Page 34 of Pack Down Bad

“Please, Alpha,” she whimpers.

I let go of the leash I’ve been keeping on myself and finally give in to what I want more than anything. Every second I’ve waited to have her has been agonizing. Finally, the wait is over.

ChapterNineteen

Belle

The air seems to shift around us, tension building as Knox’s sage scent surrounds me. His eyes glaze over with hunger, and he looks ready to take me as his prey.

He’s letting his alpha take over.

We probably aren’t making the safest choice. I’ve heard about the dangers of a rut since I was in school. And the two of us in a library of precious books, when Knox is an unbonded alpha, make this especially risky.

I just hope that I can contain whatever is about to happen enough to ensure we don’t destroy the room. I would hate to disappoint Percy by turning his book collection into a casualty.

But I trust Knox.

Even though I got my memory back, nothing has changed about my feelings. I know who I am now, and I still want him. I want the whole pack, really, but a girl has to start somewhere.

Knox carefully sets me on my feet, his chest heaving and muscles trembling as he moves. I can see the toll it takes on him to put me down gently, the man beneath the alpha fighting to keep up a last semblance of being a gentleman before he breaks completely.

I want to be a safe place for him, no matter what state of mind he’s in. I know that despite wearing his solitude like armor, he’s the head of this pack for a reason. He doesn’t seem the type to have fought for dominance to assert himself, but rather the kind of alpha who makes sure everyone is taken care of.

Even if it means sacrificing his own moments of happiness to take care of everyone else.

Not anymore.

I don’t want him to keep sacrificing himself for the good of the pack or me. If I’m going to be their omega–if I’m going to behis–then I need to make space for all of him.

Especially in moments like this.

Knox’s breathing is growing shallow, and his whole body is taut. There’s no going back. He’s out of control, something I don’t imagine he has much experience with. If I can prove I can take care of him through this, then maybe… I think I can prove that staying here is a real possibility and not just a hopeful daydream.

I don’t like even the few inches of space he’s tried to put between us. I move slowly, deliberately, to inch back up to him. I know if I move too quickly, he might think I’m going to run and gear up to chase me.

I’m never going to run from him. Not even from his rut.

His chest rises and falls as he inhales deeply, drawing in gulps of my scent.

My pulse is racing, but I manage to keep my voice steady to tell him, “I’m here. You don’t have to hold back anymore.”

He snaps, dropping his head to fuse our mouths together. His kiss is raw, messy, and hungry. We explore each other roughly. I want this almost as much as he needs it.

His hands grab my hips roughly, pulling me flush against him.

My fingers tremble as I unbutton the flannel I borrowed, baring my skin. The sight elicits a growl from Knox.

“Say I can have you,” he rasps with desperation. “Say you’re mine.”

“I’m yours, Alpha,” I say, shattering whatever restraint he has left.

His mouth begins to explore everywhere. Over my neck and collarbone, down my chest. Guiding me back towards the edge of Percy’s desk.

“Need you,” he pleads in a pained voice. His words barely sound like him.

“Show me what you want from me, Knox.”

I feel no shame for the whimper I let out as he turns me around and bends me over the desk. Papers scatter, books slide, but all I can focus on is the heat of him behind me.

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