Page 59 of Forget me Knot
Max and Sam stay silent as the walls close in on me and I push Jack away, stumbling for room, for air. My arms flail as Jack stares at me, his gaze telling me how scared he is.
It triggers something deep inside my soul that helps me gain control of my body again.
I gulp back air, and after a few moments, I manage to steady my breathing and calm the racing thoughts in my head, drawing in Jack’s earthy scent that settles over me and calms me.
As my breathing steadies, I look up at Max and Sam, both watching with deep concern etched on their faces.
The silence in my flat is deafening. I can hear my own heartbeat, rapid and unsteady, as I look at the three alphas standing in my living room. Jack’s eyes meet mine, a silent encouragement in their depths. He knows what I’m about to say, the secret I’ve kept buried for five long years.
Sam and Max, however, look confused and more concerned by the second. They can smell my anxiety, the sour note of fear that’s creeping into my scent despite my best efforts to stay calm.
“Lily?” Sam’s voice is gentle. “What’s going on?”
I take a deep breath, willing my hands to stop shaking. “There’s something I need to tell you. About my past.”
Max’s brow furrows. “Okay. We’re listening.”
I glance at Jack again, drawing strength from his steady presence. He nods slightly, and I begin.
“Five years ago, I... I was sold to the Omega Trials.”
The words hang in the air, heavy and oppressive. Sam’s eyes widen in shock, while Max’s face darkens with anger.
“What?” Sam whispers.
I wrap my arms around myself, suddenly cold despite the warm evening. “My family were in debt. They owed money to some bad people, and I was their ticket out.”
Max’s hands clench into fists. “They sold their own daughter?”
I nod, unable to meet his eyes. “It’s not uncommon, you know. The Trials... they pay well for young, scared, unmated omegas.”
“But the Trials are...” Sam trails off, his face pale.
“Horrific,” I finish for him. “Yes, they are.”
I sit heavily on the couch and drop my head into my hands. Jack sits beside me, his warmth a comforting presence. I reach for his hand, squeezing it gently. “Jack rescued me. He saved my life.”
The memory of that night floods back, vivid and terrifying. The cold, sterile rooms of the Trials facility. The leering faces of the alphas who came to inspect us. The bite on my wrist, burning and painful, binding me to the Trials.
“They put a binding bite on all of us,” I explain, my voice shaking. “To keep us from running. But Jack gave me a claiming bite, one of ownership. It broke the bond enough for me to be able to escape.”
Sam looks ill. “Jesus, Lily.”
“We ran, both of us, here and never looked back. Except for now…”
“Now the scouts are close by, and Emily’s pack wanted to sell her. That’s why that Nigel prick was sniffing around. He knew Emily was here, and he wants her back.”
Max is on his feet now, pacing the small confines of my living room. His scent is a potent mix of anger and distress. “So hecame to me to try to pit us against each other? What a fucking arsehole.”
He heads for the door, but Sam stops him. “Where are you going?”
“To find that prick and make him pay.”
“No,” Jack says, forcing Max to turn back and glower at him.
“No?”
“No. Not yet. We will, but Lily needs us right now,” he says quietly, gripping my hand. “We can’t leave her. If the Trial scouts know she’s here, she will be dragged back and punished for leaving them.”
