Page 52 of Knot Ruined

Romano flinched as though I’d slapped him. “No! Little love, it wasn’t like that—”

“You lied to me!” I screamed, tears streaming down my cheeks. “You manipulated me. I fell in love with you—all of you—for who you were without knowing about any fucking scent match. You had the advantage, the biology, and I had nothing. You deceived me.”

Turning sharply, I ran up the stairs, yanking out my phone and dialing Violet's number with shaking hands.

“Vi? Can I please stay with you for a few days? I promise I’ll explain everything when I get there.”

She sounded concerned, but immediately said yes. Grabbing a bag, I shoved clothes inside with trembling fingers, barely seeing anything through my tears. Each breath was painful, ragged. My chest burned with betrayal, anger, and crushing heartbreak.

When I returned downstairs, the four of them were blocking the front door, panic and pain stark on their faces—except Voss, whose eyes held a raw desperation I’d never seen before.

“Fallon, please,” Kingston begged, voice heavy with anguish as he blocked my path, his green eyes stormy with desperation. “We didn’t buy you. We would never do that—not like you think. Your mom was drowning in debt, and we saw a chance to help her and meet you. That’s it.”

I shook my head, bitterness burning deep in my chest. Tears blurred my vision, each breath feeling like it was tearing my chest apart. “You paid her debts to get me, Kingston! How am I supposed to feel? It makes me feel cheap—like some omega you could just buy on a whim.”

“You know it wasn’t like that, Fallon,” Romano pleaded, taking a step toward me with trembling hands outstretched, desperation radiating from every inch of him. “Please, little love. We fell for you before we even saw your face. We didn’t even know you. It was your scent—your scent drove us crazy, and when we met you, it was like finding our souls. You're everything we've dreamed of and never thought we'd deserve. We love you, Fallon. I love you.”

I shook my head, feeling tears flood my eyes. “But you lied to me! You knew I was your scent match this entire time. And no one bothered to tell me. How is that love?”

Voss suddenly surged forward, eyes wild, dark amber irises almost black with madness and pain. He looked broken, his hands clenched into fists, breathing erratic. "How dare you? How fucking dare you think you're nothing but a purchase to us? You’re not some omega we bought. You're everything. You fucking consumed every corner of my soul, Fallon! Before you, I was nothing but darkness—so hollow, so broken, nothing but a fucking shell pretending to be human. I never wanted anyone. I never cared if I lived or died, and I sure as hell didn’t believe in love until I smelled you on your mother.”

His words rushed out like knives, sharp, desperate, each syllable trembling. “You changed everything. You changed me! I've killed for you. I'd kill again without a second's hesitation. But I would die before treating you like a whore, Fallon! Don’t you see? You're my sanity. My entire fucking sanity. Without you, I will lose what's left of myself."

He grabbed his head, fingers pulling at his hair as if physically trying to keep himself together. "I love you more than breath. You saved me from the darkness eating away at me, and if you leave, I won't survive it.”

I stared at him, my heart cracking painfully, tears slipping freely down my cheeks. The agony in his eyes was so raw it stole my breath. The others closed around me, their expressions equally tormented. Kingston reached for me, his fingers brushing my cheek tenderly, voice hoarse with emotion. “Fallon, sweetheart, we never wanted to trap you. When we realized you couldn’t scent us, we decided together not to pressure you with that knowledge. We didn’t think you would believe us because of the contract.”

“But you kept it from me!” My voice broke. “It feels like a betrayal, Kingston.”

He winced, visibly hurt by the word. Jace stepped forward, quiet and grave, his voice almost a whisper yet heavy with emotion. “We were wrong, Fallon. We should have told you sooner. But we were terrified—terrified you’d think we were manipulating you if we admitted we knew from the start.”

“I love you,” Romano interjected softly, eyes pleading. “We love you, Fallon. Not because of some instinct, not just because you’re an omega—but because you’re Fallon. Smart, brave, beautiful, fierce as hell, and stubborn enough to break us all in half.”

Kingston nodded, emotion choking his usually calm voice. “I love you, little one. You’ve stolen our hearts, and I don’t want mine back. Ever.”

“I love you,” Jace said, intense blue eyes begging me to hear his truth. “And I never say anything I don’t mean.”

My knees trembled, my heart shattering into pieces as I took in their anguished faces. “I just… I need time to think.”

“Then think here,” Romano begged softly, desperation etched deeply into his features. “We won’t follow you around, won’t bother you. Just don’t leave us. Please, Fallon.”

I shook my head sadly, whispering, “I can’t. I need distance. I’m not saying I won’t come back. I need to breathe, to sort through everything.”

Without waiting for a reply, I rushed past them, slipping through their grasping hands and opening the front door before they could stop me. I heard Kingston curse softly, and Romano let out a choked sob, but it was Voss’s guttural scream—painful, wild, filled with unspeakable agony—that almost made me crumble right there on the porch.

The sound followed me, haunting every step as I ran, even as my soul begged me to turn back. How am I supposed to believe anything they say anymore?

I stumbled toward my car, my hands trembling so badly I nearly dropped my keys twice before finally managing to unlock the door. Sliding into the driver's seat, I slammed the door shut, gripping the steering wheel like it was my only tether to reality. I leaned my head back, closing my eyes tightly as my breathing came out in harsh, uneven bursts. I couldn’t shake the image of Voss's anguished face or the sound of his raw, shattered scream as I'd slipped through the door. It was a sound I knew I'd never forget, etched into my soul like a scar.

My phone buzzed in my hand, pulling me back to reality. Violet’s name flashed across the screen, and I quickly swiped to answer, needing to hear the comforting sass in her voice more than anything.

"Fallon? Where the hell are you? Are you okay?" Violet’s voice was sharp with worry, tension threading through her words. She knew something was seriously wrong, given I'd called earlier asking to stay at her place without explanation.

"I... I'm on my way, Vi," I choked out, tears threatening to spill again. My chest felt tight, and it was hard to breathe. "Things got bad. Really fucking bad."

"Talk to me, Fallon," she urged gently, her voice steady and soothing, an anchor in my chaos. "Tell me what happened."

“They—” My voice broke, cracking with the weight of hurt and betrayal. “They lied to me. Or maybe they didn't tell me everything. It doesn't even matter; I feel fucking betrayed.”

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