It’s Alex.
Knox glances over his shoulder at the alpha, but hedoesn’t move. He nods once, silently telling Alex to wait. Then the pack alpha turns back to me, his hands still holding me like he’s afraid I’ll fall apart the second he lets go.
“Let’s get you home.” Knox’s thumbs linger along my jaw for a moment longer before he exhales, low and shaky. Then, without a word, he slips one arm behind my back and the other beneath my knees. The movement is smooth and strong, gathering me up like a precious rag doll.
The world tilts as he stands, and the air shifts with the faint scent of him—smoky cherries with something darker underneath.It’s definitely anger.The hallway beyond the dressing room swims in light and motion, too bright after the dim little space.
My head falls against Knox’s chest. I can feel the strong, steady rhythm of his heart against my cheek. It’s weirdly calming.
“I’ve got you,” Knox murmurs, voice rough but soft at the edges. “You’re okay, Sky.”
Alex trails close behind, silent and tense. His dark blue eyes never leave my face, his expression tight with worry. Every step Knox takes, Alex mirrors him, hovering so close I can feel the brush of his hand against my knee.
No one says a word as we move through the store. The chatter and hum of other shoppers fade into a low, distant buzz. All I can hear is the sound of Knox’s boots against the shiny tile and Alex’s uneven breathing right beside me.
Sunlight hits me like a slap when we step outside. Alex opens the car door, and I sink into the seat without protest. Through the windshield, I see Tadeo and Dakota at the registers inside, their heads bent close as they load our mountain of shopping onto the counter.
Knox doesn’t say anything when they return to the car.He just gives Tadeo a long, pointed glance before starting the engine. He doesn’t even look at Dakota.
The silence that follows is heavy. After loading the car, Tadeo settles on one side of me in the backseat, his knee brushing mine. Dakota sits on my other side, shifting like he doesn’t know what to do with his hands—until finally, he reaches for mine. Then Tadeo does the same. Their fingers lace through mine, tentative at first, as if they’re afraid I’ll pull away.
Neither of them says a word, but I can feel it—the guilt, the worry, and the fear.
The drive is painfully quiet. The kind of quiet that hums with things no one wants to say.
Am I already tearing them apart? Is this how it starts?
The mountains out the window pull my attention as they rise in the distance, their peaks sharp against the sky. My chest tightens as I realize that’s where Brayden took me when he rejected me—same ridgeline, same pale blue horizon.
I wonder if that’s where Knox will abandon me too.
Three Days Later
Knox
The road humsbeneath the U-Haul’s tires, filling the silence. Alex rides shotgun, one arm draped out the open window, the wind whipping his shaggy hair all over the place. The late afternoon light flashes across the dashboard, warm and gold, and for a second, I let myself focus on it—or try to. But it doesn’t take long before Skyla’s pale face shoves its way back to the front of my mind.
It’s been three days since the shopping trip, and the omega hasn’t been the same.
She drifts through the house like a ghost—quiet, polite, but distant. She eats when reminded, offers her body to us every night, and smiles when someone speaks to her, but it never quite reaches her eyes. Whatever spark she had that day in the store is gone.
I grip the wheel a little tighter, reminding myself yet again that the longer I wait to mate her, the worse it will get.
Sheneedsto be mated. She needs a mentalbond—something real to fill the silence in her head. Remind her she’s ours and she’s safe.
Alex glances over at me, catching the look on my face. “You’re thinking too hard again,” he says.
“Yeah.” I don’t bother denying it, but I also don’t tell him what I’m thinking—that I hate watching our omega fade like this. I’m pretty sure he already knows.
“I opened another pack of those bonding cloths,” Alex says after a moment. “I rubbed a few on my neck and wrists, then left them next to Sky. She was still clutching one in her sleep.”
“That’s good.” I nod, not really sure what else to say.
Alex shifts in his seat, clearly uncomfortable with the silence. “I also saw that Tadeo turned on the scent booster before we left.”
“What does that thing even do?” I already know the answer, but Alex likes to ramble when he’s nervous, and right now, he’s terrified for our sweet omega.
“Apparently, it’s supposed to ‘enhance the nesting environment,’” he says, making air quotes with one hand. “Dakota read the entire pamphlet front to back. I guess it’s meant to help new omegas adjust to pack scents faster.”
