Page 37 of Believe it or Knot

“Gage,” I say hesitantly. He doesn’t hear me, just pulls back his boot to kick him again. “Growly bear,” I say with more force. That get his attention. I don’t know if it’s from the nickname or the tone of voice, but his dark blue eyes meet mine and a jolt hits me like an electrical current.

“I’m okay,” I say softly. “I’m okay and he’s… not.”

Gage looks down and then back at me. His jaw ticks before he gives a grudging nod, but still places the sole of his boot on the alpha’s head. Like he’s considering stomping on him. For me.

Well, not only for me, but for me and Sorrel.

It’s really freaking sexy.

Swoon.

I shove the thought away as the dude groans and shifts like he’s going to get up, shake Gage off somehow.

“Stay down,” Gage snarls, boot pressing harder into the guy’s head. I think he’s just barely keeping himself from stomping, so I move a little closer to him, letting my soothing omega pheromones out as much as I can while nursing a throbbing headache and split knuckles.

Gage’s dark eyes find me, and I watch as his fists uncurl and his shoulders relax. He gives me a nod of acknowledgment. I give him a cheeky grin. “Sorrel would never forgive us if you went to jail for murder.”

He grunts and then turns his attention to where Gray is standing over Stephen Stillwell. The other alpha is bloody, lip split and swollen, a goose egg on his forehead, broken nose, red dripping onto the pavement soaking into the knees of his jeans where he kneels.

Gray bends and picks up the envelope from where Stephen smacked it, brushes off some dirt and debris and then offers it to the prime of the other pack. “This is a contract between your pack and the Cordova pack. It states that the debt incurred by Vivian and Paul Forbes has been paid in full by us, and we are now the holders of the loan. As such, your pack will have no further involvement with Sorrel Forbes. Any attempts to speak with her will result in legal action and your arrest.”

Stillwell snarls, his lip pulling back. “This is because of that little beta bitch? She’s ours. It’s only a matter of time before she caves.” Next to me, Gage shifts his foot off the alpha on the ground, inching toward the man who just will not stop fucking talking. “She’ll be our good little whore, spread her legs and let us breed her. She’ll be begging for it.” He grins up at Gray with blood smearing his teeth. “We won’t bond her, though. If you want her when we’re done, after we’ve used her all up, you can take her off our hands… for a price.”

Gray keeps his expression neutral, though I can feel his rage simmering in our bond. Rafe’s too, from where he’s got his two meaty hands clamped on the other two conscious members of their pack. It’s taking everything my alphas have to not tear these fuckers apart.

“We’re paying that price now,” Gray says, voice not giving away how very close he is to snapping. “By giving you the amount owed on the loan taken out by Mr. and Mrs. Forbes. Any attempts to collect the debt from Sorrel Forbes will be seen as harassment and assault.”

“You want her for yourself, huh?” Stephen says with a chuckle, unaware of the predator stalking toward him. “Not a problem. Why don’t we just share her, hmm?”

The guy at my feet opens his mouth to call out a warning, but a swift kick with my steel-toed boot to his temple has him going unconscious, just as Gage slips up behind Stephen and wraps his arm around his neck in a position I recognize as the prelude to snapping a neck.

I think the growly alpha might actually kill him.

“You’re going to want to stop talking about her like she’s a fuck toy you can just pass around, Stillwell,” he murmurs with chilling intensity against the other alpha’s head. “I’ve killed men for less. And I will happily snap your neck right here right now, if it means that Sorrel will never have to look at you again.”

“Fuck off, Wagner. You wouldn’t fucking dare.”

“Oh, but I would. For her I’d do fucking anything.”

Another low chuckle out of the idiot. “You always were pussy whipped.”

“Happily,” Gage agrees. My estimation of him rises tenfold in that moment. So does my attraction. Though I’m not sure anything will ever happen between us. He seems wholly focused on Sorrel. And I have to be okay with that.

I don’t blame him for it either. She is enchanting, delightful. Fucking gorgeous.

Gray’s lips tip into the smallest smile of approval, no doubt thinking the same as me. Or maybe he’s feeling how turned on I am? Shit. I bet that’s it.

I scramble to shut down my side of the bond as Rafe laughs and shakes his head.

“You mistake my meaning, Mr. Stillwell. The contracts are signed and notarized. The loan you held for Sorrel is now ours and believe me when I say the contract will hold up in court.”

Stephen’s mouth drops open and he splutters. I have no clue how Gray did that, but I have no doubt that he did. Even if he faked the Stillwell pack signatures, he wouldn’t have left it up to chance. I’m sure he has a set of the same contract somewhere with no signatures. He always intended to give them the chance to do the right thing, but he wouldn’t have left something like this up to chance.

He may not fully trust Sorrel, but he hates seeing someone being taken advantage of, almost as much as he hates being taken advantage of—though that doesn’t happen all that often anymore. No one would dare. He’s Grayson motherfucking Cordova.

“You can’t do this!” Stephen snarls, lunging forward, but not going anywhere, only pressing his neck further against Gage’s forearm.

“It’s already done,” Gray dismisses him.

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