Knot A Trace: Part One

Is it possible to die of embarrassment?

My back burns, my knees and elbows are scabbed, and my head throbs.

Not only did I not get any help for April, but I got run over in the process.

To be fair, she would probably think it’s funny.

What’s not funny is waking up in a hospital bed to the beep of my own heartbeat.

I must have passed out in the ambulance.

What happened to my car? To my purse?

I groan in pain, shifting in the hospital bed and struggling to sit up. It feels like someone hit me in the head with a hammer; all I want to do is keep my eyes closed forever.

“You’re awake,” a low voice sighs in relief. A faint familiar scent washes over me, and I open my eyes to see Landon sitting in a chair on my right side.

Landon, the Alpha who carried me in his arms to the ambulance.

Landon, who purred for me.

And who turned me down.

“Why are you here?” I croak, and his dark eyes widen. Then his expression softens, and he smiles, showing off his dimples.

Damn him for being so handsome.

And damn him for staying at the hospital with me. I want to forget today, but his welcoming, delicious scent makes it hard for me to want to stay away from him.

“You were hit by a car,” he says slowly, as if he thinks I lost my memory along with my dignity. “I had to make sure you were safe.”

I swallow a lump in my throat and turn away from him.

This is how an Alpha should behave, I realize. This is how a decent Alpha would treat an Omega he cares about.

And I’m not even his.

“Well, I’m safe,” I say evenly. “So, you don’t need to be here anymore.”

I can’t have him. I can’t want him.

Why did he have to purr for me?

And the worst part is that it was better than Jason’s purr. He told me he only did it out of obligation, and it made his chest hurt.

The lump in my throat grows.

I turn back to Landon, and there’s a smirk on his full lips. “You need a ride home,” he says matter-of-factly. “You’re in no position to drive.”

When his scent washes over me, I want to agree to everything he says. He smells like home.

But he’s far too busy to deal with me.

“I have a ride,” I lie, knowing full well I have no clue how I’m getting back to Isleton. He holds my gaze for a moment too long, calling my bluff.

“You’re right, you do. River can take you home,” he says.

My jaw drops.

Great, the other Alpha is here somewhere? The Alpha that sneered at my cookies, accused me of bribing them, then almost killed the person that hit me?

I’ll be in a car alone with him for at least two hours.

Just as I’m about to argue and tell Landon and his deep, soulful eyes that a ride is unnecessary, the doctor walks in, letting me know they’re keeping me a few more hours to observe me and take X-rays.

I listen impatiently as she rambles on.

Concussion. Bed rest. No driving.

Silently, I disagree with her.

I don’t have time to rest. I need to find April.

And if that means never sleeping again, so be it.

Before the doctor leaves, she smiles at Landon.

“You’ll make sure she takes care of herself?” she asks him, and my face flushes as I realize she thinks he’s my partner.

Landon returns the smile easily. “Of course,” he says.

I gawk at him after the doctor leaves the room. Not only am I humiliated, but a painful longing in my chest starts to creep to the surface. My inner Omega desperately wants to be taken care of, and Landon is only giving her false hope. “Look,” I say, doing my best to not lose it on him, “you really don’t have to be here. I have someone I can call—”

“A boyfriend?” he asks, just as politely as before, but his expression hardens slightly. His scent deepens, turning slightly spicy.

I shouldn’t be so attuned to him, yet I can sense the sudden jealousy.

It doesn’t matter. You’re never seeing him again after today.

“Yes,” I fib as I sit up.

But Landon gives me a genuine smile, and all traces of bitterness on his face disappear. “You know I’m a detective, right? I can easily tell when someone is lying.”

I groan and close my eyes. “My coworker,” I mutter, defeated. “I can call her, and she can pick me up.”

I know Devyn would do it, but I also know she would panic the entire time and ask a thousand questions.

Yet anything is better than being alone with either Landon or River for too long.

They’ve already rejected me. The longer I’m with them, the longer I keep my hopes up.

“And I suppose your coworker is trained to deal with someone experiencing a concussion?” he quips, giving me a knowing look.

“You’re busy,” I mutter. “You said that already.”

“You’re right,” he agrees. “Which is why River will be giving you a ride back to Isleton.”

“You agreed with me that he was an asshole earlier,” I snap, sounding like a petulant child. “Why should I ride with that psychopath?”

“Because he’s the only one I trust with you besides myself,” he replies simply, shrugging.

I must have hit my head harder than I thought, because none of what he’s saying makes sense. I don’t matter to him. He made that very clear in his office, so why is he still pretending to care?

“You didn’t hit me with your car,” I argue. “I’m an adult, and I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

My words don’t bother him. Instead, he tilts his head slightly, as if trying to understand me better. His eyes narrow for a fraction of a second, and it feels as if he’s attempting to stare into my soul.

He’s trying to figure me out.

“It’s the least we can do,” he says gently. “Arguing is pointless, Skylar. You were injured on our watch; we will take care of you.”

I swallow nervously, fighting a terrifying urge to cry. Tears prick at the corners of my eyes, and I hope that Landon doesn’t notice.

We will take care of you.

How long have I waited to hear those words?

And it’s only temporary. They’re too busy for me, and they’re too busy for April.

Landon has no right to be saying things like that when those words make me ache with want.

Alpha will take care of us! My inner Omega screams.

Even his scent is too much. I commit it to memory, knowing that in a few hours, that’s all it will be.

Hopefully, my eventual mate smells similar to him.

Or River.

“It’s better if you rest for the next few hours,” Landon adds, interrupting my thoughts. “River is on his way.”

I shake my head. “That’s unnecessary,” I try again, but Landon simply cocks an eyebrow, and I shudder.

Damn him for being so attractive. He’s polite yet firm, gentle, but strong.

Once I realize he isn’t going anywhere, I stop fighting the fatigue and lay back down.

I close my eyes, doing my best to ignore the feeling of him watching over me.

“Egg whites!”

My eyes snap open, my own voice waking me up from a dream.

It takes a moment for me to realize where I am and who the person in the corner watching me is.

He looks just as startled as I am, a dark eyebrow raised at my sudden outburst.

River stares at me, and I stare back.

“Egg whites?” he repeats, his voice low and amused.

My face flames with embarrassment. “A recipe,” I mutter. “I was making macarons in my dreams.”

There’s a beat of silence, and an amused smirk plays on his face.

“Macarons,” he deadpans.

I narrow my eyes. “Yes. You know, the things you accused me of bribing you with,” I snap, my throbbing head making my attitude worse.

The smirk falls from his face and he sighs. “Yeah. I was kind of an asshole for that,” he murmurs, shrugging. “Sorry. I have a problem with people sometimes.”

I blink at him. “I’ve never seen someone so upset about cookies before,” I say.

He chuckles, and my stomach does a nervous flip. Despite his abysmal attitude, he’s attractive, and the dark circles under his eyes and day-old stubble add to it.

“Yeah, well, I can be charming if I need to. But it’s pretty fucking draining, and when you walked in, I wasn’t thinking when I spoke to you. I’m truly sorry,” he adds, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.

I can tell he’s not used to apologizing, so I decide to take it easy on him.

“Apology accepted,” I say, grimacing as my head aches. I place my hand to my forehead and groan. “This really hurts.”

“After your X-rays, we should get you home,” he says. “As long as you’re okay to walk. Or I can get a wheelchair and push you out of here.”

He’s teasing me and, despite my pain, I smile. “I’ll be fine.”

“I also got that asshole’s information for your insurance company. You could press charges if you want. I’d love to see that.”

“I think you scared him enough,” I sigh, moving to stand up out of bed. River’s at my side immediately, steadying me as I almost tumble against a wall. “Shit,” I whisper, leaning into his shoulder. With one arm around my waist, he steadies me, and I grasp at his arm through the leather of his jacket. He’s warmer than I expected, his body heat comforting.

His spicy scent envelops me, making my mouth water and my thighs clench. It settles around me, and my inner Omega wakes up, desperate for more.

He’s touching us.

He’s caring for us.

But he’ll be gone after today. Just like Landon, River has more important things to do.

I force myself to ignore the ache in my chest as I welcome his embrace.