Page 40 of Knight With Benefits

“Omegas could rule the world if alphas would just get out of their way, and probably do a better job of it. Our aggression gets in the way of logic sometimes. There’snothingyou can’t do.”

I’d thought I was saying the right thing when she’d huffed a laugh and color returned to her cheeks, but then tears gathered along her lashes and panic gripped my insides.

“I can’t stop them from claiming me.”

Her broken whisper tore at something inside, cracking open that dark void I kept locked away. My bear roared, turning my purr into a rough growl that filled the area around us as black claws extended from my fingertips.

Gwyn’s eyes went wide, the tears spilling over, but she didn’t try to pull away from me. I wasn’t sure I could handle thinking she was scared of me, so I tried to rein it in.

“I won’t let anything happen to you.”

The words were hard to make out through the battle I was having with my animal side. I thought I saw another spark in her eyes before it went out and she ducked her head.

“This isn’t something you can prevent. They’re going to come for me, and I won’t have a choice. If I fight, they’ll just take me back and lock me up until I go into heat. It’s getting close. And once I do, I won’t even want to stop them until it’s too late.”

My arms rippled with fur, muscles bulging as my bear tried to take over. He was sure Gwyn was ours, was ready to claim our omega before anyone else could, and he didn’t care about consent or permission. She liked us enough to let me have her the day before, and that was good enough for him.

I clenched my jaw, teeth gritting as I struggled to stay in control. I didn’t want to scare her, but I was going to if my bear won.

“Gwyn.”

I reached out, careful of my claws, and put one finger under her chin to force her to look up at me.

“I can protect you from that, too.”

I felt the way she trembled as she met my eyes. I knew they would be glowing orange with how close my bear was to the surface, but I was more worried about her running from me because of what I’d suggested.

She wanted freedom.

Independence.

She wanted to prove she could make it on her own, and I believed whole-heartedly that she could.

But I was suggesting she willingly give up her independence before it was forcibly taken from her by the alphas she feared. I might not have been a complete stranger, but she didn’t know me well.

The Gwyn I had met at the bar would have rejected the idea immediately.

Would have forced me out of her life for suggesting it.

But the scared omega kneeling before me hesitated, chewing on her bottom lip because she didn’t want to accept, but thought she might not have any other option.

And that wasn’t how I wanted her to agree to take my bite.

“We could disappear. I could take you out to the mountains, too far from anything for them to find you. I know a place where you would be safe.”

She drew in a breath and lifted her head, letting it out in a slow stream as she seemed to pull herself together before shaking her head.

“I’d have to stay hidden forever and give up everything I’ve been working on. I wouldn’t be able to see my sons—Son.”

My heart broke over the way she stopped and corrected herself. I knew how hard it could be to cut off family, even when they’d hurt you.

“We could go there and wait out your heat at least? Buy you some time?”

She shook her head again, and the Gwyn I knew started to appear.

“It wouldn’t matter. They’d wait until I returned and then lock me away until the next. And it wouldn’t be safe for you. They’re part of the Purists, and they’d use any connection to me as a reason to go after you.”

For a moment I was stunned. The Purists were our greatest enemy, yet the mate of one of them had slipped into our community without any of us knowing.

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