Page 72 of Knot Going Down

I want him tofeelthat.

But I can’t say any of it. Not here. Not now. Not when the words would only make things worse for Ava.

So instead, I stay silent. Swallow the pain and turn my face away, jaw clenched so tight it aches. The ocean churns behind me, matching the tidal wave inside my gut.

He waits. Watching me. “I want an answer. Explain it to me.”

Fuck, he’s not gonna let this go, is he?

I want to grab him by the collar and drag him into my world. Into Mercy’s reality. Show him what it’s like for the omegas who don’t have the luxury of choice, who have to smuggle suppressants because the law thinks their biology is a leash. Who get bonded because shithead alphas can’t control their teeth and their dicks. I want him to look those women in the eye and tell them they’re criminals for trying to survive.

Something in me snaps. The words, the anger, the hunger, all of it boils up, and I’m moving before I can stop myself.

36

DECLAN

Knox slams into me, hard enough to knock me back a step.

“What the hell?!” I yell.

“Not everyone has your perfect little support system, Officer McLaren.” My name comes out like a curse. “Some people don’t get the meds they need through the proper channels. You’d rather they go feral in public than get what helps them function?”

He’s in my space now, but I don’t back down. I angle my body to keep myself from getting boxed against the railing as he rounds on me. Waves crash somewhere below, loud and constant, but they might as well be a mile away.

“So you’re what,” I sneer, “avigilante pharmacist?Doing public service out of nightclub bathrooms?”

Lucas shifts behind us, his presence a hum of unease. “Maybe we should?—”

“No.” Knox’s voice cuts sharp. He still has my wallet in one hand and the little bag of pills in the other. “I’m making sure people don’t get hurt.”

“Bullshit!” I snap, gripping his tux lapels and giving him a shake. “You’re dealing illegal meds to people who could die if they’re not careful!”

“I’mhelpingpeople who don’t have another option!”

“You’re breaking the fucking law! You—You—” I reach for the bag, but he pulls back. Not fast enough. I catch the edge. He’s got the top. I yank.

The plastic tears.

Pills spill out—tiny white capsules bouncing across the deck. They scatter like snow, and fall between the gaps in the railing into the water below.

“Fuck!” Knox drops to his knees, scrambling. “Lucas! Help me!”

Lucas kneels, frantically sweeping the deck, but most of the pills have already gone overboard.

“What the fuck does it matter?” I kick one of the stragglers into the ocean. “You can’t sell these. They were evidence.”

I grab Knox by the collar, hauling him back up to standing. “Tell me what the fuck is going?—”

I don’t finish.

Because he surges forward and slams me into the wall.

Not hard enough to hurt. But it’s hard enough to make the air between uscrackle.

“You don’t understand what you just did.” He’s glaring at me, eyes dark and furious. His breath is warm against my lips. His eyes are wild.

And everything goes still.