Page 250 of Knot Unwanted: Part One

The implications are clear. Someone is doing this…cutting off their business connections. Someone with enough influence to reach multiple high-profile clients simultaneously.

Someone like the Academy.

Carol appears with a fresh round of drinks that none of us ordered, her smile strained as she sets them down. “On the house,” she says, her eyes darting meaningfully to the note still lying on the table. “You folks enjoying your evening?”

“We were just leaving,” Jax says smoothly, standing with a casual grace that belies the tension I can see in the set of his shoulders.

Carol nods once, almost imperceptibly. “The side exit might be less…crowded,” she murmurs, tilting her head toward a hallway marked with a dim exit sign. “Just a suggestion.”

As we gather our things, my heart pounds against my ribs, a sickening understanding settling in my gut. This isn’t random. This isn’t coincidence. The Academy—they’re behind this. They have to be. And they’re targeting Finn, targeting all of us, because of me.

I watch them as we hurry toward the exit—Stone’s protective stance, Jax’s watchful eyes, Finn’s quiet determination. They’re all so focused on keeping each other safe, on staying together. Theyhave no idea what’s running through my mind right now; the weight of the decision crystallizing in my chest.

If it comes down to it, if this escalates the way I fear it will, I know what I’ll have to do. The Academy wants me? Fine.

I’ll walk right back into their clutches if that’s what it takes to keep my family safe.

The thought should terrify me. Instead, it fills me with a strange calm.

A certainty.

I’ll do it.

I’ll do anything for them.

Chapter 57

Hailey

Morning light streams through bulletproof glass, casting strange shadows across the kitchen floor. It’s been three days since the restaurant incident, and I’m starting to notice the little ways our lives have shifted. The constant soft beep of the security system. The way Stone checks his phone more frequently. How Jax’s eyes constantly scan the perimeter whenever we’re near windows.

But there are other changes too—ones that make my chest warm despite everything.

Like now, watching Finn water his plants in the early morning light. He moves with purpose, checking each leaf, each stem, as if reconciling these perfect replacements with the memories of their predecessors. Sometimes his hand lingers on a particular plant, his expression distant, and I know he’s thinking of Ren.

A quiet footfall behind me announces Jax’s presence before I see him. He moves to stand beside me at the counter, his body radiating warmth in the cool morning air. It’s only after he’s been there a moment that I realize something: I hadn’t tensed when he approached. Hadn’t felt that instinctive spike of fear that used to come with an alpha’s presence.

The observation settles in my chest, quiet but significant. A year ago—even a month ago—this simple moment would have been impossible. But here I am, comfortable in their kitchen, watching my mate tend his garden while an alpha stands peacefully at my side.

I catch Jax’s eye and offer a small smile, which he returns. He doesn’t comment on the change, doesn’t need to. This is how it’s meant to be. I don’t need to be afraid. I’m getting better every day.

I open my mouth to say something but before I can, Stone appears in the doorway, his phone pressed to his ear. His expression is tight, controlled, but I catch the tension in his jaw. “Yes, I understand… No, that won’t be necessary… I appreciate your concern, but—” He cuts off, listening, and his scent shifts subtly—pine tinged with something sharper.

Another client canceling, probably. They’ve been steady over the past few days, each one citing vague reasons. They—neither he nor Jax—have ever experienced anything quite like this in their many years of doing business.

As the phone call ends, Stone’s gaze meets Jax’s. They have a silent conversation before Stone’s shoulders sag. “We’ve gotta go all in on that Burlington merger. Otherwise…” He doesn’t finish his sentence, instead shutting his mouth and clenching his jaw.

“The gala…” Jax offers.

Stone shrugs. “It’s either that or leave everything up to chance at this point.”

Another moment passes between them, one in which I can almost feel the air fill with tension.

Their business is suffering…and it’s all because I came into their life. I’m sure of it.

“Hailey.” Jax’s voice is careful. “I wanted to ask you something about…before.”

My stomach tightens, but I nod. We’ve been through this dance over the past three days—gentle questions about my time at theAcademy, trying to piece together anything that might help them track it down.

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