Page 55 of Knot Unwanted: Part Two

Finn

The back room of Velvet Lounge reeks of spilled liquor and cheap cologne, the bass from the main floor thrumming through the walls like an artificial heartbeat. It’s barely big enough for all of us—me, Stone, Jax, and the four Ashgrave alphas who stand like statues on the opposite side of the room, watching us with predatory eyes.

Outside, betas and a few omegas dance for dollar bills and drunk alphas pretend this is their first time here. In here, we’re negotiating something far darker than a private dance.

The scarred one—Riordan Ashgrave—leans against the wall, eyes never leaving us. The scar bisecting his right eye pulls his face into a permanent half-snarl. Beside him stands the broad-shouldered alpha with a jawline like granite, arms crossed over his chest. He’s been introduced as Declan. The third, taller than the others with dark eyes that miss nothing, is Ellis. And the fourth, the one who unsettles me most with his pale, almost colorless eyes, is Connor.

They look different from how they did at the gala in their perfect tuxedos, but no less dangerous. Maybe more so now, in this environment that feels closer to their natural habitat.

I dig my nails into my thighs as Ren’s voice cracks through the speaker. That broken, raw tone I’ve only heard once before, when he pulled me from the wreckage of his car two and a half years ago.

“If I don’t make it?—”

My breath stops. The scar along my hip throbs where the seatbelt nearly gutted me that night, like my body remembers before my mind does.

No. Not again.

Jax cuts him off before he can finish, but the unspoken words hang in the air between us all the same. An apology. A goodbye. The last fragile thread of the man who used to press against me in the nest at night, whispering promises against my hairline while I pretended to sleep.

The Ashgraves don’t react, but Stone’s knuckles form into fists. Even now, after everything, Ren still thinks he has to face the dark alone. Still thinks he deserves to.

The phone clicks off.

Silence.

For a moment, no one speaks. The information we’ve just received hangs in the air between us: Ren is alive; he’s found Hailey; but he’s in pursuit of Caldwell alone while Heath is still out there.

Robert fucking Caldwell has my mate. If when we’d seen him at the gala I’d known… But I can’t dwell on “ifs”. Ifs won’t get my Hailey back.

“So,” Riordan finally says, breaking the silence. His voice is rougher than gravel. The Ashgraves smell…dangerous. Gunpowder, whiskey, and old blood, all wrapped up intosomething feral—a combination that makes my omega instincts prickle with warning. “What’s in this for us, Ironwood?”

Something inside me snaps. I’ve been holding it together—barely—since Hailey disappeared, and now this alpha, this stranger, wants to negotiate while mymate is in danger?

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I step forward before I can stop myself. I feel Stone tense beside me. “What’s in it for you?” I continue, voice rising. “How about stopping a goddamn trafficking ring? Is that not enough? Do you need payment to do something decent for once in your miserable lives?”

The room goes silent. I can feel the shift in energy, the way all four Ashgrave alphas focus on me with sudden, sharp interest. Stone and Jax move subtly, positioning themselves closer to me.

I don’t back down. I’m tired of playing the part everyone expects—the gentle omega, the one who needs protection. Not when Hailey is out there somewhere, terrified and alone.

A low, approving growl rumbles from Jax’s chest, barely audible but unmistakable. Heat rises to my cheeks, but his support emboldens me.

Declan, the broad-shouldered alpha, looks me up and down, his lips quirking into something between a smile and a smirk. “Adorable,” he mutters, just loud enough for me to hear.

My eyes narrow. “Try that again,” I warn, voice low and steady despite the anger churning inside me.

Stone steps forward, his massive frame radiating barely-contained violence. “You heard him.” His golden eyes burn with protective rage. “Say it again. I fucking dare you.”

Declan smirks, but his pack leader raises a hand, stopping whatever he was about to say.

I bare my teeth, stepping closer. “Listen well. I’m finished with alphas who think omegas should be seen and not heard. This is about Hailey.” My heart cracks as I say her name. “She’sout there with amonster, and you want to talk about what’s in it for you?”

Stone steps partially in front of me—not blocking me entirely, but establishing his presence. It’s both protective and supportive, a gesture I appreciate even as part of me bristles at needing protection. Jax comes up on my other side. The three of us. All that’s standing here out of our shattered pack. But for the first time in a long, long time, we feel like a pack again. We feel united.

“Finn’s right,” Stone says, his voice calm but carrying an edge. “We know what Ren did for you. He told us everything.”

The atmosphere shifts perceptibly. All four Ashgraves straighten, their expressions darkening in unison.

“About how he helped rescue one of your cousins,” Stone continues, “when he took down his own parents’ operation.”

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