Page 142 of Knot So Social

Willow hammers at me from below. “They’re sec-security! Stop!”

Her tiny fists feel like a massage, but the impact gives me enough of a pause to process her words.

“Security?” I ask, rocking back on my heels and sucking in heavy breaths.

Willow coughs and crawls out from the cover of my body.

“He’s my alpha,” she says, putting her palm up to the men blocking the doorway. “I’m fine.”

A purr settles in my chest as the omega identifies me as hers, but I’m still not happy with her being closer to these strangers than me. I drag her back to rest on my raised knee, sitting her where I can keep my hands locked around her.

One of the strangers also drops to one knee. “Ma’am, if you’re being held against your will, or forced to say—"

I growl. “Say that again, you fucker!”

“Joel!” Willow dives her hand into my hair and tips my head back until our eyes meet. “Stop it. They’re my security team, for real.”

I eye her for a long moment as the pieces settle into place.

“Why’d they come?” I hiss.

“You broke a window to get in, didn’t you?”

Oh.

“Ma’am.” One of the men steps forward, gun still in his hand, but lowered. “Please respond only to us for the time being. Step away from the alpha.”

“Trust me,” Willow whispers, rising.

I grab her wrist, shaking my head. I do trust her, but I don’t trust them. What if they’re impersonators? And what if they take her away from me?

“The storm.” I tuck my mouthguard back into place to whisper, “Don’t go out there.”

She nods, throat quivering with a heavy gulp. The brave omega turns to the strangers, stepping away from me but not forcing my hand off her wrist. “I’m all right. He hasn’t hurt me. I was panicking because of the storm, so I couldn’t get to the door to unlock it.”

I crouch, one knee down, rigid with anger.

Jock barks and comes to my side but Mr Shares belly crawls forward, tail slapping the ground as he greets the man on the left flank. The sound wakes me up a little. He knows these guys.

With a heavy sigh, I release Willow and lock my hands behind my head. Well, I fucked up real good this time.

“Sorry, gentleman. I genuinely thought you were a threat. But it doesn’t make sense anyone else could get into Willow’s panic room, does it?”

I drop my other knee to the ground.

Willow turns to smile at me, her relief softening her lovely face. I nod in response.

Still, I watch closely as she goes to the men and whispers some sort of code.

“Just following procedure,” one guard mutters as he approaches. “I’ll need to check you for weapons.”

“I get it.”

He pats along my arms and down my body. The touch sets my teeth on edge, but I keep my irritation locked away. Even his faint beta scent slices at me like an offence. Having another man in this small space with the omega I’m claiming—

My breath catches.

I can’t force myself to close my eyes and lose sight of Willow, so I count instead. Mark the seconds some dude on a payroll stands between me and what’s mine. Never in my life have I felt so primal, and it’s so perfect. And the same instinct begs me to sink my teeth into her soft skin.