Page 10 of Knot Forever

I yank my head back in disgust. “Get the hell off me.”

His hand reaches up to grab my chin, his fingers smooshing my cheeks together and turning my head to the side. “I don’t think so,” he murmurs. “Countdown is on, Nova. The bench is all ready for you.”

The noise that rattles in my throat feels like an admission of weakness, and Julian’s smile widens as he picks up on my distress. He shoves his mouth against the exposed skin beneath my ear. “I’ve made all sorts of alterations,” he whispers. “Just for you. And once you come home, you won’t be leaving again in a hurry.”

My eyes start to burn, and the alphas around me laugh as I twist, trying to pull myself away.

“Well, look at this lovely little gathering.”

Julian yanks his hand back at the slow, lazy drawl from behind us. The pack takes a step back and I gasp in a much-needed breath as they turn to face the newcomer, tension tightening their shoulders.

The alpha leans against a pillar, his arms crossed. “Here’s me thinking the auctions were voluntary.”

Muscles pull against the sleeve of his tux as he shifts, deep green eyes scanning me before he turns to Adam. “Williams. Who’s your date?”

Adam clenches his hands. The animosity in the air is enough to make me curl my shoulders as I try to sidle out of the middle of the group. Julian’s hand snakes onto my shoulder, holding me there, and the alpha’s eyes flick to it immediately.

“Let the lady go, Julian,” he says, almost mildly. “Before I make you.”

Adam steps forward. “You don’t tell my pack what to do, King.”

King.The other alpha was a King, too.

The alpha smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “But I telleveryonewhat to do. And if you want to stay for this evening’s entertainment, I suggest you fuck all the way off, until you’re out of my sight.”

My mouth gapes as I watch Adam fight to maintain eye contact. He can’t quite manage it, and his growl as he turns to me tells me just how much trouble I’m in.

“See you later, Nova girl,” he says, and there’s a vile promise in his eyes as he calls Julian off with a tilt of his head. “We’ll be waiting.”

Julian’s hand slides down my arm to my hand, yanking my fingers back hard enough to make me gasp before he releases them. They push past the alpha as he stays where he is, his carefree expression staying firmly in place and his eyes on me.

When they’ve gone, my limbs start to shake, threatening to collapse underneath me.

“Steady.” An arm gently wraps around me, worlds apart from Julian and his grabby, sweaty hands. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I choke. Moving away, I force myself to stand upright before I turn to him. “Thanks. For stepping in, I mean.”

He surveys me, green eyes tightening against golden skin. This close, he’s even more devastating. His scent, warm and spicy nutmeg, wraps around me as his eyes travel over my face and down, pausing on my arm. “He hurt you.”

The words are calm, but I can sense the tension in his shoulders as I glance down. Rapidly darkening fingerprints decorate the top of my arm like some fucked-up little tattoo, and I tug the edge of my dress down to try and hide it. “I bruise easily.”

If possible, his face darkens even more. “And you’re in the auction?”

“I don’t want to be,” I admit. “Was planning on finding a hiding place.”

His face slips into a grin, and I get the impression I’ve surprised him. “I thought omegas enjoyed the auction?”

Rolling my eyes, I brush down my dress. “Would you enjoy an auction if you knewtheywere waiting for you at the end?”

He takes a step closer, both of his brows flying up. “Maybe they won’t win.”

“They will.” I hold his gaze. “They won’t let anyone else have a chance.”

The grin spreads across his face. “Sounds like a challenge to me.”

As we watch each other, a tiny bit of hope opens up in my chest. Hope that maybe, just maybe, I might get out of this without being trapped with the Williams pack, first for thirty days and then for a lifetime.

It only takes a second for it to fizzle out.

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