Page 14 of Knot Forever

I gesture towards Seth with irritation. “Ask him.”

Seth raises his paddle again, waving it leisurely towards the stage. Adam Williams spins in his seat, face set in furious lines as he spots us. Seth waggles his fingers at him, and he frowns, his slimy second leaning in to mutter frantically into his ear.

Marcus tenses, leaning forward as he looks towards the stage. “That’s her. The omega I met earlier.”

His words finally catch my attention, and I straighten as Seth turns to give me the cockiest fucking grin I’ve ever seen. “Look at that, brother. Looks like we may have found exactly what Adam Williams wants, after all.”

Not dignifying him with an answer, I turn back to the stage, taking in the overdressed omega with new eyes.

Deep blue eyes stare out at the crowd, her attention focused somewhere behind us. She’s motionless, and my second view allows me to see what I missed the first time, thanks to that horrendous dress.

She’s beautiful.

My eyes slide to Marcus. He’s watching the stage with rapt attention, staring at the omega in front of us with possessive eyes. I’ve never seen my pack brother act possessive over any female. His sensitivities extend to touch, and as far as I’m aware, he’s never felt inclined to engage with anyone sexually.

But there’s something I’ve never seen before in his face.

Hunger.

Seth leans forward as he raises the paddle again. The crowd is starting to pay attention to the bidding as it ramps up, Seth’s latest offer taking us over the $50k mark.

“Relax, Asher,” he drawls confidently. “I have a plan.”

I hate last minute plans, and the fucker knows it. He smiles smugly as he stands up, and the crowd quietens.

“Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars,” he calls. The omega frowns, a furrow appearing between her eyes as she squints to see past the lights.

An angry growl rips through the air as Violet Maura laughs delightedly. “That’s quite a bid, Mr. King. Williams pack – any return?”

Adam Williams jumps out of his seat and stalks over to Seth. “What the hell are you playing at, King?” he snarls. “That omega is ours.”

Seth shrugs. “Didn’t see your name stamped on her forehead, Williams. Or your bite in her neck. Seems to me like she wasn’t that keen on your pack anyway.”

He leans forward, his eyes assessing as he addresses Adam in a low-pitched tone that only Marcus and I catch. “Don’t worry. We’ll takeexcellentcare of her.”

Adam spins, his finger pointing angrily towards the stage as he bellows. “Five hundred thousand dollars!”

Gasps ripple through the room as the omega looks down. I catch the shadow of fear cross her face before it returns to the bland expression she’s worn since I first looked at her. Her fingers twist into her dress.

She’s frightened of him.

My fingers tap against the tablecloth as I assess. We’re here to work out what makes the Williams pack tick, and it looks like a small omega with terrible fucking fashion sense might just be the leverage we need to make him back off.

Marcus leans into me, his voice urgent. “Asher.”

It feels like the whole room is holding its breath as I stand, moving next to Seth. He raises his eyebrows at me as I reach for the paddle.

“Don’t you fucking dare,” Adam hisses. “That bitch is mine.”

The Williams pack is wealthy. Very wealthy. But their bank account is a drop in the ocean compared to ours. We have money to spare, and this bastard needs to learn not to play with fire. It’ll only get him burned.

I raise my eyebrow at Williams as I lift the paddle. I’ve made my decision.

“Five million dollars.”

Seth throws back his head in a booming laugh as my eyes move to the stage, locking with the omega we’re taking home with us tonight.

And then all fucking hell breaks loose.