Page 88 of Knot Unwanted: Part One

Beside me, Ren makes a sound low in his throat. When I glance at him, his hands are clenched into fists, that earlier rage seeping back into his eyes. Why that simple statement has suddenly put him from zero back to one hundred is lost on me.

“You’re not being greedy,” Finn says firmly. “You’re eating what your body needs. Here, sit down.”

The scrape of a bar stool. A longer pause.

“Isn’t…” She seems to hesitate before continuing. “Isn’t the cheese expensive? I don’t want you getting in trouble…”

Finn snorts a laugh. “It’s just cheese. It’s fine.”

There’s silence, and I wish I could make my presence known and look in on them.

“I used to…” Her voice is still barely above a whisper. “At home, before…before everything. I would sometimes make toast with cheese when Ma was…when she was busy. But I had to be careful not to use too much. She said cheese was expensive and I was already eating more than a proper girl should.”

The growl that escapes me is involuntary. Jax’s hand lands on my shoulder, grip painfully tight—whether to steady me or himself, I’m not sure.

“And at the Academy?” Finn asks carefully.

Another pause. Longer this time. “We…they had scheduled meals. I tried not to eat all my portions. I didn’t want to upset Widow.”

“Widow?” Finn asks, voice still casual. He’s good. I have to give him that. Our own little investigator. A spark of pride almost makes me puff up my chest. Those true crime shows he likes to watch were coming in handy.

“My alpha trainer. She would get angry.”

“She?” Finn’s voice sharpens slightly, though I doubt she notices. Female alphas are as rare as male omegas—and one is involved in whatever hell this “Academy” is? I file that detail away. It’s another piece to the puzzle, another thread to follow.

“Yes, she…” A small, shaky breath. “She said I was…that I needed to learn control.” The words come out rushed, like she’s ashamed. “So I learned to eat less. To be…better.”

My jaw clenches. A female alpha. An Academy. And systematic starvation of omegas. My mind is already mapping out contacts to call, favors to cash in. Whoever this Widow is, wherever this Academy is hidden—we’ll find it. And when we do…

The sound of Finn’s voice pulls me back from thoughts of violence. “Well,” he says, voice gentle but firm, “Widow was wrong. And I’m making you another sandwich.”

Something shatters in the kitchen—glass or ceramic hitting tile. Finn curses under his breath.

“Sorry, sorry,” he says quickly. “Just knocked over a glass. Here, stay there—I’ll clean it up.”

But we all heard it in his voice. The rage. The horror. The sameemotions churning in my gut as I process what she’s saying. What she’s revealing in those careful, hesitant words.

“I should help,” she says quickly. “I’m good at cleaning up messes. At the Academy, my cell was always spick and span and?—”

“Yourcell?” Finn’s voice gets low before he clears his throat. I can almost see him force a smile onto his face. “You stay right there and eat your sandwiches. All of them.” A pause, then lighter: “And tell me what you think. I need to know if my reputation for perfect grilled cheese is deserved.”

The sound of sweeping. Then a tiny intake of breath that might be her taking a bite.

“Oh,” she breathes, and something in that soft sound makes my throat tight. Like she’s never tasted anything so good. Like simple melted cheese and butter is some kind of miracle.

“Good?” Finn asks, and I can hear the smile in his voice.

“I…yes. It’s…” Another small sound, half pleasure, half distress. “But I shouldn’t…I mean, eating this much is…”

“Come on,” Finn chuckles. “It’s practically in our blood to eat everything tasty, especially during our heats. You must know how important it is to keep our strength up when?—”

The silence that follows is deafening. Even from here, I can smell how her scent changes—confusion mixed with something like shame.

“Hailey?” Finn’s voice has gone careful. “You’ve…you’ve had heats before, right?”

The scent of her distress fills the kitchen.

“Oh! No biggie, that’s okay,” Finn rushes to reassure her. “That’s nothing to worry about. We’ll figure that out later. Right now, this sandwich is calling your name.”

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