Page 41 of Knotting Hill
“What did you say?” I grit out.
“I told her to stay away from you. I want you back, Russ, and I’m going to get you. You know you still want me.” Her tone has changed, completely shocking me. She is fucking delusional. “Join me outside.”
I swerve away from the kitchen towards the front door and yank it open. Emma waves at me from across the street, where she is leaning up against the small red-brick wall that separates the pavement from the park. She trapped me. I’ll fucking kill JP when I get my hands on him. I hang up and storm over the road, stopping in front of her, ready to end this once and for all.
“Stop spreading lies about me and stay the fuck away from Storm. Do you hear me, Emma? I’m not fucking about. This is serious, and you are being a complete bitch. Back the fuck off and stay away from me.”
“Ooh,” she says, pursing her lips. “So aggressive.” She blows out a breath and looks to the side. “Look, Russ. I know I fucked up, and I’m sorry. I still love you, and I want you back. I just want to make sure that no one is messing with this. I know we can work it out.”
“Fuck right off,” I scoff incredulously. “You don’t love someone and then cheat on them.”
“There were extenuating circumstances,” she says.
“I don’t give a flying fuck!”
“It was my first heat. You were out of town with the boys, and I didn’t know what else to do. Tony was…there,” she says in a hurry.
My blood runs cold, and I close my eyes. “Why did you never tell me this before?”
“Because when you found out, you wouldn’t even look at me, never mind talk to me.”
“If you cared at all, you would’ve found a way, text, email, letter, had someone tell me. You know I would have listened under those circumstances, Emma. But it doesn’t change anything. And it sure as fuck doesn’t mean we can pick up where we left off now. I’ve moved on, and you mean nothing to me anymore.”
Tears prick her eyes, the oldest trick in the book and one I realise now she used to do all the time. “Please, Russ. I’m sorry. I was so embarrassed; I didn’t know how to tell you the truth.”
“Emma, I’m going to say this one last time, and I swear to God you need to hear me. Don’t fucking mess with Storm. Our pack is serious about her, and you have just royally fucked things up. If we don’t come back from this, I will make sure your life is a living hell. Are we clear?”
She blinks, anger replacing the crocodile tears. “I don’t know what you find so fucking fascinating about her anyway. She was withFrancothe other night. What kind of desperate whore do you have to be…”
I let out a loud growl with serious intent. I’ve never, ever used it to force submission from an omega before, and I hope to never again. She stops talking and bows her head instantly, the omega inside her cowering to the alpha in me.
“Stay the fuck away from Storm and stop spreading these lies about us. Do I make myself clear?” I hiss.
She nods slowly, her hands trembling. “Yes.”
Without another word, I give her a look of disgust and turn to walk back to the house, practically kicking the door off its hinges with my anger.
“Sorted?” JP asks, standing with his arms folded in the entrance hall, Josh at his side.
“Sorted in as much as she will shut her mouth. Storm is another issue altogether,” I say with a sigh and rub my hands over my face as I kick the door closed behind me.
“We need to do damage control, and fast,” Josh says.
“Agreed,” JP says. “But first, we need to find out what Emma said. Did she tell you?”
I shake my head. “Just that she didn’t want anyone getting in the way ofus.” I sneer, getting angry all over again.
JP sighs with me. “So we can probably assume she told her you shagged or something.”
“Probably.”
“Great. Just great.” He turns and stalks off into the kitchen with Josh behind him.
I join them, and we sit around the table despondently as we try to come up with something that can fix this mess, knowing that it will take mountains.
Twenty-Six
Storm
