Page 8 of Knot So Fast (Speedverse #1)

BLIND AS A BAT

~ A UREN~

The morning air is crisp against my skin as Luke and I make our final lap around the running track, both of us pushing harder as we near the finish line.

Sweat drips down the sides of my face, mixing with the cool air to create a refreshing contrast that makes me feel more alive than I have in days.

"You may have that perfect slim build," Luke pants from just ahead of me, his longer stride giving him a slight advantage, "but I've got the higher endurance, princess. Just wait until we hit mile five."

I laugh breathlessly, staying right at his tail like a persistent shadow.

"Keep telling yourself that, pretty boy. We'll see who's still standing at the end."

The familiar burn in my lungs feels good—clean and honest in a way that virtual racing can never replicate.

There's something about pushing my body to its physical limits that quiets the noise in my head, makes the world feel manageable again.

No virtual crashes, no phantom smells of burning flesh, just the simple rhythm of feet hitting pavement and heart pumping blood.

We're approaching the final stretch now, the makeshift finish line Luke drew in chalk still visible on the asphalt despite yesterday's light rain. This is where I always make my move, where that competitive fire that got me into so much trouble in my racing days flares back to life.

Without warning, I increase my speed dramatically, my legs finding that extra gear that I've been holding in reserve. Luke curses behind me as I surge past him, my ponytail whipping in the wind as I begin an all-out sprint toward the finish.

"Fucking hell, Auren!" I hear him picking up his pace, trying to catch up, but I'm already pulling away. "Where did that come from?"

I don't answer because I can't spare the breath, but inside I'm grinning like a maniac.

This is what I live for—that moment when skill and determination triumph over raw physical advantages. When being smaller and supposedly weaker doesn't matter because you want it more than anyone else.

I cross the makeshift finish line with arms raised in victory, letting out a squeal of delight as I fight to slow my feet from their sprint pace. My legs feel like jelly, but it's the good kind of exhaustion that comes from pushing yourself to the absolute limit.

Finally coming to a stop, I'm completely out of breath as I put my hands on my knees and start giggling like an evil maniac. The sound echoes across the empty track, wild and unhinged in a way that probably should concern me.

Luke crosses the line a few seconds later, immediately bending over to catch his breath. "Jesus Christ, Auren," he gasps between heavy breaths. "You're the perfect package in every way, but that laugh has got to go. You sound like a serial killer who just found her next victim."

"Shut the fuck up," I wheeze, still giggling despite trying to look offended. "My laugh is delightful and you know it."

"That sailor mouth of yours needs to go too," he adds with a grin, straightening up now that he's caught his breath. "What would your mother say if she could hear you talking like that?"

I arch an eyebrow at him, wiping sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand. "You wouldn't say that if we were in bed together."

Luke groans dramatically, throwing his head back toward the sky. "Don't even start with that. I already know you're a dominant psycho in bed, so please spare me the details."

I gasp in mock horror, clutching my chest like he's just delivered a mortal wound. "How the hell do you know that? I've never told you anything about my sex life!"

"Oh, remember that time you got shit-faced drunk?" Luke says with an evil grin that tells me I'm about to be thoroughly embarrassed. "Your love toy boy of a playboy dropped you home, but neither of you knew I was back from deployment because you thought I was still enlisted overseas."

My face starts turning red as the memory comes flooding back in horrifying detail.

"You practically fucked everywhere in the apartment except my room," he continues mercilessly. "Which, thankfully, you had enough saving grace not to defile, because there aren't enough Lysol wipes in the world to get rid of that sex smell from my limited edition collectibles."

I'm red as a tomato within seconds, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "First of all, I didn't even know you were home! Second, even drunk off my ass, I knew you'd fucking murder me if I got even a speck of dust on your precious collector editions!"

Luke rolls his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest. "They're called Labubus, thank you very much. Show some respect."

I stare at him in complete disgust, my mouth hanging open. "They're stuffed ugly bunnies! Pink and purple stuffed ugly bunnies that you paid way too much money for!"

Luke clutches his chest in genuine distress, like I've just insulted his entire bloodline. "You're wounding my pride here, Auren. These aren't just stuffed animals—they're collectible art pieces with significant cultural and monetary value."

"WHAT PRIDE?!" I shriek, throwing my hands up in exasperation. "You collect the latest girl trend of the century! Grown-ass military men don't collect cute little bunnies!"

"Yeah, well, when I'm a multimillionaire for having the first collector editions in mint condition," Luke says with smug satisfaction, "you won't be saying shit while you're shaking your ass on my yacht."

I groan in complete dismay, knowing I've already lost this argument. "I can't win with you when that sassy side comes out. It's like arguing with a particularly bitchy sorority girl."

Luke laughs hard, the sound echoing across the empty track. "Yeah, well, someone has to remind all the stuck-up Alpha men in the military who's really boss. Might as well be me."

I study his face for a moment, taking in the way his eyes light up when he's being particularly sarcastic, the confident set of his shoulders, the protective way he always positions himself near me.

"Are you sure you're not bi? Because I'm pretty sure you could get yourself a good Alpha to bend you over if you wanted. "

Luke laughs even harder at that, wiping tears from his eyes. "No, sweetheart. I like pussy, sadly. Omega pussy would be a bonus, but last time I checked, the one I'm interested in is emotionally unavailable."

I gasp in genuine horror, my hand flying to cover my mouth. "Oh my god, that sucks balls! I'm so sorry for your loss. Is she dating someone else?"

Luke rolls his eyes and shakes his head with fond exasperation. "And blind as a bat."

"Bats aren't blind," I argue automatically, because I can't help myself when it comes to correcting misconceptions. "They actually have amazing vision."

"At night," Luke adds pointedly. "Not during the day, when important shit is right in front of them."

"That's because they're sleeping!" I protest. "Anyone is blind when they can barely keep their eyes open. It's called being nocturnal, not being visually impaired."

Without warning, Luke walks up to me and grips my ponytail, forcing my head back so he can tower over me. He's significantly taller than my five-foot-four frame, and from this angle he looks almost intimidating. Almost Alpha-like, if I'm being honest.

We're inches apart now, close enough that I can see the flecks of gold in his brown eyes, can smell his clean Beta scent mixed with sweat and determination. Our eyes lock and hold, the tension between us shifting into something that feels dangerous and electric.

"Blind as a bat," he concludes quietly, his voice dropping to a murmur that sends unexpected shivers down my spine.

I groan and try to look away, but his grip on my ponytail keeps me exactly where he wants me. "You're making us look like we're setting up for an OnlyFans session on the track. People are going to think we're filming porn."

Luke smirks, that cocky expression that makes him look far too attractive for his own good. "That would pay our bills for life, but it might make your gamer friend jealous. Not to mention your on-and-off fiancé, ex, sex addict boyfriend lover—whatever the fuck he is to you these days."

I sigh in defeat, my shoulders sagging as the fight goes out of me.

"Whatever. I don't even know what Lucius and I are anymore."

Luke's expression softens slightly, his grip on my hair loosening but not releasing entirely. There's something in his eyes that I can't quite read—sympathy mixed with frustration and something else that makes my stomach flutter in ways I'm not ready to examine.

Before either of us can say anything else, I catch a scent that makes me frown and wrinkle my nose. It's not unpleasant, exactly, but it's out of place here. Unfamiliar and somehow official in a way that sets my nerves on edge.

Luke notices my expression immediately, his protective instincts kicking in as he drops his hand from my hair.

"What? Do I smell? I showered this morning, I swear."

I shake my head quickly, still trying to identify the source of the strange scent.

"No, you smell fine. I like your smell. But someone else is here. Someone who shouldn't be."

We both turn our heads toward the tree line that borders the running track, and my heart sinks as I spot the figure emerging from the shadows. A guard dressed in all black, with the unmistakable bearing and insignia of a government enforcement officer.

Luke immediately steps in front of me, his entire demeanor shifting from playful best friend to protective soldier in the span of a heartbeat.

The change is so dramatic, so inherently Alpha-like, that I find myself wondering once again why he couldn't have been born an Alpha.

He certainly acts like one when it matters.

The officer approaches us with the kind of measured pace that suggests he's in no hurry but also isn't going to be deterred from his purpose. His gaze fixes on me specifically, ignoring Luke entirely as if he's nothing more than an inconvenient obstacle.

"What do you want?" Luke asks, his voice carrying the kind of authority that comes from years of military training. "This is a public track. We're not doing anything illegal."

The officer's cold gray eyes flick to Luke briefly before returning to me.

"The law clearly states that unmated Omegas shouldn't be out in public without their pack mates before nine AM. It's currently seven AM. She should be at home."

My blood runs cold at his words, but Luke doesn't miss a beat.

"She has permission from her Alphas to be out here training. It's part of her employment requirements."

The officer's mouth twists into something that might charitably be called a smile, but there's no warmth in it.

"Omegas don't work. They don't have employment. They have pack duties and domestic responsibilities."

"Well, she does work," Luke counters firmly, his stance widening as he prepares for a potential confrontation. "And she has explicit permission from her Alphas to be here before she starts her professional obligations."

The argument escalates quickly, voices rising as the officer becomes more aggressive and Luke becomes more defensive.

I can see the tension coiling in both men, the way their hands clench into fists, the subtle shifts in posture that suggest this might turn physical at any moment.

"This doesn't need to get physical," I interject quickly, stepping around Luke's protective stance. "I'll just go home. It's not worth the trouble."

I turn to leave, hoping to defuse the situation before someone gets hurt, but the officer's hand shoots out and grabs my upper arm with bruising force.

"You won't just leave," he says, his grip tightening until I wince. "You'll be escorted home for disobeying the established laws. There are consequences for Omegas who think they can do whatever they want."

Luke moves to interfere, his face dark with rage, but before either of us can react further, a voice cuts through the morning air like a blade.

"If you don't let go of my Omega this instant," the voice says, low and deadly calm, "I'll ensure you're fired before you can call for backup. That's after I completely ruin you with my fists."

All three of us turn toward the source of the voice, and my heart stops entirely as I see the Alpha emerging from the woods like something out of a dream.

Or a nightmare.

Kieran Locke Cross.

The name comes to mind immediately, along with a flood of fragmented memories that I can't quite piece together.

Tall and broad-shouldered, with dark hair and eyes that seem to see everything. There's something familiar about the way he moves, the confident stride that suggests he's used to being in charge and having his orders followed without question.

But there's also something else—a scent that makes my Omega instincts sit up like goosebumps and take notice, even as my rational mind struggles to understand why this stranger is claiming me as his.

The government officer's hand drops from my arm like I've suddenly burst into flames, his entire demeanor shifting from aggressive authority to nervous deference in the span of a heartbeat.

"Sir," he stammers, backing away from me as if proximity to me might get him in trouble. "I was just enforcing the established protocols. The Omega was?—"

"The Omega," Kieran interrupts, his voice carrying the kind of quiet menace that makes grown men reconsider their life choices, "has every right to be exactly where she is. And if you have a problem with that, you can take it up with me."

I stare at this man who's just claimed me as his Omega, my mind racing to understand what's happening.

Why does he smell familiar? Why does my body respond to his presence like it recognizes something my conscious mind can't remember?

And most importantly, what the hell is Kieran Cross doing here, and why is he protecting me?