Page 40 of Knot Unwanted: Part One

Stone nods, still not moving closer. “Yeah, just need a quick shower and I’ll be ready to go.”

I busy myself with cleaning up, but I can feel his eyes on me. Can he tell I know? Can he smell my pain, my confusion, my fear?

“You’ll all be late tonight?” I ask the counter, not turning around.

“Yeah,” Jax answers after a pause. “Probably very late. I know…” he pauses. “I know it’s asking a lot, Finn. So…don’t wait up.”

Don’t wait up. Like I haven’t spent countless nights doing exactly that, watching the clock tick past midnight, wondering where they go. What they do. Who they’re with.

But now I know. Or at least, I think I do.

The cabin.

The pieces are coming into place like a fucking puzzle. The missing food. The late nights. The mysterious project. Stone’s early morning run and late-night treks through the woods. They’ve been taking care of her, feeding her, visiting her. All of them. Not just Stone.

My hands shake as I wash the plates, listening to them move around behind me. Quiet conversations about work, about schedules, about everything except what matters. Everything except the truth.

When Stone returns from his shower, dressed and ready to go, I feel like something being held together by cello tape and glue.

“Finn?” Stone’s voice, closer than expected. I tense but don’t turn. “Thanks for breakfast.”

I nod, not trusting my voice. He lingers for a moment, like he wants to say more, but then Jax calls from the hallway and he’s gone.

The house falls silent as they leave, the front door closing with a final click. My neck tingles where Jax almost touched me during breakfast. He does that sometimes—hand lifting like he means to cup my nape, to scent me, before dropping away. Those almost-touches hurt worse than no touch at all.

Standing at the sink, I stare out the window at the woods beyond our property. At the path I know leads to the cabin.

I need to know. Need to see for myself. Need to understand why they’re hiding her, why they’re lying, why they can’t just tell me they’ve found someone better.

The cabin. That’s where I’ll find my answers.

That’s where I’ll findher.

My reflection in the window looks pale, determined. Scared. But I’ve been scared before. Been broken before. What’s one more crack in an already shattered heart?

I dry my hands slowly, mind already mapping out the paththrough the woods. I’ll wait until they’re gone, until I’m sure they won’t come back for something forgotten. Then I’ll go.

Then I’ll know.

Then maybe this ache in my chest will make sense.

Or maybe it will just hurt more.

Either way, I need to know. Need to understand why my alphas are sneaking around, why they’re lying, why they can’t look me in the eye anymore.

Need to know what makes her so special that they’d risk everything we have.

Need to know what makes her scent so perfect that even I…

I close my eyes, steadying myself against the counter. The morning sun streams through the window, warming my face, but inside I feel cold. Hollow.

Soon, I tell myself. Soon I’ll know.

Soon I’ll understand why they’re choosing her over me.

I stare at the path leading into the woods for a long time before my feet finally move. The morning dew still clings to the grass, dampening my sneakers as I cross the yard. Each step feels heavier than the last, like my body knows what my heart isn’t ready to accept.

The forest welcomes me with familiar sounds—birds calling their morning songs, leaves rustling in the gentle breeze, twigs snapping beneath my feet. I used to love coming out here with my alphas. When they’d chase me through the trees until one of them eventually caught me and…

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