Page 107 of Knot All is Crystal
“He’s trying to make sure you don’t see your pack, yeah,” I tell her sheepishly. “Obviously, I didn’t follow you today. I was planning on telling him you had a casual day at work and went home alone.”
She straightens her mussed clothes and runs her fingers through her hair. “Then I’m coming with you.”
“Woah, Omega, no, ma’am,” Wyatt says, holding his hands up. “You’re not a member of the org, and I can’t let you come.”
She takes several large steps forward, pushing her finger into the massive Alpha’s chest. “Listen here,Alpha,” she sneers, “I may not be a part of your organization, but this is about me. This is my life. My family. My pack. And I’m sure a lot of this plan will revolve around me. I’m coming. I’m going to be a part of this. Kieran may not trust me, but he wants me. I’m sure we can use that to our advantage. I’m done lying down and taking what he offers me. I’m out for fucking blood.”
He whistles low, placing a hand on her shoulder, and smiles broadly. “You got your hands full, huh, Puck?” he asks without looking at me. “She’s all sharp edges.”
I hum, remembering how she felt wrapped around me, and her lips pressed against mine. “Not all of her.”
FORTY
The car rideto Lupine’s headquarters is quiet. I don’t know what to say to Puck after everything that has unfolded between us.
I recognize that he thought he was doing what was right, even if it was selfish. I wasn’t in the same danger as other Omegas daily. I can also accept that he hid his Alpha status because, ultimately, he’s used that to save others.
What kind of person would I be if I held that against him?
But I still feel like shit knowing that my scent match was beside me for so long.
We could’ve been happy together all this time.
The back of my neck itches, and I rub it absentmindedly as I stare out the window.
“Is it bothering you?” Puck asks softly.
He doesn’t have to say what he means.
“Yeah. It’s been feeling hot and itchy lately. At first, those couple of doses of fizz I had seemed to fade it. I entertained the idea of taking a bunch of it to see if it faded entirely, but I knew he’d bite me again as soon as he found out.”
Puck’s large, warm hand circles the nape of my neck, and I immediately relax into it. “There are potential side effects to a blighted bond that I worry you may be experiencing,” he says with a measured voice. “Namely, heat dysregulation and rejection syndrome.”
“Heat dysregulation?”
“Your body will start to go into heat more erratically, or more intensely, to try to burn the bond off or cement it. From what I can tell, your heats are pretty regular, so I have to imagine they’ve been getting more intense, haven’t they?”
I squirm uncomfortably. Just because Puck is my scent match doesn’t mean I want to jump into discussing my heats with him immediately. Of course, he knows the schedule because I take time off work, but damn, can’t there be a little mystery in our relationship?
He notices how uncomfortable I look and continues. “And rejection syndrome happens when a bond is repeatedly not reciprocated. It can make you feel off-kilter, tired, and weak. Kind of like a cold that won’t go away. Some reports say there are psychiatric symptoms associated with it.”
“But it’s been four years. Why is it happening now?” My heats have been steadily getting more intense, but I thought that was because I was getting older. And everyone feels tired and weak when they work two jobs like I do.
“You’re strong, Crystal, but even you aren’t strong enough to hold the negative effects at bay forever.” He pulls us into a spot at a run-down strip mall and parks the car. There are signs for a dry cleaner, a tattoo parlor, a dog groomer, and a weight loss clinic.
I scramble out of the car after him and follow him into the doors under the sign that reads, “Pet Paradise Salon.”
Inside are tables with leash hooks, big industrial vacuum hoses, razors, shears, and even shelves of treats and shampoos to take home. This is a functioning business to the naked eye, but I know it must be more since we’re here.
Puck doesn’t speak as he leads me behind the counter. I already hear a buzz of male voices.
“I understand, but I made the call,” I hear Wyatt say over a sharper voice. “They’ll be here in a minute.”
“Nah, they’re here now.” Just as we turn the corner, I lock eyes with a man who’s got a brutal scar covering half of his face. He’s reclining back in a chair, the untouched part of his face tilted up in a smirk. Curious eyes flash as he stands up, extending a hand to me. He’s an Alpha and wearing a motorcycle cut with dirty denim. “Hello there, beautiful. I’m Harvey.”
“Crystal,” I say with a smile. “Nice to meet you, Harvey.”
“Crystal?” a familiar voice says, shocked. “No fucking way.”
