Knot the One They Want (Claimverse Book 1)

Damien’s study door slams shut behind us with a resounding thud as the four of us crowd in. The rich scent of leather and aged whiskey envelops me as I stride to the mahogany bar and pour myself a generous dram of Damien’s finest single malt. I need it after the emotional whiplash of tonight’s dinner.

‘Well,’ Asher drawls, draping himself across the leather sofa with boneless grace, ‘that was simultaneously the most delicious and terrifying meal I’ve ever had.’

I hum in agreement, the smoky burn of the whiskey doing little to soothe the ache in my chest. The silence stretches, heavy with unspoken tension.

‘Kind of hot in here. Do you…’ Cole clears his throat, his usual bravado notably absent as he loosens his collar. ‘Do you think she poisoned it?’

I give a dry laugh, even though I’m still not one-hundred percent certain myself. ‘Of course not. Not that I’d blame her if she did,’ I add flatly, casting a furious glance at Damien. ‘Really? You hid her nesting materials?’

‘What if I did?’ he challenges shamelessly. ‘She’s not staying. She doesn’t need a fucking nest.’

I slam my glass down on the bar, the sharp crack echoing through the tense silence. Damien’s cold eyes meet mine, unflinching. Unrepentant. Does he truly not see the cruelty in his actions? The utter lack of compassion?

‘When are you going to stop this, Damien?’ I demand, my voice low and controlled despite the anger simmering in my veins. ‘It’s clear she’s not just going to give up and run.’

He scoffs, a harsh, mirthless sound. ‘Never. Not until she leaves.’

The finality in his tone sends a chill down my spine. I search his face for any hint of the man I once knew, the leader who would have done anything to protect and comfort his pack. But all I see is a stranger, his handsome features twisted into a mask of icy disdain.

‘She’s our mate, Damien. Our omega. Can’t you feel it?’ I implore, desperation creeping into my voice. ‘The pull, the rightness of her presence?’

Asher shifts on the sofa, his brow furrowed. I can sense his inner turmoil, the warring desires to soothe our omega’s distress and to maintain the fragile peace within our fractured pack.

Damien’s jaw clenches, a muscle ticking beneath the stubbled skin. ‘What I feel,’ he grits out, each word precise and cutting, ‘is the sting of betrayal. I will not be made a fool of again.’

The pain in his voice is a visceral thing, raw and bleeding. I ache to reach out, to offer comfort as I have so many times before. But I know it wouldn’t be welcome. Not now, when his wounds are ripped open anew, the scars of Daria’s treachery still festering.

‘Evie isn’t Daria,’ I say softly, holding his gaze. Pleading for him to see reason. ‘She is innocent in all of this. A victim of circumstance.’

Damien’s lips twist into a sneer. ‘Innocent? She’s a manipulative little⁠—’

‘Choose your next words carefully, brother,’ Cole warns, rising from his chair with fluid menace. His eyes flash dangerously, the primal protectiveness of an alpha for his mate overriding all else. Even the bonds between us, growing thinner each day.

The air crackles with tension, the scent of alpha aggression spiking. I step between them, a hand on each of their chests. A futile gesture, I know. If they truly wish to fight, to tear each other apart in their rage and pain, there’s little I can do to stop them.

But I have to try. For the sake of our pack, our bond. For her.

‘Enough,’ I command, my voice ringing with authority I rarely wield. I don’t like using my bark, but I will if I have to. ‘This solves nothing. We are brothers, bound by our chosen bonds. We will not turn on each other. Not again.’

Silence descends, broken only by the harsh rasp of labored breaths. Slowly, infinitesimally, the tension eases. Cole steps back, his posture still wary. Damien turns away, his broad shoulders rigid with barely suppressed emotion.

I exhale shakily, my heart aching with the weight of all that remains unspoken between us. The betrayals, the loss, the longing for a future that seems to slip further from our grasp with each passing moment. And the empty space left behind by the woman who dashed all our dreams.

But beneath it all, a flicker of hope remains. A fragile, stubborn thing, kindled by the arrival of Evie. The omega who could be the thing that finally tears us apart.

Or our salvation, if we can get our collective shit together enough to embrace it.