Hailey’s eyes find mine again. Even exhausted, even traumatized, there’s still a spark of pride in her eyes that she deserves.

“Still,” Dr. Greene says, applying a fresh bandage, “they’ll need watching. Adrenaline crash can hit hard, especially in omegas. The hormonal fallout can be severe.”

---