Page 33 of Knot Happening

I want to tell her that I would move heaven and earth to keep you safe, to make you happy, to give you everything you've been denying yourself.

Instead, I say, "You don't have to trust me with everything. Just trust me with this. Let me get you home safely, make sure you have what you need."

Another wave of heat seems to hit her then, making her double over with a soft cry that goes straight through me like a knife. Her scent spikes, becoming richer and more intoxicating, and I can see the moment when the last of her careful control starts to slip away.

"My friend Sarah," Belle whispers, her voice shaky from the heat coursing through her. "We were close in high school. She was an omega too, and when she left for college, she was so hopeful. She found this alpha through a dating app designed for our kind, thought she'd finally found her perfect match."

I can see the pain etched across her face as she continues, her scent spiking with distress even through the heat.

"She went off her suppressants for him, wanted to experience her first natural heat with someone she trusted. She was so excited, Felix. She thought she was going to bond with her soulmate." Belle's voice cracks. "But during the heat, he lost control. Her scent triggered his rut and he became aggressive. Her body couldn't handle an unmatched claiming. She died because an alpha couldn't control himself when it mattered most."

My chest tightens at the raw pain in her voice. I move closer, but keep my movements slow and deliberate despite every instinct telling me to wrap her in my arms.

"Belle, look at me," I say quietly, while keeping my voice steady but gentle. "What happened to Sarah was a tragedy. That alpha failed her completely, and there's no excuse for that kind of loss of control."

"I've been trained to maintain control under extreme stress, in life-or-death situations. That's not just military training talking, but it's who I am. "

"You don't understand," she manages through another wave of heat. "Sarah trusted him too. Everyone always says they're different until they're not."

"You're right, I can't fully understand what you've been through," I acknowledge. "But I understand what real protection means. What real control looks like. And Belle, I’m not going anywhere. Not when things get intense, not when your heat ends, not ever."

Without thinking, I reach out and place a gentle hand on her shoulder, offering what comfort I can without overstepping boundaries.

The contact sends a jolt through both of us like an electrical current. Her scent spikes again, becoming richer and more complex, and I can feel an answering response deep in my chest. My alpha instincts roar their approval, but underneath the primitive response, there's something deeper, something that feels like coming home.

"Oh," she breathes, looking up at me with wonder and fear warring in her expression. "Oh no. This is really bad."

"Why is it bad?" I ask, though I think I already know. The connection between us is stronger than it should be for two people who barely know each other. Stronger and more immediate than anything I've ever experienced.

"Because I've spent a year building walls to keep this from happening," she whispers, her voice shaking with emotion. "And you just knocked them all down with one touch."

She's not just talking about the heat, but the biological response to an alpha's presence during her cycle. She's talking about something deeper, the way her omega nature is responding to mine specifically.

I should pull my hand away, but she's not asking me to move, and the alpha in me is purring with satisfaction at being able to provide comfort, at being accepted and trusted enough to help.

"Maybe the walls weren't as strong as you thought," I suggest carefully, testing the waters.

She lets out a shaky laugh that's half-humor, half-despair. "Or maybe you're stronger than I expected." Her eyes flutter closed as another wave hits her, and I can see her fighting to maintain some semblance of control. "God, this is happening so fast. Usually there's more warning, more time to prepare..."

"What do you need right now?" I ask, focusing on the practical rather than the emotional complications we're both dancing around. "Tell me how to help."

"Water," she manages to say between shallow breaths. "And I need to get home. I have a heat room set up, supplies..."

The fact that she has a heat room, tells me that she has thought through the logistics, prepared for emergencies, created systems to get herself through the most vulnerable time in her cycle without relying on anyone else.

It's impressive and heartbreaking at the same time.

I help her to her feet, keeping one steady hand on her arm as she sways like a tree in a strong wind. She's burning up, her skin fever-hot even through the thick wool of her cardigan. The heat radiating from her is almost overwhelming, and I can feel my own body responding to her distress, every protective instinctI have screaming at me to do whatever it takes to make her comfortable.

"My car's right outside," I tell her, fighting to keep my voice steady and reassuring. "I'll drive you home, help you get settled."

She nods gratefully, then freezes as though she's just remembered something important. "But what about your book? You came here for a reason..."

Even in the middle of heat, even while her body is betraying her and her carefully constructed world is falling apart, she's thinking about other people. Worried about inconveniencing me, about disrupting my plans. It's so quintessentially Belle that I can't help but smile, even in the middle of this crisis.

"The book can wait," I assure her, meaning it completely. "This is more important."

As I help her gather her purse, her keys, the cardigan she's somehow managed to shed in the last few minutes, and guide her toward the exit, I can't shake the feeling that everything just changed. This morning, Belle was just the friendly librarian who always had a smile and a helpful suggestion. Tonight, she's the omega who's been hiding in plain sight.

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