Page 46 of Knot Your Kismet

“You can’t be serious. Why wait for your brother when I’m right here? Louis doesn’t want this kind of dirty work and you know it. Give me the omega. You have a job to do, remember? Your pack counts on it.” Will remains standing in his spot, the sun glaring off his sweaty forehead, his hair stringing across it.

“She’s fine. I have things in control. Why are you here, anyway? This was our test of loyalty. Ivy told you to remain out of the way. This omega knows me. She’s not going to do shit. Especially now that she knows I’m not going to hurt her even after everything.” Alexander adjusts his arm, positioning me in such a way that he can lift me if he has to. I struggle to comprehend what he just said. My mind spins. My adrenaline puts me into fight or flight, and my whole body trembles because I don’t do anything yet.

I want to ask Will what the hell he’s doing here. I know he won’t tell me, though, especially because he just mentioned Ivy. I think Pack Daines were the ones to have gone through the trouble to get the rejects of Pack Loomis out of jail on bail. I’m sure they paid a lot of money. They must’ve known I wouldn’t have given in so easily, but I know Ivy was hoping. She thought that because she was my caretaker for so long that she had some sort of say in my life. But that contract she put before me? It was horrendous. Pack Daines is horrendous. And this proves it more than ever.

“Don’t be stupid, Alexander. Ivy is not in control right now. I am. Now give me Calista.” Will steps forward, reaching into his jacket.

I expect Alexander to push me forward toward the alpha, but he surprises me by stepping behind the tree, using it as a blockade.

“Stay back, asshole. You’re not taking her. That was not part of the negotiations.” Alexander drags me around the tree. It’s in this moment that I realize his alpha nature gets the best of him. I’m not his omega, but the feral, deep-seated nature inside of him doesn’t know that. He just sees a threat, and he’ll do what he can to fight against it, especially with me in the middle. It’s the strangest thing. He had no problem shoving me off a boat. He had no problem watching me drown.

I shouldn’t be so fascinated.

“What the hell is going on? What are you two doing? I just finished getting shit ready. We need to move.” I spot Alexander’s brother a dozen feet away. I think he came from the direction of City Hall, but I can’t be certain.

“Louis, help me. This asshole is acting like a lunatic. I found Cali getting out of a car, and you know Ivy said to make sure she wasn’t nearby. I’m keeping her safe,” Alexander says, his voice raspy. His arms tighten even more around me, and pain cuts across my rib cage.

“What are you talking about?” Louis asks, peering around. I follow his gaze, realizing that Will isn’t standing where he was. “Who’s a lunatic?”

Louis’s eyebrows raise, his expression changing just enough to send fear through me. The world spins, and I can’t even scream before my back hits the grass, knocking the wind from me. Will snatches me from the ground before Alexander can catch his bearings.

“Louis, this wasn’t part of the plan. Ivy will ensure we’re not part of the pack now. She made it clear we had one job. Do something.” Alexander pushes from the ground, getting to his feet.

I take the distraction and elbow Will. He releases me, now focused on the fact that both Alexander and Louis surround him.

I never thought I would be thankful for them. I’m not even sure if I am. I just need to get out of here.

“As your leader, I command you to go get the car. If you don’t obey me, you’ll rot in jail. You can thank Alexander for that. This is your only chance.” Will glowers at Louis.

I can see the small shift in Louis’s expression. Even brothers sometimes won’t remain loyal to each other if it comes down to what the pack really wants. And it seems that I underestimated Ivy and Pack Daines. This was never really about me. This is about power. This is about pride.

Pack Kismet took something they thought belonged to them. They don’t even consider me a person. I’m just an omega. I’m a product that people can buy and make money on.

I gather my courage and scream.

Something knocks me in my head, and shadows swirl through my vision. I stumble but I don’t fall, and a hand grabs me. I smell Alexander before my panic seizes me, and I don’t fight him.

But it doesn’t matter.

We don’t even get a foot away before Will crashes into us, sandwiching me between them.

“You wouldn’t be in this position if you had just accepted my bonding contract, Calista. You’re lucky that Ivy is fond of you. We’ll have to see if Pack Kismet is just as strong. Bad omegas don’t get good packs, you know. They send criminals to Omega Resorts as well. But they’re not there for the same reason good ones are. You’ll see.” Will grabs my hair and pulls me against him. I scratch my nails into his neck, trying to fight him as Alexander hollers under me.

Something warm pools beneath me, and I gasp. Everything happens so fast that I can’t even react. I see the gleam of Will’s knife. I feel Alexander go limp. Silence fills the air.

“Get the car,” Will commands, his figure shifting off me.

My eyes blur, my head still pounding.

I open my mouth to scream only to have Will cover my lips. That’s when I feel the small pill fall on my tongue, the bitter taste making me swallow automatically to get rid of it.

“This is your fault. Remember it. You are a murderer. You killed Alexander.” Will shoves me hard, and dizziness clings to me.

I try to blink it away. I try to do anything. But I’ve been drugged.

Darkness swallows me whole.

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