Page 98 of Knot Her Mountain Men

The new computer was a dream. I had some images and footage already uploaded to the cloud, plus everything I’d worked on there before, so the only things truly lost were the photos and video from my most recent trip with Brandon. Seeing his face on my screen now made my stomach turn as I scrolled through the folder.

I searched for the hatred in his eyes, looking for what might’ve led him to do what he did. I wasn’t certain I would ever understand what drove someone to those lengths, at least not when their own life wasn’t at stake.

Brandon was a mystery I would probably never solve and I had to be okay with that.

I spent an hour or so putting together the start of a new post to update people on my well-being since I knew I’d get nothing but questions if I posted anything else before that, and then I clicked into the email connected to my blog and channel. I scrolled through tons of messages from people saying they hoped I would be found safe, and newer ones relieved I had been, but one in particular caught my eye.

From: Steven North

He was part of our mutual friend group, a standoffish alpha who probably only tolerated my presence because of Brandon.

Shit, Morg. I never really liked you, but I never wanted you dead. I’m not going to hand him over to the cops so I’ll leave that to you.

Below that was a link to a private video. I hesitantly clicked on it, already stress sweating over what it could possibly contain.

Ryder looked up from his desk. “Why do you smell like burnt sugar? What’s going on over there?”

A moment later Bear appeared in the doorway, probably summoned by the twisting nerves I was blasting at him through the bond.

“Someone from my friend group emailed me through my website. There’s a video link attached.”

“Do you want company or would you rather watch it yourself?” Ryder asked.

I chewed my lip, considering. “I wouldn’t mind some emotional support. I don’t know what’s on it, but it sounds like it’s about Brandon.”

Both of them immediately moved to my side, Bear pulling his desk chair over to sit next to me and Ryder putting a comforting hand on my shoulder.

I hit play and ice flowed into my veins. The video quality was terrible, and the angle was like the phone was on the ground, but I recognized Brandon in the bonfire light and a couple more members of the friend group hovering nearby. I assumed Steven was the one recording since he wasn’t visible.

“Calm down, dude,” Steven said off-screen.

“Fuck off. How am I supposed to calm down? How the fuck is she still alive? I should’ve done a better job of it.”

Only silence came in response to that besides the crackling of the fire.

“A better job?” Steven asked. “What do you mean? I thought she got lost in the storm.”

Brandon took a long drink out of a bottle of whiskey. “She did.”

“’Fess up, man,” said John, another member of the friend group. “Did you finally do something? Snap out there in the woods? I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”

Brandon hurled the whiskey into the fire, the flames whooshing into the air as the liquor combusted. “Selfish little cunt turned me downagain. What the fuck is her problem? Fuck, Paul, I should’ve done what you suggested.”

“What did Paul suggest?” Steven asked.

“More than she deserved,” Paul said with a laugh that nauseated me. “Brandon wanted that pussy so bad I told him to lock her up somewhere until she went into heat. She’d beg him to do anything, he could sneak in a bond, and she’d be stuck with him. Pussy on tap for life. That’s what I did with Maisie. Stupid bitch thought she could run away for college and now she has three kids, so she’s not going anywhere.”

I hit pause and turned to empty my stomach into the little trash can next to my desk.

Ryder held back my hair and Bear stroked a soothing hand down my back, though the pulsing rage I felt from him in the bond didn’t help the situation.

Fury and anguish burned hot in my gut. What kind of person talked about these things, let alone actuallydidthem? They probably talked like this all the time, and not a single one of them called it out. Did they all hate us that much?

At least I knew my uneasiness around them all these years was for a good reason.

I sucked in a shaky breath. It was beyond fucked up that I wasgratefulBrandon had only abandoned me in the woods to die rather than doing to me what Paul had done to Maisie. She was living my nightmare. It was almost exactly what I’d always feared would happen to me but hadn’t quite convinced myself it was a real risk.

I knew better now.

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