Page 32 of Knot Enough

THIRTY-ONE

We sat in silence as Grimm fed her. Every single pair of eyes stared at him with envy . . . and pain. There was so much fucking pain from our broken bonds. Oak’s complexion had turned so pale, he looked close to fainting.

Even Rath’s mouth was pinched at the corners, hurt reflecting in his eyes.

Kane and I framed the edge of the rectangular table while Grimm had her in his lap at the front of it.

An overload of jealousy ate at me. The violent urge to burst forward and collect her to my chest clawed at me.

She was the only thread keeping me together, because secondary to the envy was the emptiness of three of my bonds severing.

Where it used to feel like a presence, it now felt empty.

My decision was like cutting out a part of me.

Pulsing painful holes . . . but nothing compared to the pain we’d put her through.

I didn’t regret leaving my pack, but it fucking stung. All I wanted was to have her in my arms, and I couldn’t.

It was making me antsier. And anxious.

I fisted my hands in my lap.

Grimm’s arm settled around her, his palm on her belly. She flinched, pausing as she chewed the strawberry he’d just fed her. He smoothed his hand to her waist.

The carving Kane had branded her with . . . I turned to look at him sitting across from me.

He must have felt my glare because he flicked his eyes over to me. His upper lip twitched.

“You’re owed many things, Lena,” Kane cleared his throat. “But first is an explanation.” Lena swallowed. Her eyes hadn’t swayed from his. “Valerie killed my brother and . . . Kim.”

She stiffened, propping her elbows on the table. Grimm leaned back, watching everything.

“Lennox,” she said, the corner of her lips turning down. She pressed her palm over the carving on her stomach. Kane flinched, his jaw audibly popping with how hard he ground it. “Who was Kim to you?”

I didn’t like this question. Kane met my gaze. I didn’t want her to feel worse than she already did. Kim’s position in our life had been pure convenience, and sure, we cared for her, and we mistook that for love.

But it was never love—it was settling.

“She was going to be our Omega.”

Her expression didn’t twitch. My honey wasn’t stupid; she’d seemed to figure that out already. I hoped she understood our rage stemmed from Nox being taken from us.

“So Valerie had a part in killing Kim, so you wanted revenge for that?” She easily condensed the entire issue that got us in this situation.

“Lennox,” Kane corrected, his mouth stiff.

“So you would have all done to Valerie what you did to me.” Her voice sounded dead.

“No,” I spat out. “That’s the piece that made it different. You made me feel. Us feel.” I believed I would have never felt the same for Valerie. It was Lena’s soft, sad energy clinging to her that made me make a connection to my mother and what she had gone through.

“And I wouldn’t have fucked her,” Kane interjected.

She straightened in Grimm’s lap, not looking impressed.

“Yeah, we’re twins, but we aren’t identical. Why did you guys take me ?” Her eyes pierced Rath.

Grimm frowned, his eyebrows furrowed.

“How did you get them confused, Rath?” Grimm asked, twitching his eyebrow up.

Rath’s mouth thinned, but he ignored Grimm’s taunt, and his gaze flitted to the side.

Oak cleared his throat, his eyes flicking side to side.

“I’m answering for you,” Oak said, rolling his shoulders. “He watched her, but never got near her. It was my fault, I didn’t know there was a twin when I told you what she did . . .” he trailed off, his eyes taking on a far-off look. I clapped my hand on his shoulder.

Lena was more curvaceous than Valerie, but they did look similar at first glance or from far away. It wasn’t until you were closer to her that you noticed the difference.

Lena was much prettier. Her cheeks were slightly fuller and her eyes wider.

Grimm hummed. His smugness was grating on my nerves.

“Did you leave Pack Dolion?” I asked, “Where’s the rest of them ? I’m sure Lena would like to know about your Omega?” I raised an eyebrow, trying to swallow my rage. The comment was petty and pointed.

Grimm sneered at me, but I could see the panic flash in his gaze. With her still in his arms, he lifted her and placed her down on the seat he’d been in. He crouched in front of her and held her hand. Lena scowled, confusion clear on her face.

“I have to tell you something.” His words were halting and hesitant.

“You have an Omega?” She rolled her lower lip between her teeth.

Grim winced and said, “Not exactly.” He paused and cleared his throat. “I need you to understand, there’s only you. Before I found you, I was part of Pack Dolion.” Lena’s eyebrows furrowed, and she cocked her head. “We weren’t an official pack, but we had an Omega that we were going to bond to.”

“Okay . . .?” Her eyebrows dropped lower on her forehead. “So you have an Omega?”

Grimm’s shoulders stiffened. I hated seeing that hurt look in Lena’s eyes. The pre-disappointment, like she expected to be let down. We did that to her .

“Had. It wasn’t official. The pack was waiting for Valerie to accept us.”

She flinched like he physically hit her. Her lips moved, mimicking the name of her sister.

She lifted her hand to her chest, her breathing becoming jerky. Lena looked up at me and then Kane and Oak, eyes full of tears.

“Why is it that every man in my life has a connection with my sister? Am I doomed to live in her fucking shadow forever?” She spoke fast and choked. My heart dropped at her pain.

“Sh, sh, Valerie is nothing like you. She pales in comparison. She’s the past.” Grimm reached up toward her face, and she jerked her head to the side, avoiding his touch.

“Is it that easy for you to drop an Omega?” she spat, her chest heaving with her breath.

“Lena–”

“Did you fuck her?” She was full-on crying now, her hand still in his. She tried to pull back, but he didn’t allow it.

“Yes, I’ve fucked her.”

Silence and then a hysterical laugh burst from her beautiful lips.

“I don’t know what’s worse. My mates wanting to kill me because of her, or my mate fucking her.”

Grimm’s shoulders tightened even more.

“I’m sorry this hurts you, but I won’t lie. She’s the past. You are my future.”

She scoffed. “Whatever.” Her eyes widened. “Wait, so you knew about Lennox?”

“He killed him,” Kane interjected, a bitter curl to his mouth. Lena jerked like she’d been hit.

“You killed him?” she said haltingly, as if she was rolling her tongue over every word. She stood and yanked her hand out of Grimm’s.

He exhaled harshly. I could smell his building desperation. Leaning back, I crossed my arms.

“Wait, it’s not that simple,” he spat. Gone was the flippant persona he put on. He scooted forward on his knees, even as she tried to move back. Grimm wrapped his hands around her calves. “Valerie ordered it.”

“And you just did what she said, like you don’t have free-fucking-will?”

“In exchange for getting rid of her problems . She satisfied my particular needs,” he croaked.

Lena gasped, and Grimm flinched. I didn’t know what they were talking about, but it looked like Lena did.

She quieted and yanked her hand out of his. She swiped them across the bottom of her eyes.

“Thanks for being honest.” He leaned in, and she held her hands up. “But I need space.”

“I’m still your alpha. You’re stuck with me,” he growled.

“Well, you know what, Kane’s also my Alpha.

And the man you killed was his brother. This won’t work if you two are constantly at each other’s throats.

I’m not going to babysit you, so figure your shit out.

” She backed up a step, and Grimm swayed toward her.

“And I need space,” she hissed, getting in his face.

He leaned back and lowered his head, not moving as she shoved her chair back.

She scanned the rest of us, her expression stiff and angry.

“Enough killing, yes?” With a loud, obvious scoff, she turned her back on all of us and strode down the hall, and a door slammed shut.

“Fuck,” Grimm snapped. He hoisted himself into her abandoned chair and tipped his head back.

I couldn’t feel bad for him. He’d earned the right to her anger and ours.

“If you were with the sister, why are you with Lena in the first place?” Oak broke the silence.

Grimm exhaled, rolling his head on the back of the chair.

“I always wanted to see the sister she loathed to the point of feeding her suppressants.” His eyebrows furrowed, and he sat up. “I got curious.”

Everyone stiffened, and the air was sucked out of the room. It took me a moment to really process what he’d said. I slammed my fist on the table. Oak’s mouth dropped.

“Fuck,” Axel gritted out.

“She needs to pay.” Rath spoke for the first time in a while. He shoved his hand through his hair.

“We all agree, Rath,” Kane responded. “But right now, the focus is Lena.” He pointedly met Grimm’s eyes.

That bitch needed to pay for what she’d done to Lena. She would pay.