Page 69 of Knot in Their Wildest Dreams: Part 1

And now, six years later, she was in my house, oblivious to who I was, sleeping under my roof and trusting me. I clenched my fists, forcing my breath to stay even. I had spent years searching for the person who destroyed my world. And now she was right here, and I could finally get answers.

I would break into Harringday’s servers, tear through the firewalls, dig through every digital grave they tried to bury. Somewhere in those files, there would be answers. I didn’t know what I hoped to find. A confession. A coverup. A clue. Something that would finally tell me the truth.

That would finally tell me whether Celeste Harringday had blood on her hands… Or if she was just another pawn, like the rest of us. And once I knew the truth?

Then, and only then, would I decide what to do with her.

Chapter 50

Celeste

The work emergency had been handled, and I’d allowed myself the rare luxury of sleeping in. The only thing missing was Dante. He hadn’t been able to stay the whole night, but the brief time I’d spent wrapped in his arms had given me the deepest rest I could remember.

I stretched, yawned, and let my thoughts drift to the day ahead. Now that I had a plan for the future, the ache I’d been holding inside knowing our contract would end soon had disappeared.

Despite all the obstacles, Pack Lockwood actually wanted me - and I wanted them back. I trusted them, so much that I asked them to help me through my upcoming heat. That was something real. Something that was going to be between us, only us, no contract, no publicity, just growing the fresh relationship that was blooming between all of us.

We could start courting for real - only us, no contract, no publicity, just growing the relationship that was blooming between all of us. I felt happy. Truly happy - something I hadn’t felt since my parents were alive.

Sometimes I thought about what they would think of me, if I was making them proud. They always believed I’d find a pack, build a life I loved, and rise to any challenge I faced. They saw strength in me, even when I didn’t. The pain of losing them never went away. But now, knowing I’d managed to run the family business and found a pack that truly liked me forme, I think they would be proud that I was becoming who I was always meant to be.

At some point I would have to tell my uncle, and eventually the board, about what was going on. I knew that would go over like a lead balloon. Manticore Tech was Harringday’s biggest rival, and I was sure the board would think it was a massive issue. They’d cry conflict of interest, demand emergency meetings, probably try to vote me outagainjust to “protect our intellectual property.”

But that was a problem for another day. There was always a way through. And I hadn’t come this far just to be scared of suits in a boardroom.

I looked at my phone and saw several missed calls, from Sterling of all people. That was weird. I made a note of it, but didn’t think too much about it. He didn't leave a message. I remembered that he’d been acting strange the last time I was home.

I decided to call my uncle, and he picked up right away. “How are things progressing, Celeste? That pack driving you crazy yet?” Oh, if only he knew.

“Actually, I have some updates on that. We might have come to some type of truce, to be honest.” I said, hoping to find a way to break my uncle into the idea of me having a relationship with our corporate rivals.

“What? That’s absurd, Celeste. They are your enemies. Did something happen?” He sounded frantic. Great, this was just what I had been worried about.

“No, uncle. Nothing happened. You know me, I tend to smooth things over with most people. I’m just saying if we worked as collaborators rather than rivals, everything would get solved.” I said.

“No, it wouldn’t. Do not trust them, Celeste! You still don’t know how they got the documents to blackmail you!” My uncle sounded heated, but I was starting to get frustrated. Everyone always told me what to think, and I had my own thoughts. He had no idea what they were really like.

“I’ll tell you more later. For now, this conversation is over.” I ended the call, seething. I needed to figure out who had leaked the documents, anyway.

At this point, Iwas sure they would tell me. After all, they’d already fessed up to the kidnapping, although I didn’t have proof of it. Not that I’d make an issue of it now. But I did need to talk to Liam and get him to tell me the truth about who was the internal spy. I should have asked about that last night, but there was so much going on after they admitted the truth about the kidnapping, and their feelings for me, that it slipped my mind.

Either way, everything was finally starting to fall into place. The chaos had quieted, the pieces were aligning, and for once, it felt like I could breathe. I’d found my scent matches in an unlikely pack, and for the first time, happiness didn’t feel like a distant dream. It felt real. Tangible. Within reach.

Like maybe nothing could ruin it.

Chapter 51

Dante

I hadn’t slept since I saw Celeste’s password. From the moment I memorized it, I’d been running on caffeine and pure obsession, eyes burning as I dug through every file I could find in Harringday’s servers. I needed answers. Proof. Something that would either confirm what I’d always feared… or absolve her completely. My entire future hinged on it.

Her laptop gave me access to personal documents, emails, calendars, everything. I combed through it all like a man possessed. But so far, I’d come up with nothing.

No evidence of embezzlement. No secret bribes. No orders signed in blood. Everything was clean. I’d searched through so many files to find evidence, and so far had come up empty handed.

Part of me wanted it to end there. Secretly, desperately, I wanted to find that she was innocent. That the woman I was falling for, the woman I couldn’t stop thinking about, that she wasn’t the monster I’d hunted for six years. Everything in me screamed to trust her, but the words of the murderer echoing through the phone before the gunshot that ended my cousin haunted me.

“Courtesy of Celeste Harringday.”

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