Page 33 of Knotted By the Demon

How the hell was she a beta? She felt alpha as fuck to me. And I was okay with that. I was more than okay with that.

“Yes, Little Fox,” I answered, making her smile. “Yes, I want you to bathe me.”

I wanted her to do more than just bathe me. But I needed to be clean for what came next. So, I told my omega to relax and just enjoy having someone take care of us for a change.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

GREEK

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The soft hum of the water filled the shower stall, mingling with the rhythm of my heartbeat. Sofia reached up, her arm brushing against me as she grabbed the towel she’d hung over the arm of the showerhead earlier. The small touch sent a ripple of warmth over me, anticipation threading through my veins as I watched her.

Her movements were unhurried, almost ceremonial. She rubbed soap onto the towel, her fingers working the lather until the soft scent of fresh rain and pine trees filled the air. The scent of Demon’s soap was clean, crisp, and comforting. Knowing he and Sofia had used that same bar of soap did things to me and my omega that made me blush.

She placed the soap back in its nook before she turned her attention back to me. I held my breath, my chest tightening as she raised the towel to my skin. The first press of the damp fabric against my chest was feather-light, almost hesitant, like she was worried I might break under her touch.

But that was impossible because her touch was so gentle. I tensed, my shoulders locking as she began to move the towel over me in soft, circular motions. The muscles in my chestburned with the effort to stay still, the fear of ruining this moment thrumming beneath the surface. But then she looked up at me, her hazel eyes so warm that a guy like me could get lost in them.

She murmured, “It’s okay. You can relax. You’re safe.”

She was misreading my body’s reaction. Could she not smell my scent in the air? Or was she so focused on taking care of me that she didn’t notice anything else? I exhaled shakily, releasing the breath I’d been holding as she worked her way across my chest. I tried my best to relax as I watched her.

She was taking this so seriously. I knew I should do the same. But my hands were itching to touch her. I swallowed, pushing back my desire, and took this moment to study the beta before me. Sofia stood so close, her head barely reaching my collarbone, and yet she felt larger than life.

Her damp red hair clung to her neck and shoulders, strands framing her face in a way that made her look wild and untamed – like a sly fox. Her brows furrowed slightly, her lips pressed together in concentration as she worked the towel over my chest. She wasn’t just washing me; she was studying me.

Her gaze flickered over my skin like she was memorizing every scar, every curve, every hard ridge of muscle. Her hands were so much smaller than mine, so delicate, and yet she wielded them like they carried all the power in the world. Those tiny hands had fought to protect me. How could I not give her my heart when she was so damn perfect?

For someone so petite, she filled the space with a presence that demanded attention. The way she moved was unhurried, confident, but not overbearing. She didn’t need to push, didn’t need to demand anything from me. She simply existed with a quiet authority that made me want to give her everything.

I held in my smile as she bit her lower lip, carefully cleaning me. She released a heavy sigh that drifted over my skin, makingme tense up. Her scent shifted, becoming darker. Worry. That was what was wafting off her. Worry and anger. She was worried about me. And she was angry at the state my body was in.

I thought back to all thegoodpeople at the compound who’d seen my wounds and just looked away. They hadn’t felt anger or worry for me. They’d felt only fear. Fear that if they said something, did something to help, they’d end up just like me. Not my beautiful beta. She was muttering under her breath about skinning people alive as she cleaned me.

Normally, I abhorred violence. I’d hated Nathan and Natalie because of how violent they were. But I was learning there was a difference between unnecessary cruelty and vigilante justice. I could see my beta dishing out some of the latter. And I wanted to help. I wanted to be strong enough to fight alongside her.

This little beta was changing me, awakening me, shaping me into someone different, someone better, someone stronger. Each swipe of the towel felt like a balm, not just for my skin but for that broken part of me that thought it would never heal. Her touch was slow, deliberate—not in the calculated way I’d grown to fear, but in a way that spoke of care, of consideration.

My throat tightened as I felt the sharp edges of old memories being dulled with every pass of her hands. When her fingers brushed near the edge of the bandages wrapped around my ribs, I flinched, a reflex I couldn’t control. She paused, her eyes flicking up to mine.

“Am I hurting you?”

“Never,” I rasped. “I mean, no. Not at all.”

She nodded, her gaze softening as she continued, careful to avoid the bandaged areas. Her movements were unhurried, her touch light but firm enough to remind me I was real, that she was real, and that this moment wasn’t something I was imagining. However, the memories of my past were fighting to stay relevant, fighting to keep their control over me.

Each time her hands moved, something from my past tried to claw its way to the surface. When she wiped over my chest, Nathan’s boots crashing into me flashed in my mind. He’d kicked me in my chest so hard that I’d fallen through the closet door. And he hadn’t stopped there. He’d proceeded to stomp on me.

Those blows had left me coughing up blood, gasping for air. Her hand on my chest was erasing those memories, replacing them with images of this moment, of her caring for me. When she rubbed the towel over my rib, a memory of Natalie sinking her claws into me, snarling at me that she’d tear me apart rib for rib popped into my mind.

Sofia raised her free hand and ran her fingers over my side, caressing those old wounds, replacing those horrible memories with images of her touching me. Now I know why I’d failed so many times when I’d wanted to end it all. I’d failed becausethiswas my future. I’d failed because, one day, I would be able to share this moment with her.

My heart went out to those who hadn’t failed. And there were many at the compound who’d succeeded where I hadn’t. They’d left this world feeling hopeless. I wish I could travel through time and help them see that there was hope out there. We just had to hold on a little longer.

If I could, I’d reach out to all those broken souls who needed to hear that. And there were many. I’d tell them to hold on just a little longer. I swallowed back tears as she continued to heal me, to bless me with her touch. I didn’t realize I’d closed my eyes until the darkness behind my lids felt softer than usual, not the suffocating kind of dark that came with pain and punishment.

Usually, when I closed my eyes, I saw their snarling faces in the darkness. Even that was gone now. I wanted to laugh. To shout. To rejoice. But I just smiled. Smiled and enjoyed hertouch. I let out a shaky breath, my omega purring louder now, thanking her for the healing she was giving us.

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