Knot The One They Want

Chapter 26: I Give Up On This Pack

Walter

"I think she forced Oracle to bond with her," I mutter, stabbing my fork into the French cassoulet I’d been such a jerk about earlier. Guilt flickers through me for the way I acted, but I can’t dwell on it not if I’m going to win this game we’re playing.

"I don’t believe you can force someone to bond with you," Kei says skeptically, narrowing his eyes at me. He sits beside me on the kitchen stool, his presence steady, while Yurena, already finished with her meal, lounges on the couch watching some comedy show. The fake audience laughter echoes through the room as her knitting needles click together, her satisfaction palpable.

Lorali stands across from us, her back turned, shoulders slumped as she scrubs dishes.

"Well, she did," I whisper, my voice low but sharp, my gaze burning into Lorali’s back. "She’s scheming. I don’t want you talking to her. If you see her in the hall, turn and go the other way."

Kei chuckles, his smirk playful, his words loud enough for anyone to hear. "Ahh, are you jealous? Thinking she’ll entice me the way she did Oracle? That will never happen. I only have eyes for you." His smile is dazzling, as always, and it makes my heart flutter despite the tension.

"But... if you want me to avoid our unwanted guest so much, I’ll oblige, my prince." He leans in and kisses my cheek, his warmth grounding me.

"Thank you," I whisper in his ear, clinging to his reassurance before turning back to my plate. One down, two more to go. Speaking of the others, what is taking Oril so long? I called him hours ago. You can never trust an Alpha to be punctual.

Lorali

3:00 a.m.

I need to pee. I really, really need to pee. Sleep is impossible with my bladder screaming at me. I didn’t go earlier because I just wanted to escape the house. I know I was being gossiped about, I’m not deaf. I didn’t like it hence I rushed out.

I rise from the makeshift nest I built from old blankets pulled out of the chest that was in the corner. I’m lucky I found them; without them, I would have frozen. My shoulder aches worse than it did earlier. I roll it in a circular motion, hoping to loosen the joint, but the pain only intensifies.

"Augh," I groan, clutching the spot where my mate bit down, the bond burning through me but I can’t dwell on it.

I can only deal with one problem at a time, and right now, the main problem is my bladder. I drag myself up from the dull grey nest of scraps and step out of the shed.

The city lights still glow, though fewer windows are lit now, and the streets are quiet. It’s not a bad view. In different circumstances, this would be my dream view.

I tear my gaze away from the skyline and head toward the kitchen’s sliding door, my path illuminated by the soft blue glow of the pool.

I hurry inside, padding down the hall with careful steps, mindful not to wake anyone. I slip into the bathroom and close the door behind me. I don’t bother with the light; the moonlight pouring through the window is enough.

The toilet sits before me like a holy grail. My mouth waters at the sight.

"I’m here, love of my life," I whisper, half delirious, before sinking onto it and finally relieving myself. A sigh escapes me as the weight instantly lifts from my bladder.

Nothing feels better than a 3:00 a.m. piss.

But as the relief fades, the heaviness of the day presses back in. I said so confidently this morning that today would be great. It wasn’t. It was terrible, even worse than my first day here.

Why am I even doing this? I’m clearly not wanted by anyone here, not even by my mate. Oril rejected me, yet for some reason bonded with me. Kei acts as if he can’t even feel that we’re fated. Torin isn’t here. Walter hates me. And the man who fetched me? I haven’t seen him at all.

I sit there in the moonlight, shoulders heavy, wondering how long I can keep pretending I belong.

I don’t understand. Why were they even at the gala if they didn’t want another omega? Why would they strike a deal with the headmistress if they didn’t want another omega? Why send in their request for me at all? If it hadn’t been for them, I would have chosen another pack. I had plenty of options, packs with golden reputations, packs without another omega, packs where I could have lived my happily ever after, loved and protected.

But no.

This pack had to step into my life. And now look at me. I’m bonded but rejected. I live in a freezing shed. The omega and the pack hate me with passion. I do unpaid labor and I’m treated like nothing.

Tears spill down my face as I sniffle in the bathroom. I’m going to die if I keep staying here. I need to go back to Alma. I can’t keep living like this.

I finish my business and move to the sink, washing my hands slowly, staring at my reflection in the moonlit glass. It’s decided. I’m leaving tonight. I can’t stay here another second.

I step out of the bathroom, my bare feet silent against the floor, when I hear cluttering from the kitchen. My steps slow. No one should be awake at this hour. Is it a robbery?

"Augh!" A male voice groans in frustration.

I creep closer, my heart pounding, and freeze when I see Keion. He’s emptying a large trash bag onto the floor, his movements weary, his body outlined faintly by the moonlight. He’s wearing nothing but boxers, his muscles shadowed, his posture slouched with exhaustion.

"How many times am I going to have to do this?" he mutters, sounding tired. Behind him, dishes are stacked high in the sink and stains are splattered across every surface of the island.

I knew it. The mess I cleaned this morning was deliberate. I just didn’t know it was him.

Keion’s back straightens suddenly, as if sensing me. He turns quickly, and our eyes meet. Silence stretches between us.

If he’s shocked that I caught him, he doesn’t show it. His face is expressionless and unreadable. He drops the bag he is holding, and walks past me, his hand grazing mine by mistake.

The touch sends unwanted butterflies through me. But he doesn’t react. He doesn’t feel it. He just walks upstairs, leaving me standing there in the wreckage.

I stare at the damage, the deliberate chaos. They’ll have to clean it themselves. I won’t be here for this.

Without another thought, I head to the main door. I came into this house with nothing, and I’ll leave with nothing. There’s no reason to suffer any longer.

~....~

The cold air brushes against my skin, each gust cutting deeper than the last. I keep walking down the empty street, my footsteps echoing faintly against the silence of the city.

I think it’s been about thirty minutes, give or take, since I left and every second feels like an eternity. Not because I’m alone in the middle of the night, but because my shoulder is throbbing with unbearable pain. It feels as if bones are grinding together and splintering inside me. Is this some twisted side effect of the bond? I’ve never heard of such agony tied to it, but what else could it be if not the bond?

I grit my teeth and force myself forward. I have to power through. I’m almost at the train station.

Once I reach it, I’ll decide where to go and how to get back to Alma. freewebnσvel.cѳm

The further I get from the penthouse, the heavier my body becomes. My legs drag, my chest tightens, and it feels as though I’m walking against a violent current of air, invisible but relentless.

"There it is," I whisper, my voice hoarse and trembling. My eyes catch the glow of the underground station’s lights in the distance. Just a little more. Just a few more steps and I’ll be free. I’ll finally be free.

But then it hits.

A piercing sound explodes inside my head, so loud it feels like my skull is splitting open. My vision blurs, the world tilting violently. My knees buckle, crashing against the cold ground. My shoulder ignites with fire, as though something is clawing its way out of me, ripping through flesh and bone. The burn is unbearable. My entire right arm goes numb,I can’t move it nor can I feel it.

Blood gushes from my nose, hot and thick, spilling down my face. I press my other trembling hand against it, trying to stop the flow, but it’s useless. There’s too much. My head pounds, each throb like a hammer against my skull. My omega instincts scream inside me, a primal voice clawing at my mind, begging me to turn back.

I lift my gaze toward the station, its lights blurred through tears.

My lips quiver, my body shaking, and I cry silently, broken. I have to go back.

I drag myself across the pavement, scraping my exposed skin against the rough concrete, inching away from freedom and back toward the penthouse. Each movement is agony, but the pain eases slightly the closer I get.

It has to be the bond.

Oril’s bond.

He’s bound me to him in the worst way possible.

This mating bond is twisted and oisoned. I can’t escape him. I can’t escape that pack. I can’t escape this place. If I leave, I’ll die. If I stay, every day will be torture.

The pain dulls as I near the building, but the weight of despair crushes me harder than the agony ever could.

I slump forward, pressing the a side of my face against the pavement, not caring about the dirt, not caring about anything.

Tears drip down my eyes, soaking the ground beneath me.

I should have left when I had the chance.