Page 70 of Knot Unwanted: Part Two

The memory hits harder than it should. Caldwell, smiling, bringing expensive wine and clapping Father on the back like they were old friends. Which they were, I suppose.

“You’re going against everything your family built,” he continues, sensing my hesitation. “The connections, the legacy?—”

My fist silences him, connecting with his jaw hard enough to snap his head back. “My legacy,” I snarl, grabbing him by the collar, “is not their legacy.”

I hit him again. And again. Blood sprays from his split lip, spattering across my knuckles. Part of me is horrified at what I’m becoming, at how easily violence flows from me. But a larger part—the part that saw Hailey drugged and terrified—doesn’t care.

“She’s just an omega,” Caldwell gasps between blows. “One of many. You can find another?—”

Something in me snaps. I haul him up by his shirt front, bringing his face close to mine. “She’s not just an omega,” I growl. “She’smine.”

The admission surprises even me. I’ve been fighting the truth for so long, afraid of what it means, of what might happen if I accept it. But here, with her scent still lingering in the air and her blood on this monster’s hands, I can’t deny it anymore.

Hailey is mine. My omega. My scent match.My mate.

And this man tried to take her from me.

I throw Caldwell to the ground again, aiming the gun. He sees the movement, panic flooding his features.

“Wait!” he screams. “I can make this right! Money—I’ll pay you double what I paid Heath. Triple!”

Movement in my peripheral vision. The beta driver who’d been with Caldwell didn’t chase after Hailey far. He’s returned, and he rounds the vehicle, gun drawn.

I don’t think. I just react. My weapon is up and firing before he can aim properly. The bullet catches him between the eyes, and he drops like a stone.

Caldwell uses the distraction to scramble away, but he’s too slow, too injured. I catch him by the ankle, dragging him back.

“Please,” he sobs, all dignity gone now. “Please, Ren. I’ve known you since you were a boy?—”

“And you’ve been a monster all that time,” I say quietly, pressing the gun to his temple. “I just didn’t know it yet.”

His eyes widen. “Ren?—”

I pull the trigger.

Click.

The gun stalls. The empty click echoes in the stillness of the night, the sound deafening in its finality. I press the trigger again. Another stall.

My heart lurches, a cold dread spreading through my veins. I should’ve grabbed both guns. Fool.

Caldwell’s eyes widen further, his breath hitching in his throat. For a heartbeat, we’re both frozen, the silence broken only by the distant chirping of crickets. Then a slow, triumphant smile spreads across his face.

“Looks like your luck’s run out?—”

The impact of my pistol against his skull silences him. He slumps, unconscious but breathing. Part of me wants to finish it, to rid the world of him permanently. But time is running out.

I need to find Hailey.

Two vehicles with engines running, two bodies—one dead, one unconscious—in the middle of the road. It won’t be long before Heath’s people or Caldwell’s security detail converge on this location. I have minutes at most.

Holstering my weapon, I turn toward the forest where I caught that glimpse of Hailey. She’s on foot, naked, in full heat. She can’t have gone far.

“Hailey!” I call, plunging into the trees. “Hailey, it’s Ren!”

No answer but the rustling of leaves in the night breeze.

I run aimlessly at first, desperation clouding my judgment. The forest is dark, the canopy blocking most of the moonlight. She could be anywhere.

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