Page 51 of Knot Shattered
He jabbed a finger sharply toward Fallon, who wiggled her fingers at him again, completely unbothered. The guard shifted uncomfortably, suddenly pale, clearly beginning to grasp the weight of his mistake. “Malik.. I..”
Fallon snorts, turning to us. “Called it.”
Malik slowly turned his gaze to Violet next, recognition and dread mixing openly on his face. “Tell me you didn’t kidnap the Frost omega, too.”
Violet offered a chilling smile, delicately waving a hand. “Hi! Lovely accommodations, truly.”
Malik’s shoulders sagged, frustration radiating from him in waves. He finally looked at me, confusion clear in his eyes as he sighed deeply, already weary. “And I don’t know who your alphas are, but I assume equally important, and equally lethal?”
I tilted my chin up, a wicked grin pulling sharply at my lips. “Pack Hael.”
Malik blinked slowly again, clearly processing the new information. Recognition hit him like a punch, color draining swiftly from his face as his eyes widened. “You… kidnapped Pack Rosetti’s omega, who is friends with both Pack Frost and Hael’s omegas. You kidnapped the fucking mafia’s omega?!”
The guard visibly shrank, muttering nervously, his voice barely audible.
“Not the mafia,” Fallon, Violet, and I muttered simultaneously, exchanging exasperated glances. Riven coughed lightly, clearly amused as she fought to hide her grin behind her hand.
Malik snapped around sharply toward his guard, finally losing his composure entirely. “Do you realize what you’ve done? You have kidnapped the omegas of three packs that have literally built their reputations on violence! The Rosetti pack alone would rip this city apart for a fraction of this insult. The Frost pack thrives on hunting down people who wrong them! And Hael?”He gestured furiously toward me. “They’re insane. They’ll leave bodies in their wake and call it entertainment!”
I tilted my head, pursing my lips thoughtfully. “Well, he’s not wrong about the body part. At least two out of four of my alphas would do that. Maybe all four”
Fallon shrugged, almost apologetically. “I mean, we have a reputation for a reason.”
Violet smiled softly, eyes gleaming darkly. “Frankly, I’m flattered.”
Malik spun around again, glowering at us through the bars. “You three think this is funny?”
“Yes,” Fallon said brightly.
“A little,” I admitted, smirking slightly.
Violet just shrugged elegantly, her eyes dancing with suppressed laughter.
He closed his eyes again, looking like he desperately wanted to scream. “Do you have any idea how much damage control I’m going to have to do now?”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Fallon said sweetly, her voice dripping with mock sympathy. “You probably won’t have much time left for damage control. Knowing our alphas, they’ll be here soon to help you redecorate, with your blood.”
Malik paled further, turning quickly toward his guard. “Secure the building. Double the guards. And, for the love of god, triple-check the perimeter! It’s too late for us to move locations now!”
As both men swiftly exited, slamming the heavy metal door behind them, Fallon sank back against the bars, giggling helplessly. “Did you see his face? Priceless.”
Violet shook her head fondly. “Honestly, I can’t even blame him. I’d be terrified, too.”
“Just once,” I sighed dramatically, smiling despite myself, “it would be nice not to get mistaken for the mafia.”
Fallon chuckled again, eyes sparkling wickedly. “But then life would be boring, wouldn’t it?”
Riven snorted quietly from across the way, leaning against her bars with a broad, fierce grin. “I don’t know what I expected from you three, but it definitely wasn’t this.”
“Stick around, kid,” Fallon winked at her. “We’re just getting started.”
Salem
October 24th
6:03 P.M
I’ve been through my fair share of life-or-death situations, and being in security definitely plays a big part in that. But even before that, I grew up with a drug-addicted single mom and a revolving door of mean boyfriends. They never lasted. She’d drain them dry and then pack us up and move on. I’ve slept in cars. I’ve shivered through nights on the street with nothing but concrete under my back and fear curling in my gut. I’ve survived places most people would run from. Places where danger wasn’t a possibility, it was a certainty. But nothing in my past, not the cold, not the hunger, not even the fights for my life, has prepared me for this.
