Page 22 of Knot So Fast
He lets her go, which has her pouting in that way that used to make me want to kiss the expression right off her face.
Then she's wrinkling her nose, and I curse under my breath because I know that look.
Auren has the strongest enhanced senses of any Omega I've ever encountered. She might as well apply to work with thepolice force given how she's able to sniff out anything within a half-mile radius. If she's picking up a strange scent, it means trouble.
Unless she recognizes mine…but a far chance.
Sure enough, a government enforcement guard emerges from the tree line, and my blood pressure spikes immediately. Those fuckers are a constant pain in the ass to unmated Omegas, always looking for excuses to flex their authority and make life difficult.
I can hear the commotion from here, voices raised in argument, but it's when the guard grabs Auren's arm and yanks her back—igniting a sharp gasp from her lips—that I see red and start charging toward them.
Everything else fades away except the need to protect her, to get that bastard's hands off what's mine. The rational part of my brain knows she's not mine anymore, hasn't been mine in over a year, but instinct doesn't give a shit about technicalities.
When her eyes find mine as I approach, I have to ignore the way my heart skips and stutters like a teenager with his first crush. She probably recognizes me from the hospital—the bystander who helped during the accident—but she doesn't know much else. Doesn't recall the relationship we used to have, the way we used to fit together like puzzle pieces.
Just like with the others, those memories are locked away behind walls that the doctors aren't sure will ever come down.
"Sir," the guard stammers, immediately backing away from Auren as if proximity to her might get him in trouble. His entire demeanor shifts from aggressive authority to nervous deference in the span of a heartbeat. "I was just enforcing the established protocols. The Omega was?—"
"The Omega," I interrupt, letting my voice carry the kind of quiet menace that I learned during my military days, "has everyright to be exactly where she is. And if you have a problem with that, you can take it up with me."
The guard's face goes pale, but he tries to maintain his authority.
"Sir, with all due respect, the law clearly states?—"
"I know what the law states," I cut him off again, stepping closer until I'm using my height advantage to its full effect. "I also know that there are exceptions for Omegas who have explicit permission from their pack Alphas to be in public for professional reasons. Which she does."
"I haven't seen any documentation?—"
"Are you questioning my word?" The threat in my voice is unmistakable now, and I watch with satisfaction as the guard takes another step back.
"No, sir, but protocol requires?—"
"Protocol requires you to do your job properly, not harass innocent Omegas who are following the law." I move closer again, close enough that he has to crane his neck to look up at me. "Tell me, officer, do you know who I am?"
The guard shakes his head nervously, clearly regretting his decision to stop and hassle Auren in the first place.
"My name is Kieran Cross. I work very closely with some very important people in this city, including the Wolfe family. Would you like me to give Lachlan Wolfe a call and explain how one of Monaco's finest was harassing an Omega under his protection?"
The mention of the Wolfe name has the desired effect.
The guard goes white as a sheet, his hands actually shaking as he takes several more steps back.
"No, sir," he stammers, practically bowing as he speaks. "That won't be necessary. I apologize for the misunderstanding. I was just?—"
"You were just leaving," I finish for him. "And if I ever see you bothering this Omega again, our next conversation will be very different. Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal clear, sir. My apologies again." The guard practically trips over himself in his haste to get away from us, disappearing back into the trees like the coward he is.
I turn back to find Auren staring at me with those incredible eyes, her expression a mixture of curiosity and recognition.
After a long moment, she snaps her fingers like something just clicked.
"Yeah! You're the dude from the hospital," she says with a grin that makes my chest tight. "You were there when I woke up that first day. Brought me those terrible hospital cookies that tasted like cardboard."
I groan and run a hand through my hair.
"Cross. Not 'the dude from the hospital.' Kieran Cross."
