Page 32 of Knot Heirs: Serenity's Reign

Serenity froze, her pulse pounding in her ears.

Her heart slammed against her ribcage.

A flash of copper hair caught her eye, and her heart slammed against her ribcage. It couldn't be.Not here, not now.But even as her mind struggled to process the impossibility, her body reacted on pure instinct, every nerve ending crackling with electricity as Ronan Drake materialized from the sea of strangers.

He moved with the lethal grace of a predator, his intense green eyes finding hers across the hustle and bustle as if drawn by some magnetic pull.

Serenity's mind was a whirlwind of shock and adrenaline, panic and defiance. He might as well have crossed the distance in a single bound. In one fluid motion, Ronan closed in, the crowd parting around him like water.

She stood, frozen as if all rational thought had short-circuited. Her body betrayed her again, responding to his presence with a heat that made her head spin. He was primal and unapologetically Alpha, and despite the chaos around them, he only saw her. It happened too fast for her to react.

Panic seized her, the feeling of being trapped overwhelming her senses. His speed made her dizzy, his control absolute. Serenity stumbled back, only to feel the rough wood of a market stall bite into her spine. She was surrounded; blocked in by his massive form. He'd backed her into a corner effortlessly, his arms braced on either side, making escape impossible.

It was a public place, packed with holiday shoppers and clueless bystanders, but his presence made it feel suffocatingly small like they were the only two in the world. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest, a deafening roar in her ears. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't do anything but focus on his overwhelming presence. Her thoughts were a frantic jumble, her mind scrambling to make sense of the ambush.

How the hell had he found her so fast?

Out of the Alphas meant to confront her first, she expected Lucian. Not Ronan.And meeting on her terms, not this.Her plans were unraveling as his breath fanned her cheek, hot and possessive. She cursed inwardly, fury rising. She needed to regroup, to think, to do anything but be at his mercy.

Ronan was a force of nature, unyielding and inescapable. The intensity of his presence alone eclipsed everything else, reducing the bustling market to background noise.

The distant sound of holiday music and laughter seemed to mock her, echoing cruelly in the charged space between them.She fought to regain control, to push back the dizzying rush of pheromones and adrenaline.

It was a goddamn nightmare—a nightmarish thrill she couldn't deny.

She looked up to meet his gaze, unamused and serious making her cringe before she gave a playful smile as she lightly touched his chest. The confusion got the best of him as he arched an eyebrow her way, as she whispered what would ignite another chase.

“Tag,” she whispered and pulled her hand away. “You’re it.”

Then she was running for the hills.

Serenity's mind raced for an angle, a way to turn the tables, but she was momentarily overwhelmed, caught in Ronan's relentless pursuit.

The Alphas might think they were the hunters, but they were about to learn that this Omega had claws of her own.

As she wove through the throngs of shoppers and revelers, Serenity's mind raced with strategies and contingencies. She might be outnumbered and outgunned, but she was far from helpless. She had the map, the access codes, and a lifetime of hard-won survival skills.

And most importantly, she had the element of surprise.

She’d get the hell away and show him that she wasn’t some helpless target. A new plan formed in her mind as she maneuvered blindly, adrenaline a fierce drumbeat. Off the main street, an old service tunnel would take her beyond the city. She just had to make it there without getting snagged. It was her best shot at escaping the trap that was closing in.

A few sharp turns and she’d be out of sight, but as she rounded the last corner, her escape plan went to shit.

She didn't expect Ronan to be this goddamn fast.

His body was like a wall of chiseled muscle materializing from thin air. He was one step ahead, and she crashed hardagainst him, a violent meeting of force and intention.Damn him and his relentless pursuit.Her body reacted on instinct, already preparing to propel back and save face, but he was quicker.

A single, decisive move and his arm hooked around her waist, cinching her tight against him before she could even hit the ground. He caught her, absorbed the momentum, and pulled her flush against his solid, unyielding form.

“Dammit!” She huffs, losing at her own game.

"Well, well," he purred, his breath hot against her ear. "Fancy meeting you here, little Omega, though I’ll admit. I’ve never played tag. It’s rather thrilling if you ask me.”

Serenity's tongue darted out to wet her suddenly dry lips, her traitorous body responding to his proximity despite the warning bells clanging in her head.

"Ronan. What are you doing here?"

Acting oblivious can get an Omega further than she’d ever admit.

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