Page 16 of Knot in My Wildest Dreams: Part 2
The cool cedarwood and rain scent drifted slowly, uncurling the notes as I breathed him in, and I turned, my eyes wide. It was as if I finally saw him for the first time. The feeling hit me - of home, trust, offorever. Sterling was right. He was my scent match. He was my miraculous twist of fate.
Sterling was the scent of safety - of loyalty. The scent of someone who would walk through fire for me. The realization struck like lightning, shaking me to my core. My eyes widened as my heart felt flooded with emotion.
I reached out, taking his hand as his eyes flicker over to me, the only tiny sign that I startled him. His warm hand gripped mine.
“No. I know in my heart I can trust him. Because he’s mine.” I said, the knowledge of the truth solidifying in me as the scent match took hold. Sterling looked over fully now, his face registering that I believed him, my body telling me the truth. I stood, overwhelmed with wonder as I reached out to cup his cheek.
“You were right in front of me all along, always protecting me.”
Pack Lockwood stood frozen, shocked and silent. I could sense their confusion and frustration, but at this point, I didn’t care. Let them suffer. They’d certainly let me do enough of that.
“What - what do you….” Vigo started, and I stood next to Sterling, his arm now wrapped around me protectively.
“He’s my scent match.”
Chapter 17
Liam
I stared incredulously at the tall beta as he held Celeste, who now looked at him with stars in her eyes. How could this be? She already had us as scent matches! I wanted to tear him apart, just at the very sight of him touching her.
“Celeste! We’re your mates, not him!” I said desperately. Her head snapped over at me, her eyes now sharp with anger.
“Don’t try to tell me to deny what I already know in my heart is true. He’s my scent match too, and he’s the only one I trust right now.” Her words were finite. Vigo looked like he was drowning, watching as Sterling pulled her in protectively. I reared up, my alpha side wanting desperately to challenge him and show him exactly who Celeste really belonged with. But I could tell he cared for her by the way he subtly held her, stepping in front ofher protectively with the slightest of movements, and the look in his eye that he would fight me to the death to protect her.
“Stop trying to control her.” Sterling said, his voice clear and simple. I stepped forward, warning to argue more. But then I saw her relax into him. She’d looked that way once - back when she was with my pack, on our first real date. Back when she trusted us. She’d been happy then. We were the ones who held back from her, who caused all of this because we still couldn’t believe that she wasn’t a monster.
Then I felt the shame rushing back. Sterling was right. All the men in Celeste’s life were trying to control her, and now we were no different. We should have listened, tried to understand her once we knew she was our mate. And this man, who worked for the very person trying to dethrone her and take what was hers, was more help to her than we were. I looked at Sterling differently now - he was better than us.
He’d always been on her side. Even when he was supposed to work against her, he’d been helping her. Vigo let out a growl of pain, but he felt it too. Sterling was protecting her, even from us. And for that, he deserved her more than we did. I felt something break in me then.
I stepped back, taming down my possessive alpha desires as I accepted that the better man was with her.
“If that’s true - if he is your scent match, then I’m glad you have someone on your side.” I said, with acceptance. It was rare to have a scent match outside of an established pack, butit could happen. Celeste looked surprised, but satisfied with my statement.
Vigo looked helpless, his head whipping back and forth between me and Celeste, and he opened his mouth as if he wanted to argue. But I could feel through our bond that he was also accepting the truth. We fucked up royally. And now, Celeste was with a new pack, and a new scent match. And there was nothing we could do about it.
Chapter 18
Dante
“I don’t trust him.” I said, and everyone turned to look at me.
“What do you mean?” Celeste asked, and I looked at her, my eyes pleading.
“Elijah would never.” The words slipped out before I could stop them, sharp and jagged in the air. My chest burned, my jaw locked so tight it ached. Elijah wouldn’t do this. Hecouldn’t.
Celeste’s gaze pinned me in place, her voice steady but cold. “He did, Dante. He betrayed us all.
The room spun. My heart thudded against my ribs like it wanted to escape, my mind fighting to reject what she was saying.Elijah? My brother in arms, the man who’d fought beside me when the world was falling apart? It was absurd.
Vigo stepped forward, his voice low but pleading. “Celeste, please. Forgive us for doubting. We’ll do whatever it takes to fix this.”
Liam’s voice cracked. “We should’ve trusted you. Please, give us a chance to fix this. Don’t shut us out.”
Celeste looked at us, and for a moment I thought she might relent. She had to be feeling the strain of our separation as much as we were. But then her eyes fell on me, and I felt the bottom drop out of my world.
“I can’t move forward without trust,” she said softly. “And Dante, you still trust Elijah more than you trust me.”
