Page 256 of Knot Unwanted: Part One

The path grows steeper, the ground slick with moss and damp earth. I stumble over a root, catching myself on my hands and knees in the dirt. My palms sting, and I bite back a curse as I push myself up again, my determination outweighing the discomfort.

Just a little farther.

And then, finally, I see it.

The cabin.

The first place that signaled my salvation.

It’s tucked into that same small clearing, its dark silhouette almost blending into the forest around it. A faint light glows in one of the windows, barely visible.

Ren.

I stop at the edge of the clearing, my breath hitching.

I can’t see him, but I know he’s there. The faint light in the window is enough to tell me that much.

For a moment, I hesitate, my feet rooted to the ground as I stare at the cabin. What am I even doing here? What am I hoping to achieve?

I take a hesitant step forward, the cabin looming larger now, the faint glow from the window casting long shadows across the clearing.But just as I near the edge of the clearing, the sharp crack of a twig snapping beneath my foot cuts through the quiet night like a gunshot.

The sound freezes me in place, my breath stopping in my nose. For a moment, there’s only silence—the kind that feels too loud, too heavy, as if the whole forest is holding its breath.

Come on, you can do this.

I take another step forward when the world suddenly gets snapped backward. Before I can react, a strong arm wraps around my waist, pulling me back against a hard, unyielding chest.

I gasp, my pulse spiking as I struggle instinctively, but the grip is firm, unrelenting.

“What thefuckare you doing out here?” Ren’s voice is low, rough, and filled with disbelief.

The tension in his body is unmistakable, the heat of him radiating through the thin fabric of my sweater. He doesn’t release me right away, his arm holding me flush against him as if he’s not entirely convinced I’m real.

“I—” My voice falters, my mind scrambling to catch up. “I followed you.”

He curses under his breath, his grip loosening slightly but still firm enough to keep me in place. “I didn’t think you would…” His voice trails off before he tightens his hold for one last second, then abruptly lets me go as if realizing what he’s doing.

I stumble slightly, but his hands are on my arms immediately, steadying me. His touch lingers for a moment before he steps back, his broad frame still towering over me.

“Fuck,” he mutters again, running a hand through his hair as he looks me over. It’s grown out. The dark curls wild and untamed. “You shouldn’t be out here. It’s not safe.”

“I—I had to find you,” I say quickly, my voice trembling, but something else pushes through me. Through my fear and my resignations and the lingering Academy training. Determination. “Ihadto talk to you.”

He stares at me, his expression unreadable, but there’s something in his eyes—something sharp and conflicted—that makes my chest tighten.

“You shouldn’t have followed me,” he says, his voice quieter now, though no less tense. His gaze flicks to my bare feet, his jaw tightening. “Look at you. You’re freezing.”

“I’m fine,” I start to say, but he cuts me off with another curse, shaking his head as if he can’t believe this is happening.

“No, you’re not,” he snaps, scooping me up into his arms as if I weigh nothing.

“Ren—”

“Quiet,” he growls, his tone leaving no room for argument.

The warmth of him is startling against the chill of the night, his scent—that soothing sandalwood is still threaded with smoke. It wraps around me as he carries me toward the cabin, his strides long and purposeful.

“Fuck. You shouldn’t be out here,” he mutters again, more to himself than to me. “What the fuck were you thinking? You could have fallen or gotten hurt.”

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