Page 48 of Knotted By the Demon

The room seemed to shrink as I spoke, my voice barely above a whisper. I told them about the day I’d been captured by the pack’s old alpha so I could one day become the omega of his twins, twins who used and abused me for years. I spared them the sordid details for my sanity and theirs.

“At the compound, the alphas who owned me didn’t love me. They didn’t even truly want me. I was just a possession to them. They... They kept me because of what I could do. I wasn’t important to them, not as a person, anyway. I was... useful. Or I was supposed to be.”

I paused, my hands finding the edges of a blue blanket on the bed. My fingers curled around the fabric, needing something, anything, to hold on to. Should I admit this next part or not? They needed to know. It was unfair not to tell them. But what would they do to me after I’d told them?

“I’m what you call a catalyst,” I continued, my voice trembling. “The alphas who owned me wanted me to change betas, turn them into omegas. They thought I was... special.”

A sharp gasp from Sofia broke through my words. My head snapped up, panic surging in my chest. Did she fear me now? Did she think I’d change her?

“But I’m not good at it!” I rushed to say, the words tumbling out in a desperate attempt to explain. “You don’t have to worry about that. I can’t do it. I don’t even know how. I did it once. But the beta I turned is only a part-time omega. Sometimes, she shifts from beta to omega, but it’s random and uncontrollable. She’s still a beta. A true beta. I’m not good at being an omega or even a catalyst. So don’t be afraid of me. I’m useless to you that way. I promise I’m no threat—”

Sofia cut me off, her voice soft but firm. “Greek, stop talking down about yourself right this minute. You’re breaking my damn heart, Little Rabbit.”

My breath hitched as her words sank in. She wasn’t upset with me. Her wide, expressive eyes shone with something else entirely. She was angry, but not at me.

“You’re not mad at me?” I whispered.

“So, you’re a catalyst. So what? You’re Greek. My Greek. And that’s all I care about,” she said, her tone fierce. “I’m angry that someone tried to use you to do something you didn’t want to do. No one should ever have that kind of power over you. No one.”

I blinked, my fingers still clutching the blanket as her words washed over me. I glanced at Demon, half-expecting him to say something about my abilities, about how they could be useful to him. He was an alpha, after all. And alphas needed omegas. The more, the merrier, according to Nathan.

But Demon didn’t comment on me being a catalyst. He just stood there, silent, his eyes locked on mine. There was no calculation in his gaze, no hidden motive. Relief hit me like a wave, and I exhaled shakily. My grip on the blanket loosened, and I let my hands fall to my sides.

“That’s all they wanted me for,” I admitted. “My ability to change others. But I couldn’t do what they wanted. I... I was a failure to them. I finally worked up the courage to escape, and I ended up in the bushes Demon found me in, clad in only my boxers because that was all they allowed me to wear. An omega didn’t need clothing, they told me.”

My confession hung in the air, heavy and raw. I couldn’t bring myself to look at them, couldn’t bear to see the pity or disappointment I feared might be there. I flinched slightly when Sofia’s movement caught my attention. She was walking toward me, her steps unhurried, as if she were waiting for me to tell her to stop.

I didn’t want her to stop. I wanted her beside me. Always. She stopped in front of me, so close that her scent wrapped around me like a comforting embrace. I held my breath, my body locking up as I waited to see what she would do. Would she touch me? Would she pull back, disgusted by everything I’d just told her?

I held my breath as she moved even closer. When her arms slid around me, pulling me into a warm, firm hug, I melted into her, relief coursing through me. And then I heard them, her soft sobs against my chest. She was crying. For me. My Little Fox was crying for me.

“Sofia...” My voice cracked as I spoke her name. “I’m fine,” I promised, my hands hovering uncertainly near her back. “I survived. Barely, but I’m here. I didn’t give up.” I swallowed hard, my throat tight with emotion. “I’m no longer as afraid as I was before. I want to live now. To experience life. And it’s because of you. You and Demon.”

My gaze lifted, searching for him. When my eyes met his, my breath caught. Demon stood there, his broad shoulders tense, his fists clenched at his sides. But it was his eyes that stopped me. There were tears swimming in them, threatening to spill over but held back by sheer force of will.

I couldn’t look away. Couldn’t do anything but meet his gaze and let him see everything I was too afraid to say. I was broken, damaged. I wasn’t a perfect omega. I wasn’t even agoodomega.

But here I was, standing before them, bearing my soul, revealing my flaws, and they hadn’t turned away. They hadn’t rejected me. They didn’t know how important that was to me. How happy that made me.

How happytheymade me.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

GREEK

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“What do you need?” Demon asked.

I swallowed, not entirely understanding the question. He jerked his head to the bed.

“For your nest. What do you need to make it perfect?”

Oh, right. My nest.My first nest. Sofia, still holding me, peeked around my body to stare at the bed. I sort of hoped she’d tell me what I needed.

She looked up at me and shrugged. “I want whatever you want, Little Rabbit.”

But what did I want? I returned my gaze to the bed. The nest was almost perfect. But it was missing something. Them! It was missing them. A blush heated my cheeks as I faced Demon, working up the courage to tell him what I needed.

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