Page 34 of Knotting else Matters

“For what? Making a fool of yourself?”

“For suggesting the Valery Omega.”

I twisted, my shoulder slipping free, and I drove an elbow into his side, knocking him off me. We both scrambled to our feet, breath coming faster, sweat slicking our skin.

“Finally came to your senses?” I shot back, my voice sharp, and I lunged again, landing a solid jab against his shoulder.

“Not me—Sophie.” Karl’s grin faded slightly, his gaze fixed on mine. “She’s got the same idea. For Olivia.”

“What?” I snapped, the word coming out like a snarl.

“She thinks Liv needs… I don’t know, stability. Someone who’ll treat her right.” Karl ducked, dodging my punch, but I followed up with a quick kick that grazed his thigh. “So she wants to introduce her to some Beta she knows. Think they went out to lunch together.”

A laugh burst out of me, wild and sharp, even as I landed another punch against Karl’s arm. “A Beta? A Beta can’t handle that wildfire.”

“Wildfire?” Karl laughed, even as he blocked another jab. “You’re one to talk.”

“She’s… unpredictable. Reckless.” I grunted, grabbing his arm and twisting, but he twisted with me, our bodies spinning in a tight, brutal dance of strikes and blocks. “She’d eat some nice, polite Beta alive.”

“Maybe. Or maybe she just needs someone who’ll be patient. Someone who won’t turn her life into chaos.”

“I don’t see chaos as a problem.” I drove a knee toward his side, but he caught it, pushing back, and we crashed against the mat, both of us panting, muscles burning.

“Yeah, because you like it.” Karl grinned, his voice breathless. “And you think you can handle it?”

“I know I can.” My voice was a low, rough growl, the possessive pulse of my wolf thrumming beneath my skin.

We froze, our hands locked, my body pinning his, and Karl’s grin shifted, turning slow, lazy, almost smug.

“Yeah?” His voice was a low, teasing murmur. “You sure?”

“Yes.” The word slipped out before I could stop it, a fierce, unyielding declaration.

Karl laughed, his head falling back against the mat, his chest rising and falling with each breath. “Wow. Okay. So that’s why you’re all wound up.”

I pushed off him, standing, trying to catch my breath, trying to force the wild, possessive fire in my chest to settle.

“You’re imagining her with someone else, aren’t you?” Karl taunted, rolling to his feet, brushing the sweat from his forehead. “Some nice, polite Beta, taking her out to dinner, holding her hand, whispering sweet nothings—”

“Shut up.” I snarled, grabbing the towel and rubbing it over my face, trying to hide the furious heat blooming in my chest.

“Or hey,” Karl’s voice was still that light, teasing lilt, but it grated against my fraying nerves. “Think of it this way—if you do end up with her, that’s a hell of a way to get back at Mom and Dad. Bringing home a Zeta.”

Something snapped.

I didn’t think. I didn’t plan. My body moved on pure, furious instinct. My hand shot out, grabbing Karl by the front of his shirt, and with a roar that seemed to tear itself out of my chest, I slammed him against the wall.

The impact was brutal, the thud echoing through the gym, and Karl’s eyes widened, his breath catching, his usual smile gone, replaced by shock.

“Say Zeta again like it’s an insult,” I growled, my voice a low, vicious snarl. “And I’ll rip your fucking tongue out.”

My hands trembled, the tight, crushing grip I had on his shirt doing nothing to stop the violent, burning rage twisting inside me. My vision blurred, red pulsing at the edges, my wolf snarling, clawing at my control, demanding to protect, to defend, to tear anyone apart who dared to look down on her.

“Adrian.” Karl’s voice was calm now, too calm, but there was a careful, almost hesitant edge to it. “I’ve never seen you like this.”

I forced my grip to loosen, the trembling in my hands refusing to stop. I took a step back, breathing hard, the fury still clawing at my chest. But I couldn’t look at him, couldn’t meet his gaze.

“I’m fine,” I muttered, but the words were a lie. I wasn’t fine. I was anything but fine.

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