Page 108 of Knot All is Crystal
I spin and squeal with delight as I lock eyes with Atlas. I fling myself into his arms as Puck swears behind me. “What are you doing here?”
“I’ve been working with Lupine for a while now. The real question is, what are you doing here?” He hugs me tightly to his chest and looks at Wyatt. “Are we finally getting her out of Prism?”
“How the hell do you two know each other?” The sharp voice Wyatt cut off earlier belongs to a pale Alpha with monolid eyes and straight black hair that swoops across his forehead. He’s shorter, with a defined jaw, and dressed impeccably well.
“Atlas used to date my friend Tyler,” I tell the strange Alpha. “He’s helped me out several times when I went into heat.”
Puck snarls and yanks me from the Beta’s arms. Atlas snorts in amusement at the possessive caveman’s behavior. “Oh no, did I touch your toy?” He rolls his dark eyes at the enforcer. “But Crystal, can I assume you’re why this meeting was called?”
“I guess so.” I try to shrug, but it’s hard when Puck has his arm pressed tightly across my chest. “But honestly, I don’t know what’s happening here right now.”
“Right, right,” Wyatt’s drawl interrupts. “Let me introduce you to everyone.” He points at the Alpha with the scarred face. “You just met Harvey. He’s in the Hawks, the MC club, and one of my packmates.” Harvey winks at me and ticks two fingers off his temple in a salute. Wyatt nods his head at the Asian Alpha. “That’s Charles, also in my pack, and an asshole, so don’t let him get to you. He’s the money behind this operation.” The Alpha in question looks annoyed and rolls his eyes. “And then you know Atlas, it looks like.”
“You’re in their pack?” I ask him. It hasn’t been long since he was with Tyler, so this is a surprise.
His laugh is loud and, if anything, a little exaggerated. “Nah, not at all. Wyatt’s brother is a friend of mine, and he thought I could be of some use. So here I am. Trying to earn my keep.”
Puck’s arm finally relaxes from around me, and I take a small step away from him. “Well, I’m Crystal,” I say to the two new Alphas, holding my arms out wide, “also known as the Queen of Prism.”
* * *
“And you trust this group?”Emmanuel asks softly as he pulls me into his lap. We’re in the nest, just the two of us, while Maverick is at a gig. Gage tagged along to support him.
He was all nervous as if it were a first date. It was adorable.
“Honestly, I do,” I say. It surprised me how quickly I trusted these men, but I think part of it was Atlas’s inclusion with them and Puck’s association. My soul trusts Puck despite everything that’s happened.
Meeting Pack Lupine today helped me see his actions in a better light. They rescue Omegas who are being raped and abused daily, beaten and caged.
That’s not me.
That’s never been me.
I am being held against my will, under threat of my family being harmed, and I have the blighted bond, but that doesn’t compare to what the other Omegas are going through.
And okay, sure, I know that you can’t compare traumas, and someone having it worse doesn’t mean I don’t have it bad, but in this situation, it makes sense why I was left in Prism.
I was relatively safe. Others needed Lupine’s coordinated efforts more than I did.
I have to believe that eventually, Puck would have gotten me out. If he hadn’t been my scent match after this beating I took, he would’ve called Pack Lupine and developed a plan.
Puck made choices that maybe I wouldn’t have, but that doesn’t mean they werewrong.
“It’s a solid plan, I think,” I continue. “Puck has a pharmaceutical hookup that will get Atlas synthetic Omega hormones, and he’ll be presented as the male Omega Kieran wants. Lupine will then stage some chaos to get us both out. Atlas is trained and can protect himself if things get bad, and being inside with Puck should make it easier for him to get the girls from the pleasure dens to safety.”
“What’s next, though? Say they get you out. How do we keep Kieran from coming after all of us?”
I always knew that it would take a body bag to get me out of the Conglomerate.
I just thought it would be mine.
Do I tell Emmanuel that Puck is planning to kill Kieran and hand Prism and the Conglomerate over to the Hawks, Lunarcrest’s most notorious motorcycle gang? Despite Harvey’s friendly demeanor, there is a dark side to the organization, and he’s convinced the club can rein in the Conglomorate and get it out of the flesh trade if they can get rid of the current figureheads of those divisions.
“They have a plan,” is all I say to my gentle Alpha. “I trust that Pack Lupine, Atlas, and Puck will help free me from Kieran’s clutches once and for all.”
I bury my face in Emmanuel’s neck, letting his sweet custard and caramelized sugar scent fill my lungs and make my mouth water.
Would he taste like crème brûlée, too?
