Page 105 of Knot All is Crystal
I thought I could have something. I thought maybe, just maybe, I could snag some semblance of normal for myself, even though I have spent the past four years swearing off packs and being adamant I wouldn’t form one.
All it took was meeting the right people, I guess.
My elbow connects with the stomach of the man who is dragging me through the alley, and he swears loudly. I stomp his foot with the heel of my modest pump and do my best to wiggle out of his grip.
He swings me around, pinning me against the brick wall with a forearm to my throat. I finally get a good look at him and am shocked to see he’s handsome. He looks like the type of guy who would make eyes with you on the other side of the bar, and you wouldn’t feel weird when he sends you a drink.
The man bares his teeth at me in a snarl, and his face transforms into something grotesque and fearsome. “You’re going to pay for that. I can’t wait to hear them make you scream.”
As he leans down, as if to scent me, he’s yanked backward, leaving me slumping, no longer supported by the pressure he was putting on my throat. A massive Alpha has him pinned to the ground with one foot on the chest and is kicking him with the other. The Alpha turns to look at me and gives me a broad, charming smile. “Hey darling,” he says in a deep southern drawl. “You wanna close your eyes for me real quick?”
I decide it’s best to listen to him and squeeze my eyes shut. I don’t want to think about what the noises I hear could mean. Squelches, thuds, grunts, and groans. None of them can be good.
Eventually, a warm, gentle hand rests on my upper arm. “You’re good now, darling. Let me look at you and make sure you’re okay, will ya?”
I open my eyes and am surprised he’s so close. He’s got that weathered, tan skin I’ve seen on men who spend a lot of time outdoors and a military-style short haircut. His eyes are hazel and take up more of his face than I expected.
“There you are,” he says gently. “What’s your name, Omega?”
“Crystal,” I choke out.
“Crystal. That’s pretty. I’m Wyatt. Can you tell me what happened? How’d you end up here?”
My brain fizzles out momentarily as I gaze at the strange Alpha. “That’s a loaded fucking question,” I eventually say. “But I’m assuming you mean in the alley. He dragged me by my hair off the street.”
“Where were you when he grabbed you?” Wyatt steps back from me and crosses his arms over his broad chest.
“I had just left the Omega Affairs office.”
“Alright, that’s what I feared. You got someone you trust to get you? I don’t want to let you run off alone.”
I could call anyone from my pack, but I only want to call Puck for some reason. Deep down, I know he’s the best choice to deal with this situation. His phone rings several times before he answers.
“Puck?” My voice is shakier than I thought it would be. “I need you to come get me. Something happened.”
“Puck?” the strange Alpha asks, yanking my phone from me. He holds it up to his ear. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
THIRTY-NINE
“Well, I’ll be damned.”Wyatt sounds smug, almost gleeful, as he speaks to me through my Omega’s phone.
“What are you doing with Crystal?” I snarl. I’m snagging my keys and wallet off my table and running out to my car in seconds. “What happened?”
“Stopped her from getting grabbed off the street,”he tells me, and my stomach bottoms out.
We’ve seen an increase in Omega abductions over the past few weeks. Betas are also going missing, but at a slower rate. We’re not sure where they end up, but from what we can tell, they’re not being trafficked.
The thought that Crystal may have ended up one of them if Wyatt hadn’t been in the area makes me feel ill.
“Is she okay?” My throat feels tight. “Is she hurt?” I can hear her in the background, clearly angry and trying to get Wyatt to give her the phone back, but he seems to be ignoring her for the most part.
“She’s fine, but may be a little bruised. Listen, Puck, is this who-”
“Yes, it’s her,” I cut him off. I don’t want her to hear whatever he’s about to say. “She’s the Crystal you’re thinking of.”
“She looking to go to lunch?”When discussing an Omega that we may need to extract from a bad situation, we always try to speak in code. If an Omega is looking to go to lunch, it means they need immediate extraction because they’re at risk of being hurt or transported from where they are now.
Not looking to go to lunch is a way to indicate that they’re stuck but not currently in any danger.
