Page 35 of Knot Enough

THIRTY-FOUR

After overhearing Lena dominating Grimm, Oak and I stared at each other, hard as a fucking rock.

Holy shit. It went against my Alpha instincts—submitting.

It shouldn’t have turned me on as much as it did, but there I sat, aching and unsatisfied.

Axel paced back and forth as we waited for Kane to return from her bath.

The scent of sex permeated the living room, making it difficult to concentrate.

The lock clicked, and the door banged as Valerie strutted in like she owned the place.

I don’t know how I mistook Lena for her.

They didn’t look alike at all, but it wasn’t just looks.

There was an entitled air about her, but her eyes widened brightly as a flirtatious smile pulled at her lips.

“I don’t know why you’re here, but–” her words were cut off as my fingers wrapped around her throat, pinning her to the wall. She gargled and choked as I cut off her air supply, but the bitch looked like she enjoyed it.

Fucking gross.

She smiled—lips parted, eyes wide, like this was a sick game and she was winning.

All I saw was red.

That conniving smirk cut deeper than any blade because she knew.

She was guilty. I tightened my grip. Needing to end her.

Her feet lifted off the ground. She was like a fucking roach, so hard to kill.

I focused on the way her skin turned blue.

It was there. Her death. A little longer, and she’d be gone—just like Nox.

And vengeance for the pain she’d caused my pack, justice for his death, it would be mine.

“Don’t make the same mistake twice,” Oak’s voice reached me as he gripped my arm. It was the first time he’d touched me since I’d become the devil in his eyes.

I blinked and released her. She crashed to the floor, but glared up at me.

“You’re shaking,” she sneered. “Scared?”

“Of a roach? No,” I hissed.

I’d watched my mate bleed for this bitch’s crimes. Now it’s her turn. She laughed.

“Where’s Grimm? There’s been a misunderstanding,” she swore.

There’s a bang, and Lena stands in the frame. She froze when she spotted her sister. A million emotions flashed across her face, and I took it all in. Grief, trauma, fury, jealousy. The spell was broken, and Lena rushed forward, throwing herself on top of the roach and shielding her. From me.

Her body trembled, her lips parted, but no sound came out at first. She turned to it.

“Why did you kill him?” she whispered. The room went still, but her expression didn’t change.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Valerie whimpered as she played the victim.

“I know about everything, Val. Don’t bother lying to me,” Lena asked, her voice shaking. Her sister dropped the facade and looked at me. Jealousy morphed her features.

“They rejected me. I wanted them, and if I couldn’t have them, no one else could,” she said, shrugging nonchalantly.

“And Lennox?” I whispered.

“If he couldn’t see I was doing them a favor in getting rid of the omega in the way, then he could die too.”

And there it is. The truth. No apology. I watched Lena’s shoulders lift, then fall, like the weight of the question crushed her.

“Lena,” Oak murmured, offering her a hand. “Come to me.”

She shook her head, then turned. Her eyes dilated.

“What are you doing?” The accusation directed at me stung, but I was no stranger to her hate.

This bitch had cost us everything. She’d cost me Lena.

No. That was all me.

I fucked up, but all that guilt, shame, and anger festered to a boiling point—and she was going to burn.

Axel stood in the corner staring between the two sisters. Grimm walked in, shirtless, but my eyes locked on his mark. Fuck.

Valerie scoffed and pushed Lena away. “You fucked her? This useless, fat bitch?”

With my next breath, I backhanded her. She hit the wall with a loud thud. Lena screamed, moving away.

I remain silent.

With the roach knocked out, Lena turned to me.

“Tell me what happens now,” she whispered.

“We take her home.” My words are a slap in the face. I see the way she curls in on herself.

“And do to her what you did to me?” She shudders.

“No.”

“Is there any way I can stop you?” I don’t answer because we both knew. Instead, I reached down and grabbed the roach’s ankle. Kane stepped forward and took a knee.

“What do you want me to do, Lena? Tell me what you need,” he rasped. Oak pulled her into his arms.

“Do you really think locking her up is going to make this better?” she cried.

“Le—” I tried.

“No! Don’t say my name. You’ve never said it. Don’t start now. You let me rot for her crimes and still haven’t fucking learned anything. Maybe you did know. Deep down that I wasn’t her, but you wanted to believe it so badly, you ignored the warnings.”

She wasn’t wrong. The sick satisfaction soured into something sharp and ugly. I dragged the roach out.

“We’ll be there soon,” Axel called after us.

Lena’s cries haunt me as the door closes behind us. I pulled my keys out and unlocked the car. After I threw her in, Kane slammed the door, but it bounced open. Her hand dangled from the car. He grabbed it and shoved it in.

In order to move on, we needed to kill the roach.