Page 80 of Chain Me Knot

Something sharp and uncomfortable pings inside my memory, flickering just beyond reach. I swear I’ve heard Alpha1465 before, but the meaning is wrapped in mist. A wave of dread rolls through me, cold and heavy and inexplicable. Something about that name fills me with quiet, creeping fear.

A heavy silence settles around us. My heart thrashes in my chest, and a helpless knot forms at the base of my throat. Everything is fragile. This tentative peace we've found could shatter at any second.

“Please don’t apologize. You’re all here because of me, doing everything you can and I'm just making things harder, distracting you…” I trail off softly, miserably unsure what else to say or do.

How can I help when I'm the very reason they're forced into hiding? When I'm the person tangled in instinctual desires and terrified memories, powerless to ease their burden or help their investigation?

Asher draws me against his chest, his heart beating under my ear. “We’re here because we choose to be, Emma. And you haven’t distracted or hindered us. Believe me when I tell you that we will figure this out.”

I desperately want to believe him but as I look around this kitchen, seeing the tense, exhausted set of Phoenix’s jaw, the guarded worry in Soren’s dark eyes, reality crowds back into focus. No matter Asher’s insistence or Phoenix’s charm, the knot of dread drills deeper because right now we're cornered, hiding, and waiting blind.

We've built a fragile bubble here, sweet and delicate but I can't shake the quiet fear whispering at the edges of my mind, warning how easily it could all shatter into nothing.

Chapter Thirty-One

Emma

Iwait until late afternoon to call Mira, spending the hours until then pretending to rest in my room while the alphas pour all their attention into data searches. My unease gradually settles into a dull, aching pressure beneath my ribs. I'm trapped in helplessness, guilt eating at me with each passing minute. They're here, risking everything for me, and I'm doing nothing but hiding away.

I glance toward the nest room door, longing and fear tangling painfully in my chest. The urge whispering through me to gather every pillow, blanket, and plush fabric in the house and curl beneath them is all-consuming. I ache to burrow deep in that safe, warm haven soaked with all their scents.

But the moment I shift toward the closed doors, ice floods my veins, Hugo's cruel voice a sudden hiss in the back of mymind.

Pathetic. Weak. Worthless.

Cold panic winds through my ribs, choking the desire until only ice remains. A frustrated sob lodges painfully in my throat. Battling myself is exhausting but these chains are stronger than the iron that mangled the skin around my ankle. I can’t give into the temptation. I lay on the bed with my back to the nest doors and when the quiet is too heavy and my solitude too suffocating, I pick up the slim black phone and dial Mira. The phone barely rings a second time before she answers in a rush, worry sharpening her voice.

Questions pour out before I can utter a word. “Emma? Oh my God, Emma, are you okay? Are you safe? Tell me you're somewhere safe and they're treating you well. How are you feeling? Have they made you comfortable? I've been so worried—”

“Mira.” I close my eyes briefly, savoring her genuine compassion, a balm soothing the rawness of my nerves. “I'm okay. Really. The alphas are treating me better than well. Much better.”

Mira exhales, the tension in her voice easing. “Oh, thank goodness. I knew they would. I mean, they're your scent-matched mates, Emma. Your perfect matches. Believe me, those three alphas will do whatever it takes for you.”

I curl one arm around myself as my chest tightens at the quiet certainty in her voice. “You were right about them, Mira. They're nothing like I expected. Nothing I've ever known. And now…”

“Now what?” she urges.

“I'm developing feelings for them. Real feelings, Mira. And it's…it's terrifying. They've been so kind, so good to me, but…” My voice wavers and I take a deep breath. I need to get this out. If anyone will understand, Mira will. “When they find out I’m a defective omega who can’t build a nest, they’ll leave because I’m too much work.”

The silence is soft between us. “Oh, Emma. We only knew cruel alphas who tortured us. Mercer and Hardwick were responsible for that, and those alphas deserve to rot in hell. Asher literally shot Mercer in the head for attacking me andI guarantee you when they can take down Hardwick, they’ll be in the front line alongside my mates.

“The alphas they prepared us for are twisted and wrong, too. They taught us what they wanted us to know. They devalued us to make us second guess when we wanted more, but there’s nothing wrong with what we need. Our instincts are not wrong.” She draws a shaky breath. “Everything is scary and new now, I know. But Asher, Phoenix, Soren see you for who you are. I promise, the truth about your past won't drive them away. They work to save abused omegas and that’s the reason Adrian went to them for help. Our past, your past, won’t change anything. These types of alphas don't scare easily. Certainly not when it comes to protecting the omega they're falling for.”

I swallow, tears collecting along my lashes at her comforting certainty that I'm worthy of such gentleness and devotion, and gods, am I over crying. I want joy. Happiness. Healing. Just like she has. “It’s hard. The fear. It stops me. It’s so overwhelming when they get close, but…gods, Mira, they're so patient. What happens if I ruin it all?”

“ It would beimpossiblefor you to ruin anything for them. You're brave, strong, and resilient; you deserve every precious thing these alphas offer. They're meant for you. Your past can't possibly taint you. It only makes your future more powerful and beautiful. It happened to me with the right alphas. It is happening for you too.” Her voice is firm and filled with quiet affection.

My heart squeezes at the love and unwavering belief in her words. Mira has always seen the things inside me that I've never been able to see myself, and if anyone deserves love it’s her.

Us.

Any of the omegas who were thrown into Haven’s basement deserve that too.There are so many of us.

I grip the phone hard. “I've missed you so much.”

Another gentle exhale rustles quietly through the phone. “And I've missed you too, Emma. So much. You're exactly where you're meant to be, with exactly whom you're meant to be with. Hold onto your alphas. Trust them. Let yourselfbelieve you're worthy of whatever beautiful future they offer. You deserve every ounce of happiness.”

Her words soothe some of my overwhelming fear and dread. She's right. They've already seen me broken and terrified, and they still chose me despite that. Maybe I need to believe that I'm no longer defined by my old chains.

---