Knot A Trace: Part One

I make it out of the building before the tears of shame start to fall because I refuse to let that Alphahole see me cry.

A bribe? River was so cruel and dismissive, the exact opposite of his sweet colleague.

I hope he chokes on the cookies.

I’m sorry, April, I think to myself. I’ll figure something else out.

Are these Alphas really supposed to be the best of the best?

They both couldn’t care less about me, except Landon was more polite about it.

And even more embarrassing, I could feel waves of slick pulse through my underwear and into my slick pad.

I wanted, for the first time in over a year. It’s as if my inner Omega woke back up in their presence.

Idiot.

The parking lot is blurry, and I wipe at my eyes as I struggle to fish my keys out of my purse.

But the sense of loss is strong, and the feeling that I’ve somehow failed my best friend haunts me as I stumble on the pavement in my heels.

I’m so lost in my head that I don’t move away in time from the whirl of black that comes rushing towards me.

There’s a screeching of tires, then I’m airborne. I’m looking up at the clouds as my body rolls, and my back slaps hard against something solid.

Then I meet the pavement, my head exploding with pain.

It takes a moment for me to realize what’s happening. Someone is cursing, people are shouting, and the contents of my purse are scattered around the parking lot. My tube of pink lip gloss rolls by my head, as if to mock me.

I blink up at the cloudy sky, dazed.

I just got hit by a car.

Groaning, I roll to my side, vaguely aware that my skirt is riding up and my legs are on fire. I scramble on my hands and knees, trying to stand, but stumble back on my ass.

“You’re going to jail, motherfucker! Who drives through a parking lot like that?!” someone screams, and arguing ensues.

Someone is much more upset about this than I am.

This time, I successfully stand, but wince as gravel digs into my bare feet.

Great. My heels must have come off in the accident. I see the sports car that hit me and am amazed I’m still conscious. The windshield is cracked and there’s a dent on the hood.

They must have been speeding when they hit me.

“Wow,” I breathe, as I blink slowly. “Ow.”

“You got her? I’m calling an ambulance!” a panicked voice yells.

Landon, the one that pretended to care but respectfully rejected me, stands at the opposite edge of the parking lot near the entrance to the building. He heads toward me, and I try to shake my head and tell him that I’m fine, but I stumble again. Strong arms encircle me, and I’m suddenly pressed against a clothed chest that smells like linen and the faintest trace of cigarette smoke.

“Whoa, hey, I’ve got you,” the low voice says, slightly breathy. “Skylar? Hey, can you hear me?”

It takes me a moment to realize who’s holding me, but my head hurts too much to argue.

River.

He smells like pepper and chaos, but his embrace is strong. His touch affects me, even though I don’t want it to. A live wire runs through me, and it’s all I can do to not sag against him.

“Asshole,” I mutter into his chest, and I hear him huff out a laugh.

“You’re not wrong. But I’m going to help you sit until the ambulance arrives,” he replies. “Just keep your eyes open for me. Don’t close them.”

“Too late for that,” I mumble. “I’m sleepy.”

“Hey, I need her insurance information,” an irritated voice says. “She walked right in front of me. That shit’s not my fault.”

I snap my eyes open and turn to see the driver that hit me. He’s a short Beta male, middle-aged and balding, wearing an unflattering striped shirt. I open my mouth, ready to tell him off, but River keeps his arm locked around my shoulders as I struggle to find my footing.

“She doesn’t owe you shit,” River spits at him, as if quoting my internal monologue. “You hit her, and you’re lucky she’s still standing, or I would have kicked the shit out of you.”

I snort. I still don’t like River, but it’s nice to hear him threaten the entitled Beta in front of me.

And his scent is addictive. I inhale it greedily, hoping he doesn’t notice how desperate I am for it.

River and Landon have the most mouthwatering scents I’ve experienced since Jason.

And unlike Jason’s, theirs don’t have the bitter note I forced myself to ignore.

I try to memorize River’s scent, wanting to commit it to memory before we have to say goodbye.

“Skylar. Skylar, open your eyes,” River commands, his raspy voice low. “Stay with me.”

“No,” I murmur. “Sleep.”

“I think she has a concussion,” another baritone voice says. The voice is followed by the comforting scent of the forest, and I sigh.

Landon.

But the comfort is short-lived. I’m in pain, I’ve embarrassed myself, and they’re still not going to help me find April.

Snap out of it, Skylar.

“I’m fine,” I insist, opening my eyes to meet Landon’s concerned expression. “No ambulance. I just need to hang out for a second.” I attempt to struggle out of River’s grip, but he simply pulls me closer while Landon watches, scowling.

“You absolutely need to go to the hospital, Miss Bloom,” he insists, narrowing his eyes. “I won’t argue about this.”

Oh. If I thought Landon was cute before, his bossiness makes my inner Omega purr.

“Ambulance is on its way. No arguing,” River adds. I look up at him, ready to tell him off, but something in his expression makes me stop.

His eyes are a hypnotizing shade of dark green and slightly bloodshot. He looks like he hasn’t slept in days, and I have a feeling he’s as tired as I feel.

This is not the face of a stable man.

But it’s still sexy.

So instead of arguing, I simply nod.

“Great,” he mutters, then clears his throat and breaks our eye contact. He releases me and I take a step back, only realizing now how close we were.

“I need to sit down,” I murmur. “My head hurts.”

“I’ve got you,” Landon says and extends a hand to me. I take it cautiously, my inner Omega flattered at his politeness and kindness. River stalks off to the Beta driver, demanding all of his information while I watch in awe.

I wish I didn’t want to be taken care of so badly.

“Can you sit here?” Landon asks, gesturing at the curb near the building’s entrance. “We’ll stay with you until the ambulance arrives.”

I sigh and nod.

They’re just being polite. I’ll never see them again after this.

River is yelling so loudly at the driver that the Beta finally puts up his hands in surrender and shakes his head.

“I apologize for River’s behavior,” Landon adds, joining me on the curb. I wince as I maneuver my skirt, doing my best to make sure it doesn’t ride up my thighs. “He’s…well, he’s usually like this, but you didn’t deserve to be spoken to like that.” He sits next to me, and we both observe as River chews the driver out.

I scoff. “It’s fine,” I murmur, watching as River takes out his cell phone to photograph the man’s license. “Some people are just insufferable.”

I turn to see Landon grin. It’s charming, showing off his dimples and perfect straight white teeth. “He is,” he confirms. “But he’s a great detective, unfortunately.”

I sigh. “Yeah. I’ve heard.”

An awkward silence falls between us as I close my eyes and hiss in pain. My back and knees burn. As soon as I’m out of here, I’m picking all the gravel out of my skin.

“Skylar—” Landon starts, but the sound of sirens fills the air.

I groan.

“I don’t need an ambulance,” I murmur, even as I struggle to stay sitting upright.

“Yes, you do, sweetheart,” Landon says softly.

I freeze.

Sweetheart.

He’s just being polite. That’s all.

But the term of endearment stuns me and makes my heart thump wildly.

And so, with nothing left to lose, I try again.

“Please help me find her,” I ask Landon, pleading with my eyes. “If I could just have an hour alone with you…”

But I’m fading in and out, the adrenaline wearing off.

I’m suddenly so tired.

I just want to sleep.

Strong arms lift me up, and suddenly I’m being held bridal style. My face is pressed against a strong, sturdy chest, and a deep vibration soothes me as those muscular arms cradle me close.

Purring.

An Alpha is purring for me.

I could cry. The last time I felt an Alpha’s purr was more than a year ago, and I almost forgot how euphoric it could be.

The last thing I remember is a low voice murmuring my name before I’m whisked away to the hospital.