Page 20 of Knot Broken

Which just left one more thing to deal with.

Flipping the toilet seat up, I ripped my zipper down and fished out my cock. It was so damn hard it hurt, so I let out a little hiss when I wrapped my palm around my knot. A squeeze, then another, was all it took. Because as I heard the far-off sounds of Nadia’s moans, it wasn’t hard to imagine myself in Ethan’s place.

“Nadia…” I hissed as I erupted in a series of long, agonisingly pleasurable pulses, but it wasn’t the fucking toilet I wanted my cum splashing into. To feel the omega riding me, her hair in my face, her scent in my nose… The last of my cum spurted free, just leaving me empty and shaking.

As I washed my hands, I could feel the shame wanting to rise to paralyse me, but what wasn’t discussed was aftercare. Could I trust Tex and Ethan to take care of her after everyone came? Well, that didn’t exactly work out last time. Pushing those shitty feelings aside, I walked down into the kitchen, locating water bottles, some snacks, and a warm blanket before heading back to the room. I’m not sure what I expected to see. Not this, obviously. The three of them were now snuggled down under the covers on Tex’s bed.

Had they cleaned her up? Offered her some water or asked if there was anything else she needed? I didn’t get a chance to. She sighed, eyes closed, nestling into Tex’s chest. He stared down at her like she was the only woman in the world.

And to him, she was.

Nadia was his mate and that meant I needed to get the fuck out of this house.

We’d formed a fragile kind of friendship when we were all kids at the outreach program for young alphas at Crowe Corp. Ethan and Tex were already friends by the time I arrived. When I walked in, packs of teenage boys sized me up, something I was all too familiar with. They were the only ones who seemed inclined to accept me as Ethan waved me over to join them in a co-op game they were playing. The controller he tossed me felt like a lifeline and I’d held it tight, sinking down on a nearby couch. Pretending to be the character I was playing on the screen was a relief of sorts.

And that’s how they became my pack.

We weren’t related by blood like most alphas, but that didn’t stop the bond forming. I made sure Tex kept his cool and stopped Ethan from making stupid decisions. I ran the business, made sure we got enough money together to buy this house and kept up the payments. I would do anything for my pack.

Including changing into a pair of shorts and slipping out the back door. Running, really running, to burn up all the adrenaline in my body, until the wolf was beaten back and I was left in control. Miles away from the house, I jogged on the spot and then fought to catch my breath.

I’d do anything for my pack, including steering well clear of my fated mate.

Chapter 10

Nadia

Later that night, when I was in my own bed, I dreamed I was a wolf. Running, running, just to feel the wind in my fur. My jaws were open wide, the air caressing my fangs before slipping past me, and yet still, my paws struck the earth, pushing me ever onwards. In that moment, it felt like there was only me, the stars, and the night.

Then I heard the silvery sound of a wolf howl.

I didn’t stop running. That seemed an impossible ask. Like in this form, my body was a machine, and it had been created without brakes. I glanced back over my shoulder, seeing nothing but darkness.

And a set of silvery eyes.

That had my haunches bunching, my claws digging deep to get me moving faster. As if to make clear how hopeless that was, another wolf howl cut through the quiet. Heart pounding, we ran on.

But we weren’t alone.

Their paws struck the earth like a stick might a drum. The earth under their feet became a thin skin, vibrating in response to each step. They were coming, some instinct told me. They were coming for me.

And so I ran.

The burn of my muscles, the hot pads of my paws, the sound of my frantic pants drowned out every other thing but the noise of my own body. That insular little bubble built a false sense of security. My head was thrown back, and if a wolf could laugh, that’s what I did now.

Only for him to appear out of the shadows.

Little wolf. He wore the night like a mantle tossed loosely over his shoulders. I was forced to skid to a halt, head low and drawing in breath fast to take him in. Run all you like, but we will always find you.

The wolf circled with a whine, spinning around to see that a massive grey wolf and a paler grey one had come to a stop, the three of them forming a loose circle around me. He stepped forward, staring down at me with eyes the same colour of the moon, wearing a smile I was yet to see outside my dreams.

Grey, I thought.

Yes, little wolf. As he kneeled down, the shadows swirled around him, revealing and obscuring marble-white flesh. My head jerked back when he reached for me, but his fingers sank into my fur anyway, finding just the right spot to scratch. I knew you would be a beautiful wolf, but I need you to shift now.

Shift? My whining started up again, my paws moving restively, but to go where?

Shift, beautiful girl. His voice was like a raven’s feather, drawn across my flesh. Shift and show me the woman within.