Page 26 of Knot So Sweet (Leather and Lace #1)

Chapter 25

Ghost

D oc stood in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest, watching the exchange between Viper and Candi with a raised brow and a look of mild amusement. He didn’t say anything at first, just let the back-and-forth play out, his gaze flicking between them.

Doc and Viper had been friends for years, and neither of them had ever settled down, so seeing his best friend in this heated banter with Candi was probably a shock to him.

With a small shake of his head, Doc pushed the rim of his glasses up with an inked finger, his expression shifting when his sights landed on me. That smirk on his face turned into a concerned frown.

"What happened to your shoulder?" he asked. "Do you want me to take a look at it?"

At the mention of my injury, Candi stepped forward. "His dumbass decided to become a baseball and stepped in the way of a metal bat."

I gave a half-hearted shrug with my good shoulder, trying to play it off.

"It’s nothing."

But in reality, I'd do it again to protect her from anything.

Doc wasn’t convinced. His frown deepened as he glanced between me and Candi. He brushed his ash blond hair from his face and gestured for us to come inside

"Let me take a look at it."

Neither Viper nor Candi moved at first, both still locked in a battle of wills. I squeezed Viper’s shoulder again, harder this time, silently begging him to stand down. With a frustrated growl, he finally tore his gaze away from her and stormed toward the door.

As we stepped inside, the familiar scent of vanilla and honey washed over me. Doc’s place had always smelled the same, a mix of the herbal remedies he used and his beta scent.

It was comforting, in a way.

I’d spent more time in Doc’s house than just about anyone else. Growing up, Chaos and I had gotten into more than our fair share of fights, and Doc had patched me up every time.

He’d been the one to help when we started out boxing at The Ring, when over-exerting myself became the only way to prove I belonged.

"Take off your shirt and have a seat," Doc said, gesturing to one of the office chairs.

I grunted as I complied. Being mindful not to raise my arm too high.

The moment I did, Candi sucked in a sharp breath, and my cock jumped at the sound. She hovered nearby, arms crossed, her gaze locked on mine, a mix of curiosity and something deeper swirling in her eyes.

Her cheeks flushed a delicate shade of pink as her gaze traced my ink, lingering on the intricate serpent tattoo coiling across my chest—the same serpent that mirrored her own tattoo.

A thrill raced through me and I smirked.

"Like what you see, princess?" I purred.

Though my heart hammered faster with each passing second. I wanted to rile her up, to remind her just how much she wanted me earlier. How it felt when I kissed her.

A kiss I planned to repeat very soon.

She swallowed hard, her eyes narrowing slightly, yet I caught the flicker of lust in her gaze. "Shut up, Ghost," she grumbled, her voice laced with frustration, but the blush creeping across her skin told a different story.

I chuckled at her defiance. She couldn’t hide how her body responded to mine. It was intoxicating, watching her struggle between her desire and her need to maintain that tough exterior.

She was close to letting us in. Viper and I exchanged a knowing look.

Doc grabbed a stool and rolled it closer to examine my shoulder. His fingers were gentle yet methodical as he prodded the injury, his brow furrowing in concentration. I could hear Viper and Candi arguing in the background, their voices rising, but I was too focused on Doc’s examination to pay them much attention.

"You’re lucky," he muttered, glancing at the bruise. "Could’ve been a lot worse. Just a nasty bruise and some muscle strain."

Candi snorted from behind me, her annoyance palpable. "You’re being stubborn, Viper. At least consider it," she snapped, her words sharp as a knife. Clearly, she wasn’t over their earlier battle of wills.

"And you’re being reckless," Viper shot back, his tone ice-cold, every bit the protective alpha I knew him to be. "I won’t work with the Hounds."

The tension in the room thickened, a tangible thing that buzzed in the air. I could feel Candi's frustration simmering just beneath the surface, and I couldn’t help but wonder how much longer she could hold on before her heat took over.

Doc glanced up at Candi with a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. And turned back to me.

"Well Ghost, your shoulder could have been worse. But still, you should take it easy for a while."

"Can’t afford to take it easy, Doc."

Not with the chance of having Candi.

His gaze flicked to Viper, who was leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. "Are you going to introduce me?"

Viper grunted in response, his usual way of saying no without actually saying it. The tension between him and Candi still simmered just beneath the surface, but in this space, it seemed to settle slightly. Doc's calming beta scent–honey and vanilla—had that effect on people.

One of the many reasons he made a good doctor.

Candi clicked her tongue in annoyance, breaking the silence. "I'm Candi."

Doc smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "It's nice to meet you." His gaze flicked to mine and then back to hers, as if he wanted to say more, but thought better of it. I frowned, sensing the unspoken words hanging in the air.

He stood up, moving to his desk, but I could feel his eyes lingering on Candi, his gaze sharp and probing, like he was reading her in a way that went deeper than surface-level observations.

"Candi," he said suddenly, making her blink in surprise. "Your heat’s coming up soon, isn’t it? Are you spending it at the compound?"

Her entire body stiffened, and for a split second, I saw something flash in her eyes—something akin to vulnerability. It was a fleeting moment, quickly masked by her usual fierce demeanor.

"Your scent," Doc continued, matter-of-fact as always, "I can smell it. You’re close to cycling. I have a room upstairs you can use. Plenty of the club's omegas spend their heats here."

Candi’s hands clenched into fists at her sides, and I could see the fight brewing within her. She hated being called out on this—hated showing any kind of weakness. And her heat?

That was as vulnerable as it got for an omega.

"No," Viper snarled, his voice low and dangerous. "No way are you spending your heat anywhere but at my house."

Candi shot Viper a glare. "Who are you to tell me where I'm spending my heat, Viper?"

Viper shifted uncomfortably against the wall, his jaw tight as a coiled spring. He growled in frustration. The tension radiating from him was palpable, and I could feel the weight of his protectiveness suffocating the air between us.

He loathed the idea of Candi going into heat while we were tangled in this war, and I shared that sentiment.

The timing couldn’t be worse.

Candi's hands balled into fists at her sides as she paced toward the bookshelf, the tension in her curvy frame unmistakable. Her shoulders were bunched, a sign of the emotional storm swirling within her.

Heat wasn’t just a physical state—it was a whirlwind of emotion that tore down walls, and Candi had spent her whole life fortifying hers.

"Princess. Let us take care of you," I murmured, hoping to soothe the tumult.

Hoping my scent calmed her some.

She looked up at me, her jaw clenched tight. Silence stretched between us, louder than any words.

Candi didn’t trust herself right now.

The air thickened, and I sensed a shift in her scent—warmer, sweeter—betraying the tenuous grip she was trying to maintain.

Viper had shifted from brooding to something sharper. His eyes darkened as they locked onto her. His nostrils flared, reacting to the shift in her scent, and I could practically feel the alpha in him rising to the surface. He pushed off the wall, stepping toward her with a deliberate slowness. "Sweetheart."

Candi didn’t meet his eyes, shoulders drawn tight. She didn’t want to be vulnerable—not in front of me, not in front of Doc, and especially not in front of Viper.

Doc cleared his throat, shifting his gaze between them. "You need to rest, Candi. Your body’s signaling it, whether you want it to or not."

Her fists clenched tighter as she fought to maintain her control. I knew what was coming. I’d witnessed enough omegas cycle to recognize the signs—the subtle shift in scent, the tremor in her hands, the way her breath came in shallow bursts.

Viper moved closer, his eyes never leaving her. "Candice, look at me."

Finally, she met his gaze, and for a brief moment, the mask she wore slipped. I saw fear there, vulnerability that she despised revealing.

Viper saw it too. "You’re in control here. You choose how and what happens during your heat. You hear me?"

Her breath caught, and I thought for a moment she might break. But Candi being Candi, she fought it, swallowing hard against the swell of her emotion.

"Princess," I purred. "You don’t have to pretend with us. You’re allowed to need us, to lean on us. Trust us."

Her gaze flicked to mine, searching for something—acceptance? A lifeline?

"I hate feeling weak, Ghost." Her eyes widened in surprise, as if she couldn’t believe she had just admitted that. It was something I was beginning to learn about her: something about me calmed her, and I needed to use that to help her through this.

"You’re not weak. Letting us in doesn’t make you weak. It makes you human. I told you, you need us. You need an alpha. Let us prove it to you."

I wanted to remind her that she was ours. We were her alphas, her protectors.

Doc stood back, observing the exchange, allowing the moment to unfold.

Viper reached out, his hand cupping her jaw, tilting her face up to meet his.

"You’re mine, Candi," he whispered, thumb brushing against her cheek. "And I take care of what’s mine. You know that."

Her breath hitched, and for a fleeting moment, the fight faded from her eyes. But I could see her resolve beginning to waver.

"I don’t need anyone’s help," she muttered, though her voice trembled slightly. "I can go back to the Den I can—"

Viper purred, the sound rumbling his chest and cutting over her rant. "You need us," Viper countered, gaze steady, unyielding. "Especially right now."

"If I need help, then so do you," she shot back, her voice rising. "You need help getting rid of 'the poison' in your club. As soon as you acknowledge that you need help, maybe I will too."

I smirked at her fire, but Viper wasn't amused. He growled low in his throat. "You’re going to blackmail me into a meeting with the Cromwells?"

"Gotta make being stuck at your house during my heat worth it."

I stepped closer, hoping my scent would help her think more clearly, especially with Viper pushing her buttons. They were like fire and gasoline, always on the edge of igniting.

Doc cleared his throat. "Viper, let her relax here for a bit. Ghost still needs his shoulder wrapped, and I need to know what happened today during the run."

"Stay here. I'll be back in a minute." Viper stroked her cheek with his thumb. "And I'll take the request to meet the Cromwell pack to the club. But no guarantees I’ll convince everyone to agree. The vote has to be unanimous."

Candi swallowed hard, her eyes darting between us. She licked her lips and nodded.

Viper slowly dropped his hand from her face and sighed as he headed toward the door. I followed behind him, casting one last glance back at Candi before closing the door firmly behind me.

Maybe Candi was right. We needed help. As much as Viper hated the idea, he couldn’t face this war alone. We were outnumbered, outmaneuvered, and if we kept playing by the old rules, we would surely lose.