Page 102 of Believe It or Knot: Part Two

Goosebumps erupted down my arms and fear skittered along my spine as the scent of burnt chestnuts and charred oak reached me.

Gods, I wanted to vomit.

I sucked in a bolstering breath, but my heart refused to settle. It beat beneath my breastbone faster than the wings of a hummingbird.

“You’ve got this, Sweetness,”Jamison rasped.

Sweet Fates. I hoped he was right.

“Hello,little mouse.Isn’t this a surprise?”

My stomach twisted at the sound of his voice, and I turned in time to catch the malicious glint shimmering in Huck’s ruthless brown gaze.

It felt like all eyes were on us as he bent gallantly at the waist and captured my hand without asking permission. His fingers squeezed a little too tightly, and his smile bordered on a sneer.

“Seems I finally caught you. Surely you won’t deprive your old Alpha of a dance? It’s the least you can do after all the trouble you’ve caused.”

thirty-two

DEMI

Where Eli’sarms had been a welcomed embrace, Hucks’ were a cage I couldn’t escape. The heat that had been burning below my skin instantly cooled.

With the bar of his arm against my back, he tugged me too close and swept us around the elegant ballroom. To onlookers, we appeared to be a striking couple, my steps matching his broader ones as we danced in perfect harmony.

My skirt swished around my legs, flying behind me with every twirl. But his fingers squeezed mine enough to make me wince. His eyes narrowed into intense slits of anger as he stared down at me like a bear ready to rip me apart with his claws.

“What’s a timid, little,unclaimedOmega doing out without a chaperone?” Huck’s smooth timbre did nothing to soothe and everything to antagonize. “Did you think attending our soiree unattended would get our attention so you could beg us to take you back?”

My stomach tried to crawl up my throat at the idea that I’deverbeg them for anything—least of all to take me back. The idea was so asinine that I could’ve laughed. Or vomited. Either one, really. It was as equally nauseating as it was hysterical.

But he wasn’t all wrong. Ididwant their attention.

“You’re only partly incorrect. Well done.”

Huck growled, the sound a low, menacing warning. “Which part?”

I smiled sweetly, knowing it came across sarcastically. “That’s for me to know and you to find out, I suppose.”

“Careful. Don’t piss him off too much, Sunshine. He’s got his hands on you. He could hurt you before I could get there to stop him.”Knox growled the last part like he couldn’t stomach watching this from the shadows.

I didn’t blame him. I could barely stomach it either.

The song changed, and Huck growled at the few Alphas who dared come close enough to ask for the next dance, intent on keeping me for himself.

Strings blazed to life, another elegant tune, and Huck whirled me in line with the other dancer.

“If only I’d known…” he growled beneath the beats of the quartet.

I turned my head sharply away, looking for any familiar faces in the crowd as I spun past. An ally. A friend. Anyone who could intercede and get me out of this vile man’s arms. My skin crawled everywhere he touched.

“We’re still here with you, Sweetness,”Jamison reassured, voice quiet enough not to be overheard through my earpiece.“You’re doing great. Keep Huck occupied and get to the front of the room.”

Right. This may not be part of the plan, but I could use our dance to my advantage. I could usehimfor once.

“Known what?” I asked saccharinely, taking the bait as I gently nudged him toward my destination.

“How much trouble you’d cause. I wouldn’t have held back so much had I realized how resilient you are and what a pain in my ass you’d become.”

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