Page 27 of Knot My MC
“Did Kiren even matter to you?” I ask with a shake of my head. “You were his friend.”
“Yeah, we were friends, but even he knew this was coming.”
His words slam into me and steal my breath. I think my heart stops beating. Every thought ceases inside my head and what Axel said plays over and over.
Even he knew this was coming.
He knew this was coming.
He knew?
Dad would never. Right? No. He wouldn’t.
“You’re lying,” I spit as my rage coats my scent with cinnamon. “You’re lying,” I say again, as if that’ll somehow make the words true.
“I’m not.” Axel smiles and slides his gaze to meet mine. “You were always going to be mine, Kiki.”
“He wouldn’t agree to that.” I look away, vision blurring from a fresh wave of tears. Dad was better than that. He loved me. He wouldn’t use me as a bargaining chip. He wasn’t like that. He wanted to send me to the omega dorms to keep me safe, but I wouldn’t let him.
“You know he killed those men that killed your mom, right?” Axel asks.
I shake my head. “You’re lying. She died in a car crash.”
“That’s what he told you.” Axel scoffs. “He really did a number on you, didn’t he?” His hand lands on my thigh. “Don’t worry, baby, I won’t lie to you like Kiren did.”
I shove his hand away. “Stop talking.”
“No. You need to hear the truth, Kiki. Your dad wasn’t a good man.”
Like hell he wasn’t. Sure, he might’ve done some illegal things, and maybe he did kill some assholes because they killed my mom, but that would be justified. They killed his mate. He killed them.
An eye for an eye, Kiks. It’s how our world works.
“Now that he’s gone, I can start telling you the truth.”
No. Now that my dad is gone he’s trying to turn me against him.
“You’re a piece of shit.” I blink the tears away and glare at Axel. “You can’t brainwash me into thinking you’re the good guy, Axel. You’ll never be the good guy, and I’ll kill you before you get a chance to knot me.”
His grip tightens on the steering wheel and his knuckles turn white. “We’ll see about that, won’t we?” Narrowing his eyes, he flicks his gaze to my tattoo—a bright blooming flower. “That tattoo is dumb.”
I don’t bother responding. As soon as I turned eighteen, I got the design. A reminder that even after the harshest of winters, spring will come and flowers will bloom. Dad loved it. Axel hated it, but it’s not like I was looking for his approval.
“After your heat, we’ll see about getting it removed.”
Much to his disappointment, my heat never came. There were a few moments I worried his command was working, but I think the ache and strange sensations I felt throughout the night were grief. As for his threat, I don’t react aside from clenching my jaw. He’s living for my reactions, and I’m trying my damndest not to give them to him.
He hits the turn signal and turns into the parking lot at top speed. My body jerks to the side and my shoulder hits the window. I start to unbuckle before he can command me to, but he orders me out of the car, using that damned alpha control on me once again. I grind my teeth together and follow him into the building. Gooseflesh pebbles my skin, my black shorts and t-shirt not doing much to keep the chill of the AC away. The floor is gleaming, freshly cleaned with a lemon scented cleaner, and the decor of the lobby is nicer than anything at home or the club house.
We’re not exactly poor—we never had to worry about food or basic supplies—but we sure as shit didn’t have marble flooring or big stone planters with fancy indoor plants filling them.
Axel smashes the button to the elevator and glances around. I stop a few feet away from him, unwilling to get any closer than I have to. Silence stretches between us, tense and uncomfortable. His anger rolls off of him in palpable waves of tar and gasoline. My own ire greets his until the lobby is filled with an overwhelming mix of frustration. The elevator doors slide open.
My heart skips.
Axel steps inside.
I stay where I am, and his eyes narrow when he realizes I haven’t followed him inside.
