Page 49 of Tied in Knots
His almost desperate tone catches me off guard. I expected arrogance, smugness, even. My hesitation gives him time to get out of my grip and to his feet.
I stand up, not ready for him to be let off yet. I grip his shirt again and slam him up against the walnut panelled walls. “I’m listening,” I snarl, although whatever he has to say will only delay his painful death.
“I didn’t mean for it to happen. I didn’t set out to seduce her. You have to understand that the way it happened took me by surprise, her as well. This wasn’t devised to disrespect you or hurt you. I know I’ve done both, as well as disappointed you. She went to take a shower and when she came out of the bathroom, she was dressed only in a towel. In hindsight, we both realise that she forgot to take a change of clothes into the bathroom with her. If it had beenanyoneelse, Seb, I would have turned around and walked away. But it washer. I tried. I really tried to stop myself. I asked her twice to tell me to stop. She didn’t. She didn’t want me to. I’m not blaming her. Not at all, this is solely on me. I should’ve had more restraint. But it’s been so long since I gave in to my alpha instincts. I’ve been the epitome of well-behaved. But Faith, in a towel, so close to her heat scrambled my better judgement. I went to her, and I took her. With her absolute consent. I’m sorry. I really am, Seb. You know that I would never disrespect you as my friend, or my alpha prime in this way intentionally. I know it doesn’t help.”
I don't know what to say. I’m so fucking furious with him, I could kill him. “I told you to keep your hands off her,” I roar in his face.
“I know,” he replies softly. “I know.” His moan of sorrow does cut through me, just a tiny little bit. But I tighten my grip on him and shove him up against the wall harder.
“Did you bite her? Did you claim her?” If he has, so help me God, he will die right now.
“No. I wanted to, Fuck, Seb, I almost did. But I stopped myself in time. I bit her shoulder instead.”
“Christ’s sake, Ben! Which part of ripping out all your pubes one by one did you think was an idle threat?”
“None of it,” he says, eyes lowered. “You are right to punish me. If you want to spend the next few months with some tweezers, I’ll accept it. If you want to hurry it up and give me a wax, I won’t complain. I deserve it and more for what I did to you, to her and to this pack."
“Fuck’s sake,” I growl and let him go. “You’re an absolute knob.”
He looks back up. “I know.”
“I’m not going to rip your pubes out. It’ll be over too quickly, even with the tweezers. What I will make you do is wait. If Faith gives us the go ahead to be with her during her heat, you will wait. You will be last, the absolute last one she takes. You will watch all of us knot her, our cocks covered with her slick and you will sit and wait and not even touch her. Once she is satisfied, on the very last day of her heat, then you can take her. Got it?”
He lowers his eyes again, but I saw the fury flash in them. He is beyond livid, but I don’t give a shit. He shouldn’t have done what he did, and he knows it.
“Fair enough,” he mutters.
I step back from his personal space. He strides to the door and pauses.
Looking back at me, his eyes full of sorrow and anger, he says, “Don’t take this out on her. This was my fault. She doesn’t deserve to be raked over the coals about it. Please, don’t blame her for this. If you have to double my punishment, then go ahead, I’ll take it.”
I ignore him.
He sighs and leaves me alone. The rage bubbles up even more now that he’s gone. I turn with a growl and swipe the entire contents off my desk and onto the floor. It all goes crashing down. One of the glass paperweights smashes as it flies so far across the room, it hits the fireplace.
I have no words, only anger and betrayal. Two emotions that need to be gone by the time I see Faith in the morning. I know she has spent time with Harvey and has gone up to her nest now. She will sleep until morning, and then it’s my turn to spend time with her. I don’t want it tainted with these feelings. I will let her know how angry I am, but calmly and without the emotion clouding my judgement.
I march over to the side table and pour out a glass of Scotch, right to the brim. It’s probably a quadruple, but I don’t care. I need it to numb the pain that is currently trying to worm its way into my heart.
I sit on the small sofa to the side of the roaring open fire, ignoring the broken glass and the desk mess. I glare into the flames and sip my Scotch until I feel my eyes burning with exhaustion and I close them, just for a few minutes.
* * *
My eyes snap open to see an Angel hovering over me.
“Faith,” I croak, my voice hoarse with lack of sleep and too much Scotch.
“Morning,” she says with a beautiful smile. “I’d ask if you’re ready to spend some time together, but it looks like you could do with a bit longer.”
I rub my head and sit up.
Her eyes go to my hair. Her smile widens as she leans over to smooth it down. It’s the cutest thing ever, and I smile at her. “Give me ten minutes to shower and change and I’ll be with you. You’ll probably go into your heat tomorrow, so you need to see me and Xander today.”
She nods and steps back. “I’ll be waiting.”
I give her a grim nod and get to my feet. Neither of us has acknowledged the mess, so I continue to ignore it and walk out, heading upstairs to shower and get my head on straight.
Ten minutes later, I walk back into my office dressed in black jeans and a casual black shirt. Faith is dressed in the same jeans we abducted her in, although now washed and pressed and a white shirt which accentuates her glorious tits. I make a fist to stop myself from shouting at her about what she did with Ben, and instead watch her as she bends down to pick up the last remaining thing from the floor and place it on the desk.
