Page 159 of Knot All is Crystal
Sebastian pushes a few pieces of paper in front of me. “There are several heat signatures when we do a drone flyover, and shipping trucks are making regular stops there. It’s worth us doing a recon mission.”
“All of us?” I can’t hide my giddy excitement at the idea of putting a stop to this.
Tyler deceived me. I fell for every lie he told. I never could have believed he was capable of something so heinous. I now realize that none of this is my fault, but I still feel guilty about how it all unfolded.
I worked with Tyler for years, and I never noticed. I had him in my nest, for fucks sake. Atlas was only at Prism that day as part of a plot to get me out.
Well, get me out and take down the Conglomerate, but still.
I lose sleep thinking about what they are doing to Atlas.
Will he ever be the same again?
My heart hurts for my friend. I just want him to be okay. I need to know that he’s going to be okay.
“I’m going to go first,” Wyatt says, pushing off the wall. Puck says the massive southern Alpha is an entirely different person since Atlas has gone missing. He used to be full of humor and flirty, but now he’s the opposite—a shell of a man. “And I’ll alert y’all if it’s the right spot, and we’ll raid it. I’m bringing that Beta home if it’s the last thing I do.”
* * *
It’s beena week since we raided the warehouse where Atlas was being held. I was happy to be there, to support Pack Lupine in getting him back. Tyler wasn’t there, so he’s still running his business from somewhere, but we’ll stop him.
After seeing what happened there, none of us will rest until Tyler is brought to justice.
“There’s nothing more you can do for him right now,” Emmanuel tells me as he strokes my hair. His legs stretch out, and I marvel at how much space we have in my new nest. Since moving in with Maverick, it’s taken me a bit to get it just how I want it, but it feels right now.
Black sheets stretch across the inlaid mattress, and silver, red, and cream pillows and blankets accent it. Pretty lights twinkle from where they run across the exposed beams in the ceiling, and the attached bathroom has a massive tub big enough to fit all of us.
“I know,” I say as I snuggle into my Alpha. I’ve had a stomach ache since dinner, so I stole Emmanuel to take care of me while the others cleaned up and fed Burger. “I just hate it so much. It was horrific.”
“Try not to think about it,” he whispers as he kisses my temple. “Pack Lupine is going to make sure he gets the help he needs to adjust to his new normal.”
My stomach cramps, and I whimper, rubbing it. “Ugh, I think I’m going to puke,” I say, maneuvering myself to stand.
“Wait.” My Alpha’s hands still my movements. “You’re fevered, mi amor.” He runs his hands up my arms, across my chest, and to my face. “Are you sure it’s not your heat?”
I think back to my last heat, right before I got tattoo number seventeen.
When was that?
So much has happened in three months that it’s hard to keep track of everything.
A cramp hits me again, like lightning, and I double over as a whine escapes me.
“Heat,” Emmanuel says definitively. “You smell fucking incredible.”
As soon as he says it, I feel fire crawl through my veins and slick pool between my thighs. The scent of crème brûlée fills my senses and threatens to overwhelm me.
He’s all I can think about.
I need a taste.
I need him.
I dive, shoving my Alpha to the cushioned floor of my nest and pulling at his clothes. He chuckles and discards his shirt before sliding out of his sweatpants.
But he’s still in his fucking boxers!
“Off!” I shout, tugging at them. He lets me get rid of the offending cloth and then sits back on his elbows, a smug smile on his face.
