Page 48 of Knot in Their Wildest Dreams: Part 1

“Stop arguing!” Vigo interjected, his blue eyes stormy as he glared at us. “This shouldn’t be a wedge driving us apart. If we go down this path, all our work is for nothing.” He admonished us. “We can get an answer. It’s just going to take time.” He turned to face Dante. “I know this sucks. None of us wanted it. And we will get justice. Harringday needs to be held responsible.” Dante sat back, his animosity slowly being tamed.

“However, we do need to make sure we aren’t being blinded by our feelings, in either direction, toward the truth. And that means we need to examine all angles.” Vigo looked sincere as he tried to make his case. “We owe it to ourselves to know her better. While the scent match is a complication, it’s also a way to get to know her in a way we couldn't before.” He pleaded.

Dante didn’t look moved. He pinched his brow, then spoke. “It would be incredibly difficult to be in her position and not be the one responsible for what Harringday has done.”

He knew the most about her involvement in illicit activities, but that didn’t necessarily mean we had solid proof. Dante kept going.

“For decades, Harringday kept a monopoly in place and suppressed wages and rights. We’re finally making headway here, don’t let your feelings for an omega erase all the harm that she and her family have caused.” I felt Vigo soften through our bond, realizing Dante’s passion for justice would always override his biological urges to bond with Celeste. He turned to face Dante, considering his argument before responding.

“Let’s look at the benefits here. Since she’s our match, there are ways to get her to conform to our ideas. We might even get her to open up, be more honest with us. Let’s use it to our advantage while we have her so close.” He said, his voice resolute. “And Dante, if she’s behind it… Wewillget justice.”

Dante’s jaw clenched, the flicker of emotion behind his eyes betraying the internal war raging within him. He wasn’t just angry - he was afraid. Afraid of being wrong.

“I don’t like it,” he muttered, voice low. “I don’t trust her.”

Vigo stepped forward, steady as ever. “We’re not asking you to trust her. Just trustus. Use the bond to get closer, to learn more -notto forget.” After a pause, Dante exhaled and gave a stiff nod. “Fine. I’ll give it time. But if she’s not who you think she is, and if this is just another lie - I’ll be the first to burn it down.” The room fell quiet, the storm outside echoing the tension between us. For now, it wasn't a resolution. But it was enough.

Chapter 34

Dante

I paced through the halls of our building while I waited for Elijah to meet me. I didn’t tell Liam and Vigo why I’d stayed late, but they knew enough to give me space. They had both crossed the line that we swore we’d never cross. My stomach turned now, just thinking about it - the idea of them being with her physically. Part of me was disgusted, but another part of me, a deep, hidden corner of my soul that I was struggling to suppress - was turned on. I fought myself each day and night not to imagine them with her - and fought even harder not to imagine myself with her. I knew it was just the scent match making me feel things, but I needed another perspective.

Elijah wasn’t affected like we were. He was the person I trusted most outside of my pack. We hadn’t told him about the scent match - it was too much of a liability, and also too shameful. I knew if he found out he’d want us to call the whole thing off, to send her back home due to the risk. And he would be right. Two out of the three of us had already complicated things.

I heard the door open and looked to see him enter the hallway, then nodded at him and gestured to the empty conference room where I’d gathered the evidence we had so far.

“Good to see you, brother.” He said with a smile. “How are you holding up?”

Elijah had worried about me, noticing the dark circles under my eyes, my ragged appearance since she’d been living with us. But he thought it was from the stress of being around my enemy, not knowing the other battle I was waging.

“As good as can be expected. Here,” I said as I spread out the papers. “Take a look. This is all I’ve been able to find so far, besides what you procured.”

Celeste was a mystery. We had been able to get access to some of her emails, but hadn’t been able to hack into Harringday’s full backend systems at this point. We did, however, manage to hack into the emails of some of the clients she worked with. Which led to some interesting discoveries.

“From what I can tell, she seems to be working to improve conditions in many of her factories.” I said as Elijah took the papers with a frown. “There’s no mention of any of this in the press. She also implemented policies to help the staff at Harringday, which seems to be a point of contention with the board.”

I let Elijah read through the emails, trying to gauge his reaction. We knew Celeste had been behind some atrocious things. So why was she doing things that would help people, especially if it was more cost effective to let things stay as they were?

“Interesting.” Elijah said, rubbing his chin. “What else have you learned? How are your interactions with her?” He asked.

I thought back. I’d been avoiding being around her, and didn’t want Elijah to learn it was because I now found her scent intoxicating.

“I can’t stand her.” I admitted. It was the truth. “But she doesn't seem to be who we thought initially. I haven’t seen her get messy like we’d assumed. She’s intelligent, more so than we thought.”

Elijah thought for a moment. “Well, by all accounts, your other pack members are getting along with her very well.” He said with a chuckle.

“They are phenomenal actors. And Celeste hates that everyone thinks it’s real.” I said quickly. I didn’t want him to believe that there was any truth to them actually having sex with her - it would lead to so many questions I didn’t want to answer. “There’s something that I can’t figure out as well. She acts like she has compassion, sometimes so believingly that the others nearly fall for it. But clearly that has to be a facade. So what’s her endgame here?” My question lingered, and Elijah considered for a moment.

“It could be that she does want to improve things slightly to look good internally. Remember, she needs to mislead the board too. At least half of them don't know what went on in Arkala. Remember the ultimate goal here.” Elijah reminded me. “You need justice for your family.”

I thought back to the call I’d had with my cousin and closed my eyes.

“They killed everyone, Dante! Everyone!” He’d sobbed. I shook my head, trying not to let the memories take me down a dark path.

“Let’s keep trying. We need hard evidence. And we need it soon. I think my packmates are too soft.” I said. Elijah looked at me, questions in his eyes. I had to tread carefully to hide the truth.

“They don’t see her bad side. She’s too calculating, her acting is phenomenal. I have to admit, I was even questioning how she could have pulled all of this off. And I’m not above thinking she has help. Someone internally is covering her tracks. Try to find anything else you can.” I said, gathering up the papers. Elijah frowned.

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