Page 89 of Knot All is Crystal
“Puck, what happened to Queenie?”
He reaches for her, and I feel something inside me crack. “Get the fuck away from her,” I snarl. “Now. Back the fuck up, Trey.”
He jumps as if I threw hot water on him. “Puck, man, what the fuck? Put her down.”
“You cannot take her from me,” I growl.
Trey gulps in fear, and I watch the way his throat bobs. My vision narrows, and I want nothing more than to rip his throat out for trying to take my Omega from me.
My Omega whines louder, burrowing deeper into my chest, and I feel the dam in my chest break open. I take off at a run, down the stairs, and to the pleasure dens.
It’s the only place I can think of right now where I can lock us in and keep anyone from getting to us. I don’t want anyone to look at her, to see her so hurt.
I couldn’t protect her, which is on me, but I will do everything possible to make up for my mistakes.
She needs me.
My Omega needs me.
Someone yells at me as I burst through the doors, but a growl is enough to keep them at bay. I keep up my harried pace until I get into one of the girlfriend experience rooms and gently place the Omega on the bed.
She curls up in a tight ball and doesn’t look at me.
Locking the door isn’t enough. I have to barricade it. I have to keep anyone from getting near her.
She will never hurt again. I will make sure of it.
It takes just a few moments for me to drag an end table and some chairs in front of the door, wedging the back of one under the doorknob. It may not keep someone out forever, but it will for long enough that I won’t be surprised and can keep her safe.
I pull off my shirt before climbing into the bed and cuddling her up against my bare skin, pushing her face into the crook of my neck.
The buttery, sweet scent of shortbread cookies overwhelms my senses as a purr rumbles my chest.
The meds burned off.
Rebecca warned me this could happen. She said if I met my scent match, there was a chance they would no longer suppress my Alpha nature.
I knew, or suspected, what Crystal was to me after that night in her nest. I felt on edge like I had been off the meds for days, and it must’ve been obvious to everyone but me.
But I lied to myself. I told myself there was no way I was complicit in how my scent match was treated. It was bad enough that I stood by as it happened to any Omega, but my scent match?
That would be unforgivable.
But there is no more denying it anymore.
Crystal Manson is my Omega.
And I have failed her, over and over, for four years.
I feel like I’m going to jump out of my skin. My body aches, and my instincts are going haywire. She’s here, in my arms, but it feels like someone is going to take her from me at any moment.
That she is still in danger.
Her body shudders, and then she looks up at me, blinking hazy eyes. I watch her nostrils flare, my scent registering, and then her eyes widen.
And she practically throws herself out of my arms.
“No!” I snarl, snagging her and holding her tighter to my chest. “No, no, no. Not safe,” My voice is unrecognizable. “Stay.” My purr is a little aggressive, but it still loosens her body. “Dangerous.”
