Page 20 of Knot So Fast
The officer's cold gray eyes flick to Luke briefly before returning to me.
"The law clearly states that unmated Omegas shouldn't be out in public without their pack mates before nine AM. It's currently seven AM. She should be at home."
My blood runs cold at his words, but Luke doesn't miss a beat.
"She has permission from her Alphas to be out here training. It's part of her employment requirements."
The officer's mouth twists into something that might charitably be called a smile, but there's no warmth in it.
"Omegas don't work. They don't have employment. They have pack duties and domestic responsibilities."
"Well, she does work," Luke counters firmly, his stance widening as he prepares for a potential confrontation. "And she has explicit permission from her Alphas to be here before she starts her professional obligations."
The argument escalates quickly, voices rising as the officer becomes more aggressive and Luke becomes more defensive.
I can see the tension coiling in both men, the way their hands clench into fists, the subtle shifts in posture that suggest this might turn physical at any moment.
"This doesn't need to get physical," I interject quickly, stepping around Luke's protective stance. "I'll just go home. It's not worth the trouble."
I turn to leave, hoping to defuse the situation before someone gets hurt, but the officer's hand shoots out and grabs my upper arm with bruising force.
"You won't just leave," he says, his grip tightening until I wince. "You'll be escorted home for disobeying the established laws. There are consequences for Omegas who think they can do whatever they want."
Luke moves to interfere, his face dark with rage, but before either of us can react further, a voice cuts through the morning air like a blade.
"If you don't let go of my Omega this instant," the voice says, low and deadly calm, "I'll ensure you're fired before you can call for backup. That's after I completely ruin you with my fists."
All three of us turn toward the source of the voice, and my heart stops entirely as I see the Alpha emerging from the woods like something out of a dream.
Or a nightmare.
Kieran Locke Cross.
The name comes to mind immediately, along with a flood of fragmented memories that I can't quite piece together.
Tall and broad-shouldered, with dark hair and eyes that seem to see everything. There's something familiar about the way he moves, the confident stride that suggests he's used to being in charge and having his orders followed without question.
But there's also something else—a scent that makes my Omega instincts sit up like goosebumps and take notice, even as my rational mind struggles to understand why this stranger is claiming me as his.
The government officer's hand drops from my arm like I've suddenly burst into flames, his entire demeanor shifting from aggressive authority to nervous deference in the span of a heartbeat.
"Sir," he stammers, backing away from me as if proximity to me might get him in trouble. "I was just enforcing the established protocols. The Omega was?—"
"The Omega," Kieran interrupts, his voice carrying the kind of quiet menace that makes grown men reconsider their life choices, "has every right to be exactly where she is. And if you have a problem with that, you can take it up with me."
I stare at this man who's just claimed me as his Omega, my mind racing to understand what's happening.
Why does he smell familiar? Why does my body respond to his presence like it recognizes something my conscious mind can't remember?
And most importantly, what the hell is Kieran Cross doing here, and why is he protecting me?
PROTECTING WHAT WAS ONCE OURS
~KIERAN~
I finishmy stretches against the old oak tree that borders the running track, rolling my shoulders to work out the last bit of tension from my morning run.
The endorphins should be making me feel better, but they can't quite mask the bitter taste of reality that's been my constant companion for the past year.
