Page 2 of Knot So Sweet (Leather and Lace #1)

Chapter 1

Candi

T here was nothing worse than being forced into a bond. The mere thought made my skin crawl. I’d seen firsthand what happened when a bond wasn’t reciprocated. An alpha turning feral, unpredictable, and dangerous. And the omega trapped in that nightmare shattered almost beyond repair.

I stood in the small kitchen of our loft, fingers gripping the edge of the counter as the early morning light filtered through the thin curtains, casting a soft glow over the cluttered countertops. The scent of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the air, but it did nothing to ease the anxiety gnawing at me. My inner omega was jittery and restless, pacing beneath my skin like it wanted to tear free, to run.

But where the hell could I go?

The Omega Den was still closed. The doors had been shut for months, and without it... I felt exposed. Vulnerable.

I wanted more than anything to reopen The Den, but how could we promise a safe space for omega heats when the world outside was so precarious? Adam Sterling was lurking, his influence spreading like a disease. His golden-boy image to the rest of the city was a lie; I knew what kind of monster he was. I’d seen the aftermath of his bite on someone I cared for. Kaylani’s haunted eyes still kept me awake at night.

Because I could be next.

Breaking a bond with a feral alpha was near impossible. The only way out was through blood—one of them had to die. Rescinding the bond wasn’t enough.

I shuddered, gripping the counter harder, wishing it would ground me. I couldn’t let him do that to Kay, or to me. I refused to become some possession, trapped in an endless cycle of fear.

I would never be owned. Would never return his bite. The thought made me sick. My stomach churned, and I pressed a hand to my abdomen, willing the nausea away. My heat was coming. The thought of it made my throat tighten with panic.

My heat had always been manageable at the Den. I would choose a beta to ride it out with, safely inside the walls of our club. But now, I couldn’t even open it. Between my brother's pack and myself, we couldn't guarantee these omegas safety anymore. The city has gotten too far out of control.

I sighed, snapping the rubber band on my wrist, hoping to fend off the rising unease. It was a lousy replacement for the sharp sting of a blade, but it was the best I could do.

I hadn’t cut myself in months, the longest stretch since high school. Every day the temptation clawed at me, harder and harder to resist.

Bleed my pain.

Suppressants crossed my mind, as they always did when desperation hit. But the last time I took one, I felt like a shell of myself—emotions dulled, instincts buried under a thick fog. It was like living half a life, like wading through the world in a body I had only the most tenuous control of.

And if there’s one thing I hated, it was losing control. The mere thought made me shudder. I couldn’t afford to lose it now, not with Adam still circling like a vulture.

"Maybe I should just stock up on ice packs and chocolate, and ride it out alone," I muttered, imagining myself buried under a mountain of blankets with nothing but Netflix and snacks to keep me company.

Or I could invite someone to Netflix and chill.

I snorted. But who would I chill with? The thought of a knot spread warmth to my core, an unwanted reminder of what my body craved, even if my mind rejected it.

Yeah, like that was going to happen.

The idea of riding it out alone didn’t exactly scream fun, but what other choice did I have? I wasn’t about to risk venturing out in the city. Not with Michelle Sterling’s eyes always watching, not when her son was still hunting for me.

Adam had forced his bite on Kaylani, my brother’s omega. Tied himself to her when she was in the throes of her heat, too far gone to fight him off. She didn’t reciprocate it and he went feral.

That sick bastard nearly killed her in retaliation, blaming her for his own broken bond. He would do the same to me if given the chance, bite me just like he’d done to Kay.

She hadn’t deserved that. No omega did.

It was why I wanted The Omega Den reopened, why I needed it as much for myself as for the others. But how could I protect anyone else if I couldn’t even keep myself safe?

It could’ve been me.

I tried to shake off the haunting thoughts. But my hands clenched into fists, as the memory of that night resurfaced, the night Kay had come to the Den seeking refuge.

The damage Adam had done to her… I could still see it in my mind, feel the weight of her pain. I took a sip of coffee, trying to wash away the bitter taste of those memories, and glanced at my brother’s closed door. Owen and his pack were still asleep, but for how long would we be safe here? How long could we protect Kay from Adam?

We needed a plan. But first, I had to find a way to stay safe during my heat. But how? Where? With who? A million questions swirled in my mind, each one heavier than the last.

I couldn’t trust an alpha—not after what Adam did. That option was out.

A beta, though? They were always a safer choice.

"Benson," I whispered, the name slipping from my lips in the empty kitchen. I bit my lip at the thought of him—the sexy-as-fuck tattoo artist who’d scratched the itch a few times. He was good, attentive even. But deep down, I knew he probably couldn’t handle me when my heat hit full force. No beta could, not really.

Still, the idea of him was a nice distraction, a fleeting escape. But that comfort quickly faded as the television flickered in the corner, yanking me back to the harsh reality that awaited me.

Sterling City’s morning news, with its relentless stream of updates. Each headline was designed to suffocate omegas like me, to remind us of our place beneath the boot of the Sterling family—ruled by Michelle and her perfect son.

Michelle Sterling. The queen of this city. Her influence seeped into every corner of our world like a creeping vine. She saw omegas like me as property, as tools for her son’s twisted ambition.

My stomach twisted at the thought. I snapped the rubber band on my wrist harder, the sting bringing a moment of clarity. I wished I were a beta, betas had it easy. No one expected them to bond. No one hunted them like prey. But I wasn’t a beta. I was an omega. And that meant I was a prize—a prize to be claimed, or stolen.

The Den was my only hope, the only place I’d ever felt safe. But with Adam still out there, with his mother pulling the strings, it felt like an impossible dream.

My gaze shifted back to the screen as the news segment moved on to the latest catastrophe. The fire at the docks that had claimed countless lives.

The footage was haunting—blackened ruins and smoldering debris, the remains of what had once been a bustling part of Sterling City. Omegas had been held captive by the Hounds, a ruthless gang notorious for trafficking, and the explosion that destroyed the area was attributed to the Steel Serpent MC.

The Hounds would retaliate.

It wasn’t a question. It was a certainty. They were vicious, unrelenting. If they were willing to deal in flesh, what couldn’t they be capable of?

As the camera cut to a perfectly polished woman, her expression serene, despite the horror playing out behind her, my stomach twisted with fury. A low growl rumbled in my chest before I could stop it.

Michelle Sterling.

She was the embodiment of every bit of corruption and injustice that had tormented my family for years. My brother had been locked up at her estate for months for a crime he didn’t commit, and she knew it.

She’d always known. But it didn’t matter to her. Owen had come home a shadow of the man he used to be, his spirit crushed by whatever hell she’d subjected him to behind those pristine walls.

I hated her with a fiery passion that burned in my chest, a slow, smoldering rage that I couldn’t quite extinguish. But I watched her give her speech nonetheless. If only to know what my enemy was planning.

"The Bramwell Sanctuary is for the safety of all unmated residents. A place for omegas to thrive, to find their pack in a safe and controlled environment. It's time for a change. A new and improved Sterling City," Michelle’s voice droned on from the broadcast.

I grit my teeth, my jaw clenched tight as I glared at the screen. She was playing on our fears, manipulating our biology with cold, calculated precision. It was infuriating to watch her twist the natural instincts of omegas into a weapon for her own gain. Why admit the truth when lies were so much more convenient for her agenda?

"Change? Bullshit," I muttered, my frustration spilling over as I tapped my fingers against the counter. The scent of rich, dark roast coffee did nothing to calm the irritation simmering beneath my skin.

I was so sick of everyone pretending the world wasn’t crumbling around us, while they sipped their lattes and talked about ‘safety measures’ and ‘sanctuaries’ for omegas. It was all a farce, a carefully crafted illusion designed to keep us in check, to keep us compliant.

The Bramwell Sanctuary was nothing more than a glorified prison.

My omega instincts were screaming at me to run, to find somewhere—anywhere—safe to hide until this storm passed. But there was nowhere to go. Nowhere that wasn’t tainted by people like Michelle Sterling.

The sanctuary was supposed to be that safe haven, but I knew better. It was a gilded cage, designed to force omegas into submission, to funnel us into packs deemed ‘appropriate’ by the Sterling regime.

And once you were inside, your free will was forfeit. Unless you scent-matched an approved pack, you were trapped. Caged.

I glared harder at the screen. Michelle was making The Bramwell Sanctuary sound like some kind of utopia, but I knew better. It wasn’t a place where omegas were free to find their packs. It was a place where your choices were stripped away, where you were forced to conform to the rules laid out by alphas like Adam.

"This is what's best for our city. It’s necessary, so our innocent residents are not caught up in gang violence," Michelle continued, her voice dripping with false concern. I could hear the smugness in her tone though, as if she were patting herself on the back for ‘saving’ us poor, helpless omegas.

How noble of her.

I fought the urge to throw something at the screen. To shatter the perfect image she projected and expose the ugly truth underneath. But what good would it do? Michelle had too much power, too much influence. And the worst part?

She knew it.

And Adam was the weapon she wielded, her golden boy, the entitled heir who took what he wanted—no matter the cost.

Including me.