Page 107 of Knot Their Arrangement

It’s a vow I have every intention of keeping.

17

FEVERISH EXPECTATIONS

~KAMARI~

So warm…

Heat consumes me from the inside out, every cell in my body burning with an intensity that makes me want to claw my skin off.

The fever rages through my system like wildfire, turning coherent thoughts to ash and leaving only primal sensations in its wake.

Run. Hide. Escape.

My mind cycles through these basic commands as I race through an endless forest, though I can't tell if I'm actually moving or if this is just another fever dream. The trees blur together, their branches reaching for me like grasping fingers while shadows dance at the edges of my vision.

A whimper escapes my cracked lips as I stumble forward, my feet seemingly made of lead. Every step sends shockwaves of pain through my battered body, but I can't stop.Won't stop.The thing chasing me – the true monster wearing my ex-husband's face – won't let me rest.

Through the haze of delirium, a familiar masked figure appears in my path. The red and blue Xs of their eyes pulse in time with my racing heart, creating patterns that both hypnotize and comfort. Unlike the terror that chases me, this presence brings no fear – only a strange sense of safety that makes no logical sense.

Riot.

The name floats through my consciousness like smoke, there and gone before I can grasp it fully. I try to reach for the figure, but they remain just out of reach, those artificial emerald eyes watching me with an intensity that burns hotter than my fever.

Something blessedly cold presses against my forehead, briefly cutting through the inferno raging beneath my skin.

The sensation anchors me momentarily to reality, though everything still feels distant and dream-like.

"The new medication should break her fever," an authoritative voice cuts through the fog of my delirium. The words sound like they're coming from underwater, or perhaps I'm the one submerged. "But this reaction isn't surprising given the multiple compounding factors – physical trauma, psychological stress, and the impact of the crash."

I try to focus on the voice, to use it as a lifeline back to consciousness, but it's like trying to catch starlight with bare hands.

Other voices respond, but they sound far away as if speaking from the end of a long tunnel. Only the authoritative voice remains clear, close enough that I can feel the vibrations of his words in my bones.

"The scan shows signs of mild concussion, but thankfully nothing is broken," he continues, his clinical tone carrying an undercurrent of concern that makes me want to reassure him, though I can't remember why. "However, the combination of extreme stress and sudden exposure to multiple compatible Alphas..."

He trails off, letting the implications hang heavy in the air.

Even in my feverish state, I understand what he's not saying. My body burns not just with fever, but with something more primal and engraved in my genetic makeup.

My heat must be close…

"No," I whimper, the word barely a whisper as it escapes my parched throat. I’m not even sure if my word of revolt left my lips.

If I’m floating, dreaming, or hallucinating all of this.

The thought of experiencing my first heat now, after everything that's happened, sends a fresh wave of panic through my system.

The Knot Their Omega Movement's new laws are still being implemented, still trying to establish protections for Omegas in heat.

The timing couldn't be worse.

Then again, when has time ever played by my side?

"I know," another voice soothingly states, and something cool and damp replaces whatever had been on my forehead. Their touch matched with sweet scents immediately tame the bubbling panic rushing through me, giving me a sense of calm as I seem to float between consciousness and delirium.

"We'll do everything possible to delay it, but biology can only be suppressed for so long. Based on my analysis, you're already showing early signs. The timeline is..."

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