Page 53 of Knot Made to Break: Part Two

I saw Tommy shift in place, hands curled into fists, his anger barely restrained. The air around him seemed to vibrate with it, hot and electric. Gio didn’t blink. Just stared Alec down like a wolf watching prey dig its own grave.

I wanted to do it. Wanted to step forward, grab him by the throat, and make him pay for selling us out. For endangering my Omega. For nearly getting her killed, not once, buttwice. For daring to insult her in front of us. My fingers itched with the desire, muscles tensing in anticipation. But I didn’t. I stood still. Held the line despite the fury burning through my veins.

Alec’s fate was Emilio’s call. His judgment to pass. His example to set.

My father leaned forward, the old lion finally showing his teeth. The leather of his chair creaked beneath him, the only sound in the room besides Alec’s harsh breathing.

“You’re not worth the air you breathe,” he said quietly. Each word precise, measured, dripping with authority. “No one who’s loyalty sways with the wind is worthy of being a Cristenello. You’re a disgrace to the name. Take him downstairs where we’ll finish this…conversation.”

The silence that followed was a sentence all its own. Heavy and final. Alec’s fate sealed without another word needing to be spoken.

Dario and Nico stepped forward, their movements fluid and practiced. They grabbed Alec under the arms and dragged him toward the door. His knees scraped against the hardwood flooras they hauled him out with force. He didn’t speak, didn’t argue, didn’t fight.

Until the threshold. When he was nearly through the doorway, he twisted suddenly in their grip, looking back over his shoulder. His eyes were wild and gleaming with defiance and something darker. More angry.

“You were too focused on the knife in front of you…” he spat, voice cracking. “You didn’t notice the one already in your back.”

The door slammed behind him, cutting off whatever else he might have said. The echo of it reverberated through the room, through my chest.

And I stared at the empty space where he’d been, every instinct I had flaring to life, a red flag waving in warning.

It was probably nothing. Just a desperate man, saying whatever he could to make himself feel powerful one last time. A pathetic attempt to sow doubt, to shake our foundation before he was removed from it entirely.

Still... the words didn’t sit right. They settled in my gut like stones, heavy and uncomfortable. Another knife? Another traitor? Or was it just a bluff, one final jab before the end?

I glanced at Tommy and Gio, looking for any sign that Alec’s words had affected them too. Tommy’s brow was furrowed, his usual jovial demeanor nowhere to be found. Gio’s face remained impassive, but his jaw was clenched tight enough to crack teeth.

Emilio pushed back from his desk, rising to his full height. He straightened his suit jacket with one smooth motion, gold rings glinting.

“I’ll find out if he’s telling the truth,” he said, eyes fixed on me. “And if he is, his won’t be the only blood spilled before we end this.” He let the sentence hang, heavy yet crystal clear.

If there was another traitor among us, another knife waiting to strike, we would find it. And I would make sure they suffered far worse than the fate Alec faced tonight.

twenty-one

KITANIA

I perched on the couch,cuddling into Marco’s side while fidgeting with the hem of Dimitri’s white button-down that hung loose around my thighs. My bare legs were tucked underneath me as I tried to focus on the book in my lap, failing miserably. The twinkling city beyond the windows looked pretty and peaceful, but inside was anything but. Each minute that ticked by felt like an hour as I waited for my Alphas to return home.

Without all of them here, I was unsettled. The absence of their scents left an emptiness in the air I couldn’t ignore. I’d gotten used to being surrounded by them, and when we weren’t all together, Ifeltit.

Thankfully, Marco was here, or I was pretty sure I’d be going out of my skin. We’d eaten dinner together, played a round of cards, and watched two movies before I’d gone upstairs to soak in the tub. I’d taken extra time to scrub every inch of my skin with the expensive body wash that Gio had bought me, thenwashed my hair before settling into the sudsy water and soaking another hour away.

My hair hung loose around my shoulders now, still slightly damp, the ends curling as they dried. I’d foregone makeup, knowing they—especially Dimitri—preferred me bare-faced.

The choice to wear his shirt hadn’t been conscious exactly. I’d stood in my closet, hand hovering over my own clothes, before wandering to his section instead. His scent had hit me immediately, wrapping around me and easing the tension in my shoulders better than the hot water had. Before I could think twice, I’d slipped one of his pristine button-downs from its hanger and pulled it over my head. The fabric was cool against my skin, carrying a faint hint of signature with it.

My only other clothing was a pair of black boyshorts that hugged the curves of my ass, visible whenever I shifted position. After taking the extra time to paint my nails the soft pink color that Tommy loved on me, I padded back downstairs to join Marco in the living room.

His gaze drank in the sight of my bare legs with a knowing smirk.

“You look beautiful, Angel. The guys are gonna fall all over themselves just trying to get to you first. To kiss these pretty pink lips.” He tilted my face up and stole a sweet, slow, delicious kiss. “They’ll be back soon,” he whispered against my mouth, then wrapped his arm around me as I curled into his side with a random book.

“Thank you,” I murmured, snuggling into him. “For staying with me.”

Marco dropped a kiss on my temple. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

We sat in comfortable silence, the minutes stretching. Marco scrolled through his phone while I pretended to read. The wordswere a blur, but I went through the motions, turning the pages just to keep my hands busy.

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