Page 11 of Knot in My Wildest Dreams: Part 2
The three dots blinked for what felt like an eternity before her final text came through.
Celeste:Pack Valence.
I stared at the screen, my stomach dropping like a stone. She was with another pack. Our mate, our scent match, was safe in the arms of her exes, where she should’ve been safe in ours. Right before her heat. And despite my astonishment, anger and jealousy, I knew deep down that she was making the right choice given what we’d done.
And I wasn’t sure if we’d ever get her back.
Chapter 11
Celeste
Sterling told me all he knew, and it was bad. The truth was finally clear, and it was worse than anything I’d imagined. My uncle’s plot hadn’t only targeted me - Pack Lockwood had been double-crossed too, betrayed by the very person they trusted most. None of us were safe. And as much as I wanted to wash my hands of them, they deserved to know the truth.
Which was how I ended up walking Sterling into Pack Valence’s living room, with Owen, Nikolai, and James - the three alphas of their pack - standing with arms crossed, bristling with suspicion and ready to attack if Sterling so much as blinked wrong.
“So, Celeste tells us you work for her uncle.” Owen said, leaning his tall, muscled frame against a pillar as he looked Sterling upand down. “The same uncle who, apparently, is behind all this trouble in her life.”
Sterling, to his credit, didn’t falter or back down. He stood tall, keeping eye contact with Owen as he held my hand. “That’s right. I have all the information on his plans. I’ve been working a long time to get proof that he’s sabotaging Celeste.” Sterling seemed resolute, and I started to admire him a bit. It was difficult for anyone to face down three alphas without fear, especially in their territory.
Nikolai stepped forward, his arms crossed and muscles bulging. “If you have any ill will toward Celeste, if you so much as harm a hair on her head, then so help me -” He started, but Sterling stepped forward, facing him.
“If I was to ever hurt Celeste, I’d hope you would take me down. She’s everything to me.” His words were final. I looked at him, shocked at how loyal he was to me. I barely knew him, but I remembered that if he really was my scent match, then he’d have been pining for me for over a year. Nikolai stared him down, but finally nodded. Now more than ever, I was so grateful to them. They may not have been romantically attracted to me, but they were the best friends I could have asked for. Julian watched from a table nearby, with James hovering near him protectively.
“So, what’s the plan?” James asked, relaxing slightly when he didn’t sense any danger from Sterling.
I took a deep breath. “Well, I need to tell Pack Lockwood about the conspiracy. Somewhere far from Elijah. And I need this to bedone discreetly.” I said, a frown forming on my face as I thought about how hard they would take the news that they were also being sabotaged - that is, if they even believed me.
Owen leaned forward, arms still folded. “Then tell them here. We can protect you. They already think you’re ours, anyway.”
That earned a smirk from me. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Sterling’s head turn, silver eyes flashing with quiet surprise.
“Well,” I murmured, enjoying the thought a little too much, “Idowant them to suffer. Just a bit.” The idea of twisting the knife after everything they’d put me through was almost delicious. They’d hurt me so badly, then maybe they could suffer a fraction of what I had. “So yes - let’s invite them over. Let them believe I’ve come back to you. I don’t want them thinking forgiveness comes cheap. And I want you nearby in case they decide to act up.” I didn’t think they would get out of hand, but with Sterling here, who I really was linked to, then I wasn’t sure how they would respond. Alphas tended to be super territorial and jealous.
Nikolai smiled. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll let the security know we have alphas visiting as well. It will be good for them to realize who is in charge when they are here.” He said with a chuckle. The rest of the pack approved, and James ran his hand through Julian’s hair affectionately.
I stepped aside with Sterling. He looked perplexed. “Why bother telling Pack Lockwood about this? They were awful to you. Theyare helping with your downfall, even if they don’t realize that their own is locked in with it.” His voice was low, but sharp.
I bit the inside of my cheek, hesitating. Could I really trust him with this? The truth wasn’t something I’d ever planned to say out loud. And yet, something in me insisted I could. With Sterling, it was different. I somehow trusted him, like my body just knew he would never hurt me. I looked up at him, hoping this would be the last bombshell delivered today.
“Sterling, there’s something you need to know - if you are really my scent match.” I started, and he took my hands, sensing my trepidation.
“You can tell me anything. Whatever you say, I will always stand by you.” He said earnestly. I almost smiled at his certainty, but I wondered if he’d regret that promise once he heard the truth. I steadied myself.
“So, when you told me you were my scent match… I didn’t believe you at first.” My throat tightened, but I forced the words out. “Because I had already found mine.”
Sterling’s head jerked back, his eyes widening. Shock rippled across his face.
“But - you never had - I would’ve known. How could that be?” The words stumbled out of him in fragments, like his mind was tripping over every possible explanation at once.
I lifted a hand, steadying him before his disbelief spiraled any further.
“Sterling, Pack Lockwood - all three of them - they ended up being my scent matches.” I watched the shock ripple through his expression, his usually unreadable face cracking wide open. “They didn’t even know,” I went on, my voice soft but relentless. “I’d been living with them for weeks, hiding it. And then I slipped up, let my perfume out, and they found out.”
Sterling’s jaw tightened, but he stayed silent, letting me continue.
“And despite everything, I grew to care about them. We connected.” My voice started to waver as I spoke about them. “As much as I hated them - they didn't know the real me. They thought I was a monster, the one behind all the sabotage. But over time, we got to know each other, and started to make progress. But then they found the documents, the ones that made it look like I was behind everything, and-” My voice broke, tears welling before I could stop them.
Sterling exhaled slowly, piecing it together. “They thought you were their enemy. All that time, they believed you were the one pulling the strings. And to discover you were their scent match…” He shook his head, the weight of it sinking in.
