Page 43 of Tying the Knot
He digs the knife further into my neck.
I cry out and lock a frightened gaze onto Elijah’s, but he is calm and cool, and it relaxes me.
“Tell us what you’re after, and we can figure this out, just let her go,” he says, holding his hand out.
“This bitch has something of ours, and we want it back,” another of the thugs says, getting to his feet, battered and bruised from Kaleb’s attack.
“I—I don’t have anything!” I stammer. “Please.”
“We know he sent it to you. Give it back, and we will kill you quickly instead of drawing it out for days and days.”
“You fucking hurt her, and I will end you,” Elijah growls as Nik and Kaleb prime their bodies, ready to pounce.
My thoughts are scrambled.
I have no idea what they want.
Until I do.
That lockbox that Adam sent.
I try not to look at the cupboard where it is, but I’m not trained in being covert. I’m just me. My gaze lands on the wardrobe, and the closest one to it, rips the doors open and lets out a noise of satisfaction. He drags the box out and searches through it, discarding the letter from Adam and the deeds to the house.
“Take it!” I scream, scared for my life. They have the box now, which means they’re going to kill me. Elijah isn’t going to be able to stop it. He’s too far away. I’m going to die without ever knowing mytruefate, my true pack. It is them. I know it. My body doesn’t lie. My omega doesn’t just fling itself into breeding mode around every alpha I come across. She knows. She wants. She craves. She has staked the claim on them, and the rest of me needs to fucking catch up.
My mated bond has already broken to Pierce, Alfie and Rich. I felt it when Dylan was taking care of me. Adam’s bite still tingles on my neck in the presence of these other alphas. I close my eyes and will it to go away. I don’t want it there anymore. I want every trace of him gone from my life. I want the chance to be happy. Truly happy with a pack that will love me and not just use me.
“Please,” I whimper. “Please just take the box and let me go.”
My eyes snap open as he shoves me forward, walking me over to the door. The other alphas who are with him follow quickly, leaving with the box and leaving just me with a knife digging deeper into my neck.
He turns me to face the inside of the room, and then he gives me a forceful push, so I stumble forward into Elijah’s arms as he is there to catch me.
“Go!” he roars.
Kaleb, Nik and Dylan lunge for the door to chase these guys down.
His body pressed close to mine, his arms wrapped around me, Elijah looks down from his considerable height and brushes my hair from my face. “Are you okay?”
I nod, dumbstruck. I want to tell him what I know. I want to kiss him and have him hold me close, stroking my hair while he tells me everything will be okay.
He wipes some blood away from my neck that is trickling down, his gaze hyper-focused on that one spot.
The bite that Adam gave me.
He made the other three share a spot on the other side, saying that as prime alpha, his bite needed to take precedence. I didn’t know any differently at the time. I accepted everything he said, everything he told me, because who was I to argue with him?
“Elijah,” I rasp and then my knees buckle.
He scoops me up and carries me back to my nest. He lays me down but then respectfully steps back.
“You’re in heat,” he murmurs.
I nod.
He groans and turns away, punching his fist into his gut. He stalks off, slamming the door behind him, leaving me alone and terrified that those guys will come back because the door is broken, leaving me even more vulnerable.
I open my mouth to call out to him not to leave me when the door bursts open again, bouncing off the wall as I shriek with terror, but when Elijah storms over to me, his face a mask of fear and desire all mingled into one expression that the omega responds to with a loud, possessive purr, he drops to his knees on the side of my nest and grabs my feet.
