Page 55 of Knot Happening

She wraps her arms around herself, looking suddenly vulnerable in that rose gold dress. "I'm not running from anyone. I just needed some air, some space to think."

"Belle." I step closer, using the tone I perfected during interrogations. Gentle but persistent. "What happened?"

She's quiet for a long moment, then lets out a shaky breath. "Felix tried to kiss me."

The words hit me like a physical blow, followed immediately by a surge of protective anger. "He what?"

"It was in the library. We were talking, and there was this moment, and he..." She gestures helplessly. "It was too much, too soon. I panicked and ran."

I can smell the distress radiating off her, the way her scent spikes with anxiety as she relives whatever happened. "Did he push? Did he make you feel unsafe?"

"No," she says quickly. “It wasn't like that. He was respectful when I pulled away. It's just..." She runs her hands through her hair, messing up the elaborate style. "This is all happening so fast, Theo. The ball, the feelings, everything. I don't know how to process it."

Then her eyes narrow, and I can see the exact moment when the pieces click together in her mind. "You knew, didn't you?" she says, her voice getting sharper. "That night at the library, when you found me in heat, when you held my hand for hours and made me feel safe. You knew I'd be here tonight."

It's not really a question, and I don't insult her intelligence by pretending otherwise. "Yeah, I knew."

"And you said nothing." Her voice cracks with betrayal, and her scent spikes with hurt so sharp it makes my chest ache. "All those hours you spent with me, all that time you let me trust you, and you never once mentioned that you'd be here too. That this whole thing was..."

"Belle, it's not what you think."

"Isn't it?" She steps back from me, her arms wrapping tighter around herself. "You let me believe you were just some random alpha who happened to find me. You sat there while I told youabout Sarah, about why I was scared of alphas during heat, and the whole time you knew we'd see each other again. You knew, and you said nothing."

The pain in her voice cuts through me like a blade. "I was trying to protect you."

"By lying to me?" Her eyes are bright with unshed tears. "By letting me think that what happened between us was just... just some isolated incident that would never have consequences?"

"I didn't lie to you."

"You didn't tell me the truth either." She shakes her head, and one tear finally spills over. "God, I'm so stupid. I actually thought... after that night, after the way you took care of me, I thought maybe I'd been wrong about alphas. Maybe some of you could actually be trusted."

"Belle, please..."

"See?" she says, her voice breaking completely. "Alphas can't be trusted. You're all the same. You say what you think we want to hear, you make us feel safe, and then you have your own agenda the whole time."

The accusation hits me harder than any physical blow ever could. To be lumped in with the alpha who hurt her friend, to see the trust I worked so hard to build crumbling in real time, it's devastating.

"That's not fair, and you know it," I say, my own voice rougher than I intended. "I stayed with you for three hours. I could have taken advantage, could have claimed you when your heat was at its peak, but I didn't. I kept you safe."

"While knowing the whole time that this wasn't over," she shoots back.

"There are no expectations, Belle. Not from me."

"Then what is this?" She gestures between us, then around at the palace. "What are you doing here, Theo? Because I'm pretty sure this isn't just a coincidence."

I want to tell her everything. About Marcus's suspicions, about the invitations, about how we've been searching for our omega without knowing she was right under our noses. But looking at her face, seeing the betrayal and hurt written across her features, I know she's not ready for that truth.

"I came because I hoped I'd see you again," I say instead, which is at least partially honest. "Because that night meant something to me, even if you don't believe that right now."

"What it meant," she says, wiping angrily at her eyes, "was that I was vulnerable and you were there. Nothing more."

"You don't believe that."

"Because if I believe it was more, if I let myself think that what I felt was real, then I'm just setting myself up to get hurt again,” she whispers.

The fear in her voice, the way she's trying so hard to protect herself from feeling anything, breaks something inside me. "Belle..."

"No," she says firmly, straightening her shoulders. "Just... show me how to get back to the library. I need to find Adam and get out of here."

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