Page 106 of Knot Your Karma
Blake doesn’t notice, too focused on pushing his way into what he assumes is a warm family gathering, his restless movements making the doorway seem smaller.
“Seriously, Dec, since when do you plan major life events without telling family? Had to hear about it from Mom’s Facebook, of all things.” Blake finally pushes past me into the room, his presence disrupting the previously established calm—voice too loud for the space as he gestures with hands that can’t stay still. “So where are Reed and Adrian?”
He stops mid-stride when he sees our parents’ expressions—Mom pale and stricken, Dad wearing the kind of controlled anger that suggests imminent explosion, Father looking as if someone’s just destroyed his favorite research project.
“What?” Blake looks between all of us with growing confusion, his confident posture beginning to falter as he registers the hostile atmosphere. “Why does everyone look as if someone died?”
“Blake,” I say with restraint, “you need to leave.”
“Leave? I just got here. What the hell’s going on?” Blake sets down his overnight bag with the kind of deliberate movement that suggests he’s not planning to go anywhere. “Mom, Dad, Father, what’s he not telling me?”
“Blake, honey,” Mom starts, but her voice wavers with the weight of what she’s just learned.
“The compass,” Father says bluntly. “We were discussing the compass you lost.”
Blake’s expression shifts immediately, charm faltering as defensive calculation takes over. “Oh. That. Look, I’ve been tracking it down. Got some leads.”
“We found it,” I interrupt.
“That’s great news!” Blake’s mask slips entirely, revealing the panic underneath.
“Found it because I tracked down the omega who stole it.”
Blake’s face cycles through panic, calculation, and forced confidence. “Karma.” He finally connects the dots.
“Karma,” I reply.
“Look, Dec, whatever version she gave you is total fiction. She’s trying to make herself look like the victim when she’s the one who stole from our family. She called me weeks ago, completely unhinged, making all these crazy accusations about performance metrics. Pure fantasy.”
“Performance metrics,” Father repeats slowly, his voice going deadly quiet.
“She’s a pathological liar,” Blake continues desperately. “Had a complete mental breakdown when our casual relationship ended. Started seeing conspiracies everywhere, making up stories about spreadsheets and multiple relationships. You have to understand, she had a total psychological break?—”
“Blake,” I say, my voice cutting through his lies like a blade. “I’ve seen the spreadsheets.”
The color drains from his face so completely he looks gray. “That’s—she’s been manipulating you. Those don’t exist. She probably made fake?—”
“I’ve seen the emails. The hotel receipts. The photos.” My voice gets harder with each word. “Six to eight omegas simultaneously. Performance ratings. Scent compatibility scores.”
Blake’s mouth opens and closes twice without sound while our parents watch his face cycle through denial, recognition, and growing panic. “Karma is?—”
“The woman who’s now my bonded mate.”
The silence that follows could cut glass. Blake stares at me as if I’ve just spoken in ancient Greek, his brain clearly struggling to process what I’ve just said.
“Your... bonded mate,” Blake repeats slowly, the words coming out strangled.
“Bonded. Claimed. Permanently connected.” I step closer, letting my alpha energy carry the weight of absolute certainty, strong enough to make him flinch. “The woman you threw away like garbage is now the center of my pack.”
Blake’s whole confident act just crumbles. “You can’t be serious. Dec, she’s manipulating you! She probably targeted you specifically because you’re my brother. She’s not even worth a permanent commitment. This is all some elaborate revenge plot?—”
“She’s what?” Father asks dangerously. “Not worth permanent commitment? Not deserving of honesty? Not good enough for a Mitchell?”
“That’s not what I meant?—”
“That’s exactly what you meant. Exactly how you treated her.” I move closer, jaw clenching so hard I can hear my teeth grinding. “Made her believe she wasn’t worth keeping promises to. Made her think she was the problem when you couldn’t stop chasing other omegas.”
“Dec, you don’t get it—things got complicated. She wanted things I wasn’t ready for. And when she found outabout the others, she completely lost it. Started making all these accusations?—”
