Page 22 of Knot Their Safe Haven (The Omega Rebellion Movement #3)

The fury that rose in me was absolute, but I channeled it into a soft murmur, a gentle shift like someone beginning to surface.

Time to wake up.

And begin the performance of my life…

I let my eyelids flutter, a soft sound escaping my throat—confused, vulnerable, exactly what someone waking from medical trauma should sound like.

"Velvet?"

Alessandro's response was immediate, his hand finding mine with gentle concern.

"Are you okay?"

I opened my eyes slowly, blinking against the brightness. The room swam into focus in pieces—machines, white walls, too many bodies for a standard hospital room. I let my gaze find Alessandro first, meeting those emerald eyes with calculated confusion, one eyebrow lifting in question.

Something flickered in his expression — understanding or even approval —before he smoothed it away.

"I know you don't know who I am," he said carefully, playing along with perfect precision, "but we can get into introductions once we don't have company. Let me help you sit up so you can drink some water."

The mention of water made me realize how thirsty I actually was.

Water would be divine honestly. A distraction before the chaos.

I gave the barest nod, letting him adjust the bed and support me as I shifted upright.

The movement brought three others rushing forward—not Knox, Malcolm, or Adyani, but three strangers who moved with the coordinated concern of pack.

The woman— Alexis, it had to be —was stunning in an unconventional way.

Tall for a female, probably five-ten, with white-blonde hair cut in a sharp bob that somehow looked both feminine and dangerous.

Her eyes were ice blue, the kind that saw everything and revealed nothing.

She wore a suit that probably cost more than most people's cars, tailored to perfection to hint at her female form while maintaining an androgynous edge.

The twins were... intense.

Identical in that uncanny way that made you look twice, both easily six-three with the kind of build that suggested they could either run a marathon or break someone in half with equal ease.

Dark purple hair, darker hazelnut eyes with twinkle hints of gold, and matching expressions of protective concern that would have been touching if I wasn't currently orchestrating the performance of my life.

All older than Alessandro. Interesting…

Alessandro returned with water, helping me with the straw. The simple act of drinking felt monumental, my throat still raw from whatever tubes had been down it. But it gave me time to prepare, to settle into the character I was about to play.

When I'd had enough, I pulled back, letting my gaze drift around the room with growing "confusion.

" Knox stood near the door, his face a study in barely controlled emotion.

Malcolm hovered by the machines, doctor instincts warring with personal involvement.

Adyani had positioned herself between them, ever the mediator, though her eyes held storms.

They seemed so far, as if they didn’t want to be up close and emphasizing their worry for my wellbeing. Instead, these “strangers” were pressed around my bed like I’d slip out of their grasp any minute from now.

They didn’t make me feel like a forgotten alien who didn’t deserve the time of day.

I let my gaze linger on Knox, squinting slightly as if trying to place him.

So many years. So many opportunities to make this work, and he was the leader in all of this. If he didn’t take a stance, Adyani and Malcom wouldn’t either. He was the Alpha leader in their group, and his hesitation was influencing the others.

And that was why we kept dancing this repetitive dance that lead to me wasting twenty fucking years and almost led me straight to my early grave.

I’m tired of being this broken record begging for affection.

Crying out to be loved as if I’m not worth it.

No more of this bullshit…because they’re never going to be my safe haven…

With all the innocent confusion I could muster, I delivered the killing blow:

"Who the hell are you?"

The words dropped into the room like grenades, and I watched the explosion emotions ripple across Knox's face.

Confusion, hurt, rage, disbelief—all in the space of a heartbeat.

It’s the most emotion I’ve witnessed since Icarus’ birth.

"Velvet?" His voice cracked on my name. "It's me. It's Knox."

I tilted my head, blinking slowly, maintaining the confused expression while internally savoring the devastation I was causing.

"I'm sorry, should I...um…should I know you?" My heart ached to be so cruel and yet there was this odd sensation brewing in the debts of it all.

As if this was some sort of payback my soul was begging for after years that have gone down to drain.

Malcolm stepped forward, his medical instincts overriding emotional shock.

"She might be experiencing post-traumatic amnesia. It's not uncommon after severe head trauma combined with oxygen deprivation?—"

"I don't have amnesia," I said clearly, letting a hint of irritation color my voice.

That level of annoyance that would grind my gears in the midst of meetings that took too much of my time.

"I remember everything until the accident,” I huff.

“I just don't understand why there are strangers in my room. "

"Strangers?" Adyani's voice was small, wounded. "Velvet, habibti, it's us. We've known each other for?—"

"I'm sorry," I interrupted, looking to Alessandro with perfectly crafted uncertainty.

"Are these people supposed to be here? Are they your pack members or something?” He shakes his head immediately, prompting a pout of frustration from me as I mutter, “I don't feel comfortable with people I don't know seeing me like…well, this? I guess you’re an exception…I think. You’re going to explain things, yes? "

“Certainely.” Alessandro's hand tightened slightly on mine—approval or warning, I couldn't tell. But he played his part flawlessly. "These are... associates who were concerned about your welfare," he said diplomatically. "But if you're uncomfortable, they can leave."

"Wait," Knox moved forward, and both twins shifted subtly, positioning themselves between him and the bed. "Velvet, this isn't funny. Stop this game."

"Game?" I let confusion shade into offense.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I've just woken up from apparently major surgery after getting in some terrorist accident or what not, and I have no idea who you are or why you think you have the right to accuse me of playing games.

Jeez, never met such rude strangers before. "

"Twenty years," he said desperately. "We've known each other for twenty plus years.

The gym. Your Haven. Our—" He stopped, unable to say 'son' in front of strangers.

It was a bit insulting regardless, because this proved the truth.

He still was going to keep things under wraps as long as it protected his reputation.

And she hated that.

I looked at Alessandro, letting fear creep into my expression.

"Why is this man talking about twenty years? I wouldn’t spend that a lot of time with a stranger? And why does he know about my Haven?"

"Perhaps," Alexis's voice cut through like silk, "the three of you should give our Omega some space to recover. The trauma has clearly affected her memory, and aggressive confrontation won't help."

"She's not your—" Malcolm started.

"The paperwork says otherwise," one of the twins— Dante or Damon, I couldn't tell —said cheerfully. "Legal and binding. So unless you have documentation that supersedes medical necessity claiming…you’re out of luck. We could do this the hard way and call security.”

"This is insane," Adyani breathed. "Velvet, please. You know us. You know me. The roses, the calls from Dubai, everything we?—"

"Dubai?" I frowned. "I don't know anyone in Dubai."

Each word was a carefully placed cut, designed to bleed slowly.

I watched her face crumble, watched the moment she started to question everything.

"The text," Knox said suddenly. "Before the accident. You were texting someone about regrets, about the past. You remember that, don't you?"

If he knew about the text, that had to mean they looked into who I was conversating with before the accident, but maybe they had no clue who it was because they weren’t a contact.

Even so, for them to be roaming in my business but seemingly not giving a fuck about everything I had been requesting prior for years was grinding my gears.

I made a show of thinking, then shook my head slowly.

"I remember being stuck in traffic. My driver left to make calls. Then... nothing until waking up here."

"This is bullshit," Knox's voice had gone dangerous. "Whatever game you're all playing?—"

"Knox, was it?" Alessandro's voice had dropped to something lethal. "You're distressing my Omega. I'm going to ask you once to leave. The next request won't be verbal."

"Your Omega," Malcolm laughed, but it was bitter, broken. "She doesn't even know you. You're taking advantage of a medical situation?—"

"Like the way you took advantage of her unconscious state on multiple occasions?

" Alessandro's words were precision strikes, the lowball completely unexpected because I don’t need to feign my surprise because I was genuinely shocked.

How did he find out? "Yes, I know about that.

Amazing what people tell you when you're paying for premium security review and consistent surveillance care for our new Omega. "

Malcolm went as white as a ghost.

"What?" Knox turned to look at him. "What is he talking about?"

"Perhaps this conversation should happen elsewhere," Alexis suggested, her tone making it clear it wasn't actually a suggestion. "Our Omega needs rest, not drama."

"I'm not going anywhere," Knox stated flatly.

"Yes," Dante — or was it Damon? — said pleasantly, "you are."

"You want to try to make me, pretty boy?"

The twins smiled in unison, and it was all teeth.

"Oh, please. Please give me a reason."